Gretchen Jacobs

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Gretchen Jacobs

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

University of Southern California

Law

Santa Clara University School of Law

Personal

Birthplace

Reno, NV

Religion

Catholic

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Gretchen Jacobs ran for election for an at-large seat of the Scottsdale Unified Governing Board in Arizona. She lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Jacobs completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Gretchen Jacobs was born in Reno, Nevada. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California and a law degree from Santa Clara University School of Law.

Elections

2024

See also: Scottsdale Unified School District, Arizona, elections (2024)

General election

General election for Scottsdale Unified Governing Board At-large (3 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Scottsdale Unified Governing Board At-large on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Donna Lewis (Nonpartisan)	18.9	56,097
✔		Matthew Pittinsky (Nonpartisan)	17.8	52,961
✔		Michael Sharkey (Nonpartisan)	17.6	52,355
	Submit photo	Jeanne Beasley (Nonpartisan)	15.8	46,850
		Gretchen Jacobs (Nonpartisan)	15.5	46,000
		Drew Hassler (Nonpartisan)	14.3	42,422
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	563

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 297,248
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

See also: Our approach to covering endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements or voter guide recommendations for Jacobs in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Gretchen Jacobs completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Jacobs' responses.

Expand All

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Mother of two daughters who attended Scottsdale Unified School District schools. Married since 2000. Attorney licensed in California in Arizona. Resident of Scottsdale since 1998. Very active in the community, serving on a variety of boards including Junior League, First Things First Scottsdale Region, and Autism Care & Treatment Today to name a few. Licensed professional boxing judge in California and Arizona.

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?

• Just Be Honest with Taxpayers & Teachers SUSD has a 437 million dollar annual district budget. It is imperative to allocate these taxpayer dollars effectively and with discretion. My commitment is to prioritize classroom funding, ensuring that resources directly benefit students and teachers. Proper financial stewardship will involve a thorough review of current expenditures and a commitment to directing funds to our classrooms - where they are most needed. Prioritizing spending to benefit students and teachers is my charge. I support greater transparency with taxpayers and repurposing existing dollars so our teachers will take home more of their pay.
• Just Be Honest about School Safety Parents want to know that their child is safe when they drop them off at the school gates in the morning. I want our SUSD schools and leaders to be proactive and prepared. There are affordable and non-intrusive ways we can secure our schools to protect staff and student safety that everyone can get behind. I will also prioritize better vetting and background checks to further ensure student safety.
• Just Be Honest with Parents No one is more invested in a child’s well-being than his or her parents so we need them engaged. Parents have the primary responsibility for their children and they must be valued and their primary role respected. I will fight to protect parents’ and students' rights, increase transparency and actively seek their input.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Especially interested in supporting the students and the teachers of students who learn differently or otherwise struggle in school.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My parents. Their life experience, wisdom and sage advice have been invaluable.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Interest and curiosity in others' points of view combined with a strong sense of justice.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

When President Reagan was shot, I was in third grade.

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

Sorting chips and tokens from Nevada casinos with my younger brother.

Describe your ideal learning environment for students.

The ideal learning environment for students would be one based on the research of Carol Dweck who advocates for the power of believing that you can improve.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2024 Elections

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Government

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External links

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Candidate

Scottsdale Unified Governing Board At-large

Website

Facebook

Personal

LinkedIn

Footnotes

Capital: Phoenix

Arizona

Elections

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