CHANDLER — Rep. David Lujan, D-Dist. 15 and Rep. Mark Anderson, R-Dist. 18 were honored last week for their outstanding contributions to public education at a luncheon hosted by the Arizona School Public Relations Association (ASPRA).

“At the heart of every school district, there is one underlying theme that is prevalent — to adequately prepare students to be successful in their lives and to reach their highest potential. Alhambra School District is extremely proud to see this happen time and time again, but it is especially gratifying to see a former student serving Arizona’s constituents in the Arizona Legislature,” said Superintendent Jim Rice.

Alhambra Community Relations director, Linda Jeffries, who submitted the nomination for the award on behalf of the district, stated, “Representative Lujan believes in giving back to the community where he was raised, and spends a lot of time with the Alhambra School District. Every year, he visits one of our schools for Legislators Back-to-School Week and talks with students about the legislative process; what it's like being a legislator, how bills become laws, the importance of getting an excellent education, and fielding tough questions from his student-constituents.”

Rep. Mark Anderson was nominated for his award by East Valley Institute of Technology. Explained Superintendent Sally Downey, “Because we are a “zebra among horses,” we could have easily been overlooked. But Rep. Anderson made it a point to be familiar with all the schools in his service delivery area, and sought to understand our technology center and what our school could offer to the students in his district.”

Anderson became passionate about EVIT as he saw the need for students to have marketable skills when they graduate from high school. He became a frequent visitor of the school, encouraging students to attend — his own son was an EVIT student.

During his tenure in the legislature, Anderson helped pass a bond issue to build the EVIT campus for career and technical education. He fought the push to take joint technological education district (JTED) funding back to the voters for additional taxpayer support.

In 2005, Anderson was named chairman of the education committee. The next year, Anderson sorted through all the issues and led the legislature toward continued and additional support.