Cave Creek Unified: two seats, three candidates, and permission to sell a school site

November 3, 2026 general election. Cave Creek Unified School District No. 93 serves Cave Creek, Carefree, and the surrounding north Valley. The district is going through a change of administration, which the incumbent in this race names as the central task. A separate question asks permission to sell or lease the Desert Sun Academy parcel.

How this race works: two of the board's five seats are up, both for four-year terms. Three candidates are on the ballot; vote for up to two and the top two win. Board service is unpaid.

Scott Brown (incumbent)

First elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2022. His children attended district schools and graduated from Cactus Shadows High School. He was a classroom volunteer and PTO co-president, and volunteers with the Kiwanis Club of Carefree and the Cave Creek Youth Football Association.

Stated priorities: a balanced budget, supporting staff and educators, and reviewing the curriculum so students are prepared. He says his board experience would help the district navigate its change of administration.

Sucheta Shah

The mother of one current Cave Creek student and one alum. She has lived in the community since 2001 and volunteered in the schools for 19 years, raising funds through PTOs and the district education foundation. Professionally she spent five years in program development and five in procurement at the university level, including leading a team that managed $40 million of annual spending.

Marla Riney

The mother of a middle school student in the district. She has served in PTO leadership and on school and district committees and co-chaired the political action committee for the district's last override campaign. She is a licensed social worker whose career is in education, youth development, and behavioral health.

Stated priorities: safe, structured environments where every child can learn and reach their potential.

The site sale question: Desert Sun Academy

The district asks permission to sell or lease one parcel: the Desert Sun Academy site, about 16.15 acres at 27880 N. 64th Street. A yes grants authority only. It names no buyer and no price, sets no deadline, and does not require a sale; the governing board would still have to approve any transaction and decide what the proceeds fund. A no means the district keeps the property unless it asks again. Site sale questions carry no direct tax impact.

Verification notes

School board campaigns file finance reports with Maricopa County. No raised or spent totals for these campaigns appeared in the coverage we reviewed; we print no totals rather than guess.
No proposition number for the Cave Creek site sale question was found in the sources we checked, and no appraisal or expected sale value has been published in them. Any proceeds figure would be speculation, so none is printed.
Details of the district's administration change are as characterized by the incumbent in the Republic's guide; the superintendent transition specifics were not separately verified here.

How to vote without getting your ballot rejected

Mail it by Tuesday, October 27, 2026. After that day, do not mail it: use a drop box or a vote center instead.
It must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3. Postmarks do not count.
Sign and date the affidavit envelope, and write a current phone number on it.
Leaving any item blank is allowed. The board race and the site sale are separate items; answer either, both, or none.

Sources

Certified candidates, Maricopa County School Superintendent: schoolsup.org (PDF)
Arizona Republic school board guide, October 2, 2026 (candidates and the site sale): azcentral.com
Maricopa County School Superintendent, bond and override elections list: schoolsup.org