Ballot Math / School districts / Queen Creek Unified
School board race: Queen Creek Unified School District

Queen Creek Unified: two incumbents, a former teacher, and a music teacher who helped open a school

November 3, 2026 general election. Nonpartisan, at large: vote for up to two. Queen Creek Unified School District covers Queen Creek and the San Tan Valley edge of the southeast Valley, one of the faster growing parts of the county. It has no bond or override question on this ballot.
How this race works: two of the board's five seats are up, both for four-year terms. Four candidates are on the ballot; vote for up to two and the top two win. Board service is unpaid. The Queen Creek Chamber of Commerce election page (linked below) carries video statements from all four candidates.

Kelli Anderson (incumbent)

Incumbent board member running for another term.
  • Stated priorities: transparency and open communication so parents stay informed and empowered to make decisions for their children; academics first, meaning reading, writing, math, science, critical thinking, and practical life skills; and teacher retention, arguing that great schools begin with teachers who feel valued and supported.

Samantha Davis (incumbent)

Eight years on the governing board. She is the parent of two students in Queen Creek Unified.
  • Stated priorities: a high-quality education in a safe, supportive, and engaging environment, a parent's perspective that puts students first, and helping students discover their passions and build skills for life after school. She says she is guided by her conservative values and Christian faith.

Michael Romero

A former high school teacher who also coached, and now a businessman. His campaign site carries endorsements from a former administrator at the school where he taught and from fellow educators.
  • Stated priorities: strong leadership, accountability, and support at the board level; safe schools and high academic standards; and schools where students feel supported, educators feel respected, and parents feel heard.

Sarah Purcell

She taught in Queen Creek Unified for more than a decade, and all three of her children graduated from the district. As a music teacher she helped open the district's Gateway Polytechnic Academy. She has volunteered with youth sports and community events.
  • Stated priorities: smaller classes, supported teachers, transparent curriculum, and honest budgeting, under a framing of trust and stability.

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.
  • Incumbency discrepancy: the Arizona Republic's October 2, 2026 summary line counts one incumbent in this race, but its own candidate headings mark both Anderson and Davis as incumbents, and Davis's profile says she has served eight years on the board. The county certified list does not mark incumbency. We follow the candidate headings and profile text, so this page lists two incumbents.

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. In this race you may vote for one candidate, two, or none; it does not affect the rest of your ballot.

Sources

Ballot Math: analysis only, no endorsements. Every candidate in this race got the same template: background, stated priorities, the record that exists, and honest notes where the record is thin.