Higley Unified: three seats, two separate races, and one seat a judge ordered onto the ballot

November 3, 2026 general election. Higley Unified School District, in Gilbert, has a five-member board. Two seats are up for regular four-year terms on the printed ballot, and one seat with two years remaining is being filled by a write-in only race that exists because a court required it. Do not confuse this district with Gilbert Unified, whose 2026 board election was cancelled; the vacancy lawsuit below was Higley's.

How these races work: in the four-year race, vote for up to two of the three printed candidates. In the two-year race, no names are printed: you must write in the name of one of the three certified write-in candidates, and only votes for certified write-ins are counted. The two races are separate items on your ballot.

The four-year race: two seats, three candidates

Anna Van Hoek (incumbent)

Board member with more than 20 years of experience in finance, procurement, and corporate operations.

Stated priorities: strengthening oversight and transparency, keeping academic achievement at the center of district decisions, and long-term fiscal sustainability. She says board service requires financial expertise and the willingness to ask hard questions when decisions affect students and taxpayers.

Amanda Wade (incumbent)

The board's current president. She began teaching in 2011, spent six years teaching in Higley and four more at Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, Maryland, then returned to Arizona and taught at Williams Field High School. Both of her children attend Gateway Pointe Elementary, where she volunteers. She is pursuing graduate study in education policy.

Michelle Morris

More than 30 years of accounting experience with clients including nonprofits, banks, and employee benefit plans. She is the parent of a child on the autism spectrum.

Stated priorities: responsible financial decisions grounded in her accounting background, and ensuring every student feels seen, supported, and included, plus support for teachers.

The two-year race: write-in only, and why it exists

Board member Scott Glover resigned on July 20, 2026, the last day for write-in filing, with two years left in his term. County School Superintendent Shelli Boggs moved to fill the vacancy by appointment, arguing the timing gave prospective candidates who knew about it an unfair advantage. Candidate Travis White and district parents Briana Turnbull, Sierra Tialino, and Jennifer Keys sued. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Julie Mata ruled the seat must be decided by Higley voters in November as a write-in race. That ruling is why this seat is on your ballot at all, and why every candidate in it is a write-in.

Travis White (write-in)

He is the candidate who sued, with three district parents, to put this seat before voters instead of an appointment. He holds a degree in computer information systems from Arizona State University and works as an information security executive.

Stated priorities: keeping Higley schools the best choice for families, supporting teachers and academic programs including elementary specials such as music and art and dual language immersion, and transparent, data-driven, accountable decisions.

Kurt Brooks (write-in)

Native Arizonan, father of six, and a 15-year Higley district resident; five of his children have attended Higley schools and his youngest is in high school now. He has coached youth football for several years and cites Fortune 500 executive experience managing large budgets.

Stated priorities: fiscal discipline, parental respect, rigorous core academics, strong teachers, low property taxes, fair Title IX sports, release time for students to participate in religious studies, and transparent governance.

Kathleen Richards (write-in)

A Higley parent since 2016 and an active substitute teacher in the district who has participated in district surveys and focus groups.

Stated priorities: student and teacher retention and the highest quality education available in the East Valley. She says a vocal minority has attempted to undermine public education from the inside out, and she wants to keep moving the district forward.

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.
Only write-in votes for the three certified candidates above count in the two-year race. A write-in for any other name is not counted for this seat.
The court case account is summarized from the Arizona Republic's August 27, 2026 reporting; the ruling was Judge Mata's, in Maricopa County Superior Court.

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.
For the two-year seat, write the name clearly and fill in the oval. Only certified write-in candidates can receive countable votes.

Sources

Certified candidates, Maricopa County School Superintendent: schoolsup.org (PDF)
Arizona Republic, August 27, 2026, "Gilbert school board vacancy to be filled by voters after legal fight": azcentral.com
Arizona Republic school board guide, October 2, 2026: azcentral.com