Armando Montero

Armando Montero earned a high school diploma from Desert Vista High School and a bachelor's degree from Arizona State University in 2023. His career experience includes working as an attorney, legislative analyst, and regional director for the Arizona Students' Association.[1][2]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Armando Montero was raised here in Arizona, and he’s a proud product of our public schools. Growing up in Ahwatukee, he graduated from Desert Vista High School. A graduate of ASU, Armando earned bachelor’s degrees in Mathematics, Economics, and Political Science and is now pursuing his J.D. at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law.

Recognizing the importance of education, Armando served as a Senior Planning Analyst at ASU, helping expand educational access and student success across Arizona.

In 2020, Armando made history as the youngest person ever elected to the Tempe Union High School District Governing Board at 19 years-old. In just his first year, he led a committee to write and adopt a first-of-its-kind mental health policy. Armando was later elected as the Vice President and President.

His leadership was recognized at the state-wide level when he was elected to the Executive Committee of the Arizona School Boards Association. Armando has utilized this role to learn from and work with school board members across the state to advocate for public schools at the highest levels of state government.

Nationally, Armando was recognized as a Harry S. Truman Scholar, the federal living memorial to President Harry S. Truman for his commitment to and passion for public service.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

After years of being on the receiving end of attacks on public education from the State Legislature, Armando decided to run for the AZ House of Representatives to put partisan politics aside, bring a new energy and a fresh perspective to the State Capitol. From a livable economy, affordable housing, solving the dwindling water supply, to supporting our veterans and elderly, Armando has a reputation for working together to solve the tough issues and he will bring that experience to the House.As someone who has worked to manage public budgets and deliver real results for our community, I know the value of investing wisely. I’ll fight for an economy that grows from the middle out — supporting small businesses, raising wages, and expanding social safety nets so every Arizonan has a fair shot at success.As the Tempe Union School Board President, I’ve seen firsthand what happens when the state fails to invest in our students and educators. I’ll bring that experience to the Legislature to ensure Arizona fully funds public education, raises teacher pay, and restores respect for the teaching profession. Our kids deserve smaller class sizes, safe schools, and opportunities that prepare them for the future, not another round of budget cuts and political games.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

My top issue is protecting public education here in Arizona. I know firsthand the value of strong public schools, which is why I ran for school board in 2020. As a state representative, I promise to:

Support pathways to higher education and job skills to meet the needs of the changing workforce landscape in Arizona.

Champion bold education reform to improve overall quality and outcomes of education in Arizona and fully fund our public schools.

Sponsor legislation to place guardrails on Arizona's out-of-control ESA program because taxpayer dollars belong in the public school system, not in the pockets of private schools that are getting a discount on our dime.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

See link: https://monteroforaz.com/endorsements/

Armando Montero did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Armando Montero is a student at Arizona State University and running for the Tempe Union High School District Governing Board where he graduated from in 2019.

After the past years of advocating and working with the district on behalf of students as a mental health advocate, Armando is running to give students and young people a voice on the board that makes decisions for them on a daily basis as well as focus on suicide prevention, school equity, transparency, and supporting educators. As a recent graduate who understands what our students face, he is ready to bring a fresh perspective to the issues that affect Tempe Union families.

As a senior in the district, Armando introduced a resolution calling for more mental health support for students which has now passed more than a dozen districts statewide. He also created and chaired a student advisory committee to bring student voices into the discussions. He has experience working with district and board leadership to solve many issues the district has faced.

Armando is currently the Director of ASU Affairs with the Arizona Students' Association and is proud to be both nationally and locally endorsed by several organizations and elected leaders in the community.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

A school board is a team of five members and in order to have the strongest board we must have persepctives that reflect all parts of our Tempe Union community. As a 2019 graduate of the district and someone who has experienced the classroom in recent years, I know what issues our students are facing and have a fresh perspective on how to solve them.I have a proven recored of advocating on behalf of student both locally and statewide for more mental health and suicide prevention resources. My generation is facing many unique challenges that requires someone who has direct ties to our student body to have a voice in the discussions that the governing board has, especially on an issue such as mental health.I am proud to be both nationally and locally endorsed by organizations and elected officials that recognized the vital perspective and voice that I will bring to Tempe Union. I am running for this board to put partisan politics aside and do what is best for our students, teachers, staff, and families which requires significant time learning and listening to every person in our community to make informed decisions.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Mental Health and Suicide Prevention - after going through my own struggles in high school and losing a close friend of mine to suicide, I first got involved as a mental health advocate. We must take measures to not only provide more availability of resources to our students and teachers, but also to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health by fostering open discussions at the classroom level.

Teacher Retention: As a graduate of our schools, I know that our teachers are the backbone to our schools. They are on the frontlines, investing in the future. My teachers are the reason I am able to be where I am today. I will create strong incentive programs to increase teacher retention, offer competitive compensation and benefits, and create transparency around our compensation system.

School Equity: I will ensure that all students have the same opportunity to have a fair and equitable education. One-size fits all solutions no longer can solve everything. COVID-19 has shows the urgency we must have to increase equity in our schools. We must invest in 1:1 laptop services for our students and create equal access to the AP and dual enrollment program to all seven schools in the district.

Transparency and Community Involvement: I will work to create transparency around our financial activity as well as increase community involvement in our decisions. As a board member, I will actively meet with community members, staff, students, and other stakeholders.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

As an elected official, I would ensure that we do not leave any one out of the conversations that we have at a governing board level. We must be able to listen to all sides of an issue in order to make the most informed and inclusive decisions for everyone in the community. We must be advocates both at the district level, but also at the state level for our public schools and community. Many of the decisions that affect boards are made at the county and state level, so we must be able to advocate beyond the board room for our community.

What legacy would you like to leave?

We have an opportunity to make history in Tempe Union this year by electing someone who has recently graduated from the district and can bring a voice that has never been represented on this board before. My election to this board would hopefully leave a legacy of brining in student voices that are affected by every decision that is made by this governing board.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was with the Arizona Students' Association (a non-partisan, non-profit organization committed to elevating student voices at every level of government) as an intern which I have continued on now as the Regional Director and Legislative Analyst. I have been a part of this organization since 2017 and am proud of all the amazing work we have accomplished related to mental health, civic engagement, equity, and much more.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

A school board member should be someone deeply committed to learning and listening to all community members and stakeholders in order to make the most informed decisions to better the lives of our students, teachers, staff, and families. They should be someone who can bring a perspective to the board that can shed light on many of the issues that are discussed and can put partisan politics aside to make the best decisions possible for the community. This also includes being actively engaged with school staff, administration, and students to understand what is happening on the ground at each of our sites in order to bring light to the areas that need the most attention.

How would you support the diverse needs of your district’s students, faculty, staff, and community?

With only seven schools in the district, we have a unique opportunity to stray away from one-size-fits-all solutions and do what is best for each of our individual sites. Each of our schools are unique in their own ways with their own community. I would take the time to visit each of our sites to talk with parents, teachers, students, staff, and administration to get a deeper understanding of what the needs are for each of our schools. I will actively seek conversations with our community members in order to get all perspectives on the issues before making any decisions.

What constitutes good teaching? How will you measure this? How will you support advanced teaching approaches?

Our teachers know how to best teach. Currently, there are many barriers in place that do not allow teachers to have the needed flexibility in their own classroom in order to provide the best education to their students. When they are burdened with standardized objectives, there is no room for students and teachers to explore the nuances of the topics they are learning. We also need to find ways to support our educators such as offering support for those that explore seeking national board certification so that we have the most committed, experienced, and qualified teachers in the district. That is how we create good teaching and a quality education to every student in the district.