GOVERNING BOARD
President
Term of Office: 2023-2026
MEET KATY
Katy Taylor is the 6th generation Gila County Resident and Graduated from Payson High School in 1998. She married her High School Sweetheart Justin Taylor. They have 3 kids that have been through PUSD. Makiah graduated in 2019 and attends UofA, Mayzee graduated in 2021 and lives with her Husband in Snowflake, AZ, and Kelten will graduate in 2024. All of her kids were very involved in sports and other clubs within the school district. Katy is a local Accountant as well as a General Contractor with her husband Justin. She has volunteered with several activities in our school district along with community activities. Community is very important to her and she strives to keep communication open to all. Katy is excited to serve on the school board and bring wisdom with finance and keep the traditions of Payson alive within our school district.Â
Vice President
Term of Office: 2025-2028
MEET JOANNE
Joanne moved to the Payson area in 2003 and has embraced this community ever since.
As a volunteer she has been very involved in many different groups and endeavors.
She is no stranger to the school district. She served on the PUSD School Board from
2018-2022, assisted in getting the School Bond passed, worked on several Overrides,
served on the RCMS site board and have volunteered in different capacities at the
schools.
She is committed to the children, staff and community of PUSD. She is a firm believer
in open communication, teamwork, accountability and transparency. She knows her
previous experiences as a PUSD School Board member and her professional
experiences in human resources and finance will help her make good decisions for
PUSD. Her goal is to see PUSD excel in all they do and promote a positive culture of
caring, empathy, respect and trust.
Board Member
Term of Office: 2025-2028
MEET LORI
Lori is a third generation Arizonan, with children and grandchildren who are fourth
and fifth generation. She has deep roots in this community through her sister Dori,
Dori’s husband Gary Hardt, and their children.
Lori and her husband, Ron, bought their home here in Payson 11 years ago and
have lived in Payson full time for the past couple of years, since they both retired.
Lori is the Recording Secretary for the Mogollon Chapter of the Daughters of the
American Revolution here in Payson. She also is involved with many church
activities.
She is a retired public-school teacher, with 37 years in the classroom and more
than 15 years as a mentor writing curriculum and working with new teachers to
support their growth and skill building. She has always been a strong voice for our
schools and our youth. Lori wants to use her skills and experience to support our students,
parents and educators.
Board Member
Term of Office: 2025-2028
MEET AUDREY
Audrey has lived in Payson since 2014. She is married with four children, an adult son, a daughter who graduated from Payson High School in 2022, and a son and daughter who currently attend the Payson School District. She works as a full time Realtor in Rim Country. Audrey has volunteered on the JRE PTO and still volunteers with the wrestling booster club. She enjoys attending all PUSD events, loves anything outdoors, and going to Roosevelt Lake with her family during the summer. She is excited to be serving in a new role as board President this year. Audrey looks forward to continuing to improve this amazing school district and making PUSD10 the best it can be.
Board Member
Term of Office: 2023-2026
MEET SUSAN
Susan Ward has been very blessed to be a stay at home mom. This has enabled her to be an active volunteer and advocate in her community for over 25 years. She has worked in her children’s school serving in many roles including PTO President, literacy tutor, senior project evaluator, classroom mom, and more. She has also been a sports coach and league board member. In Washington State she served as a CASA, foster child advocate, supporting and speaking for foster children in our court system.
Susan has been married to her wonderful husband for 33 years and they have 3 beautiful grown children. She and her husband moved to Payson about 3 years ago to enjoy their approaching retirement. Education and student success have always been so important to her and after much prayer, she decided to seek to serve her community as an advocate on the Payson School Board. Â She will bring her passion and determination to work with the board to make PUSD a district of excellence!
GOVERNING BOARD LINKS
The Payson Unified Schools Governing Board is scheduled to meet monthly, please refer to our calendar for upcoming dates. Meetings are held in the District Office Board Room at 902 W. Main Street.
Members of the Governing Board may not discuss items that are not on the agenda. Therefore, action taken as a result of public comment, for items not on the agenda, will be limited to directing staff to study the matter for further consideration and decision at a later date. The Governing Board asks that members of the public maintain a respectful tone and refrain from personal attacks upon Governing Board members, employees of the District, or other person(s) in attendance or absent. Per Board policy, presenters are cautioned that statements or representations concerning others that convey an unjustly unfavorable impression may subject the presenter to civil action for defamation. By state statute, Board members may respond to criticism. A three (3)-minute limit for each member of the public will be observed.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
Agendas are posted on the bulletin board on the exterior of the building a minimum of 24 hours in advance of each meeting and as a link on this page. Regular and Special Board meetings are open to the public. The Board may go into Executive Session during any meeting. Due to the nature of the agenda items discussed in the Executive Session, this part of the meeting is not open to the public. Those wishing to address the Governing Board at a meeting must complete a request for a “Public Participation at Board Meeting” form, available above or in the Board Room prior to all regular Board meetings. Due to state open meeting laws, Governing Board members may not respond to items that are not already on the agenda.
