← Election Series · Down-ballot coverage · Arizona
No endorsement
The race
Cave Creek Unified School District voters elect two members to four-year terms on November 3, 2026. Vote for up to two. Three candidates are running, including one incumbent.
The certified roster is: Scott Brown (incumbent), Sucheta Shah, and Marla Riney. The district also asks voters to approve the sale or lease of the Desert Sun Academy parcel, covered in our measure coverage.
The candidates
Scott Brown (incumbent). Brown was first elected to this board in 2018 and re-elected in 2022; his children attended district schools and graduated from Cactus Shadows High School, as reported by The Arizona Republic. He was a PTO co-president and volunteers with the Kiwanis Club of Carefree and the Cave Creek Youth Football Association. He says the board must establish a balanced budget, support staff and educators and review the curriculum so students are prepared, and that his experience will help the district through changes under new administration.
Pros: Eight years on this board across two elections; a stated platform of balanced budgets, staff support and curriculum review. Cons: No specific board votes or outcomes from those eight years were sourced in this pass.
Sucheta Shah. Shah is the mother of one current district student and one alum, has lived in the community since 2001 and has volunteered in schools for 19 years, as reported by The Arizona Republic. She worked five years in program development and five in procurement at the university level, and led a team that managed $40 million in annual spending.
Pros: A decade of university program and procurement work, including managing $40 million in annual spending, is directly relevant fiduciary experience; 19 years of school volunteering. Cons: No governing or elected record; procurement experience is not the same as setting education policy.
Marla Riney. Riney is the mother of a district middle school student, has held PTO leadership roles and served on school and district committees, and co-chaired the political action committee for the district's last override campaign, as reported by The Arizona Republic. As a licensed social worker, she has built her career in education, youth development and behavioral health, and says every child deserves a safe, structured environment to learn.
Pros: Professional background in education-adjacent social work plus hands-on district committee and override-campaign experience. Cons: No governing record or detailed fiscal platform was sourced in this pass.
OUR CALL
Our call: insufficient record — no endorsement. What would earn one here: sourced board votes or outcomes from Brown's two terms, or a published platform with specifics from any candidate. All three are plausible; plausible is not a basis to endorse.
For the complete Election 2026 breakdown — every race, claim by claim — see the full coverage on our website.
Vote early. Research your candidates. Choose the best moderates, whatever their party — no extremism from either side. And encourage your friends and family to do the same.
Sources
- Maricopa County School Superintendent — "November 3, 2026 School District Governing Board Certified and Write-In Candidates (as of 8/25/26)" — the certified roster for this race (county grade) — https://schoolsup.org/s/2026-Certified-Write-In-Candidates-082526.pdf
- The Arizona Republic / azcentral, "Who's running for metro Phoenix school boards in the midterm election?" (Oct. 2, 2026) — candidate backgrounds, occupations and stated priorities as reported — https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/10/02/metro-phoenix-school-board-candidates-midterm-2026-election/91830892007/
Result pending. No verified call (Associated Press or official) as of November 4, 2026. This page will be updated when the race is called or certified. The original article above is unchanged.
AI-assisted article — but the sources are human, and the facts are very real.