Endorsements

Franklin is dedicated to our Kyrene community. As a former Kyrene Kid, he knows and cares about the schools and the people of our district. He has developed his professional and academic experiences to bring business skills and community values to support Kyrene students to reach their full potential. He will be a great and respectful communicator among taxpayers, businesses, and the professional educators in our Kyrene Community.

I have known Franklin for nearly two decades. He is an accomplished leader who has served his community in capacities ranging from Kyrene’s Student Superintendent Council, the City of Tempe’s Mayor’s Youth Advisory Commission to Congressional staffer. I am excited that Franklin has embarked on this journey to give back to the school district he attended as a student. I am honored to endorse Franklin Zyriek’s candidacy for the Kyrene School District’s Governing Board.

Franklin has the skills to work with the City of Chandler and the Kyrene community to carefully consider new, adaptive uses for Kyrene’s campuses that will no longer host schools. At the same time, he has the business background to make hard decisions, ask tough questions, and pursue innovative measures to drive enrollment so Kyrene will not be faced with a similar situation down the road. I’m honored to endorse Franklin Zyriek for Kyrene Governing Board.

Franklin is the perfect example of a Tempe native giving back to the community. He attended Kyrene schools during his formative years and cares deeply about public education. I know he has the skills to find consensus and move Kyrene forward. I am honored to give Franklin my enthusiastic endorsement!

Franklin brings an important perspective as a next-generation Kyrene parent deeply invested in the future of our schools and community. He understands the connection between strong schools and a strong local economy and can help strengthen the partnership between Kyrene leadership and the business community.  Franklin is committed to ensuring today’s Kyrene students gain the foundational skills to become tomorrow’s innovators, entrepreneurs, and small business leaders.

Franklin has demonstrated a commitment to excellence in education, in the arts and in school leadership ever since I have known him as a Kyrene Kid. I know that Franklin will bring this excellence to the entire Kyrene community with integrity, thoughtful decision-making and care. He is a “Point of Light”! I am proud to endorse Franklin Zyriek.

Franklin understands public education from the elementary to post-secondary levels. He will work to ensure that Kyrene Kids learn the skills they need to excel in the modern workplace. His business background will help Kyrene innovate by collaborating with local institutions such as Maricopa Community Colleges, large employers, and chambers of commerce by introducing Kyrene students to new fields and job opportunities.

As a former Kyrene teacher and governing board member, I know that Franklin has the required skills and temperament to do the job. He will listen to the concerns of parents, teachers, students, and the community to make decisions that best serve the Kyrene community. Franklin has also taken the time to get to know current and retired Kyrene teachers to hear their perspectives and worked with them to support Kyrene’s successful override election in 2025. I am proud to support Franklin for the Kyrene Governing Board.

Given his deep family ties to public education and his own experience as a Kyrene Kid, Franklin will ensure that all Kyrene students have the opportunity to succeed. As a former Kyrene parent, I know that Franklin has the skills and integrity to make well-informed decisions to benefit all of Kyrene and do what’s best for students, parents, teachers, and taxpayers.

I am happy to know Franklin as a colleague and friend. He is impressive, has a wonderful family story connected to public education, and possesses a strong level of dedication and integrity. I’m proud of him for stepping up to run for the Kyrene School Board.

I am delighted and honored to endorse Franklin Zyriek for the Kyrene School District’s Governing Board.  His family background in public education has instilled in him a legacy of commitment to the highest quality of elementary, secondary, and university education.  He understands exactly the skills and innovative techniques that can help Kyrene students, families, and faculty thrive. His post-baccalaureate experiences and career choices have provided him with the insights and knowledge to best help Kyrene navigate 21st-Century demands and opportunities. I first entered the teaching profession in 1966, taught elementary through post-doctorate studies, and have been honored on state, national, and international levels. This broad perspective has led me to give my enthusiastic endorsement of Franklin Zyriek for Kyrene!

As a fellow native Tempean, Franklin is the right person to guide Kyrene into the next chapter. Franklin brings a unique skill set as a policy expert with a family legacy in public education. Franklin will help Kyrene innovate and think outside the box to promote enrollment. He will also pursue new revenue streams for Kyrene by collaborating with the City of Tempe and other local governments.

I am proud to endorse Franklin Zyriek for the Kyrene School District’s Governing Board. Franklin is a Kyrene graduate with deep family ties in elementary and higher education. This background, combined with his policy experience at the state and national levels, makes him uniquely qualified to serve the Kyrene community. Please join me in supporting Franklin! 

I have gotten to know Franklin through his involvement in the Kiwanis Club of Tempe. He is an active community member who puts in the work to hear the perspectives of Kyrene parents, teachers, students, and staff. During this time of change for Kyrene, Franklin is the person Kyrene needs to guide the district into the future.