Keeping Up With the Classroom: Meridian’s Francie Perez

Gilbert Public Schools has welcomed over 200 new teachers and staff members for the 2025-2026 school year, including Meridian’s own Francie Perez! This season of the district’s Keeping Up With the Classroom series features Mrs. Perez’s experiences throughout the school year. As the new school year progresses, Mrs. Perez will share how her move to GPS has created a meaningful impact on her students and classroom. Below is Mrs. Perez’s excerpt from this year’s first edition of Keeping Up With the Classroom.

Francie Perez, English Language Learner (ELL) Teacher at Meridian Elementary
Francie Perez brings over 22 years of experience as a bilingual elementary teacher to Meridian Elementary, where she now serves as an English Language Learner (ELL) teacher. Originally from Puerto Rico and having recently moved to Arizona from Colorado, Francie was drawn to Gilbert Public Schools after teaching the second grade elsewhere.

Francie says her transition to GPS and Meridian Elementary has been smooth and has exceeded her expectations. "The 'New Teacher Orientation' was welcoming, well organized, fun, and informative," she stated. Francie quickly found the school culture at Meridian to be equally welcoming and supportive. This strong support from district and school staff has helped her create a safe classroom and enabled Francie to focus on her primary goal, providing essential language development and academic support to students.

Francie’s advice for other new teachers joining the district is to "Take it a step and a day at a time, ask for help, and know that the district has your back!" Francie also added that she feels confident that GPS will be her new home for many years to come.