Dana Saar, a current member of the Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) Governing Board, announced that he is running for the Fountain Hills Unified School District #98 Governing Board. The vote for a seat on the five-member board will be held Nov. 2, 2020.

“I've decided to put my name on the November ballot for the Fountain Hills School District Governing Board once again,” Saar said in a press release provided to The Times. “After my first 14 years on this board and another 10 years on the Maricopa Community College District Governing Board, I’m ready to bring that experience to our outstanding school system here in Fountain Hills. I am committed to ensuring that our students are well prepared for theirs and our futures.”

Saar, a resident of Fountain Hills since 1982, will seek election to a four-year term. Prior to being elected to the College Board in 2010, Saar spent the previous 14 years as a member of the Fountain Hills Unified School District Governing Board. For his service on the Fountain Hills Board, Saar was awarded the 2006 All Arizona School Board Award for Excellence in Boardsmanship by the Arizona School Boards Association.

His education experience includes five years in teaching and administrative positions at the East Valley Institute of Technology in Mesa and eight years as a member of the State Board of Education’s Professional Practices Advisory Committee. Saar earned a Bachelor of Business Education degree from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and a Masters in Career and Technical Education from Northern Arizona University.

During his term on the MCCCD Board he held the offices of President and Board Chair as well as Board Secretary and currently chairs the Board’s Governance Policy Subcommittee.

He was elected to the Board of Trustees for the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) in 2013. ACCT is a national association of over 1,200 community colleges. He currently serves on ACCT’s Finance and Audit and Trustee Advisory Committees.

Saar has long been active in Fountain Hills activities besides his service to education. Beginning in 1991, he served five years on the Town of Fountain Hills Planning and Zoning Commission and chaired the Town’s Strategic Plan Advisory Commission.

Since taking office as a MCCCD Trustee in 2011 Saar has been instrumental in the District’s workforce education reforms. He is a Certified Ambassador for the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC) and said he understands the Valley’s critical workforce needs.

“Developing a qualified workforce is one of Arizona’s greatest challenges,” Saar said. “My background in workforce education provides the Valley’s business and industry a voice on the Governing Board…The District must provide the resources that prepare students for their future – not our past.”