Tempe City Council member David Schapira plans to announce his decision on whether to run for the state Superintendent of Public Instruction on Tuesday, April 18th. The late afternoon announcement event will be held at Optimist Park, 1965 E. Cornell in Tempe, adjacent to Fuller Elementary School.

Schapira was elected to the Tempe Council in 2014. Prior to his service on the Tempe City Council, David served in the Arizona House of Representatives, the State Senate and as the Arizona Senate Minority Leader. While serving in the State Legislature, he served on the Education Committee. Schapira also served as a member of the Tempe Union High School District Governing Board.

Professionally, David has worked as a high-school teacher, ASU instructor and school administrator. Currently, David works for the East Valley Institute of Technology, a public school district offering career and technical education to East Valley students.

Schapira has a master’s degree in Education Leadership from ASU. He and his wife, Rosemary, a Tempe educator, live in central Tempe with their two daughters.

Here is Schapira’s official statement regarding tomorrow’s announcement:

“Many of you know my passion for our students and our schools. I ran for the legislature the first time as a frustrated teacher wanting to fight the opponents of public education in the legislature and bring focus to the needs of our teachers and students.

That calling to public service for our state’s public schools is stronger for me today than it has ever been. For that reason and in response to calls from friends and allies to consider it, I am actively weighing the possibility of running to be Arizona’s next Superintendent of Public Instruction. I will announce my decision on Tuesday of next week.”