Amy McClellandAmy McClelland is a school board candidate because she “would like an opportunity to help the district grow in a fiscally responsible way; improving academics, increasing D 49 test scores by hiring and retaining quality teachers and compensating them based on their performance.” She promotes open communication among the board, administrators, staff and parents.McClelland has worked at Falcon High as a para-professional, and as a teacher’s aid and daycare provider at a private school. Living in the community for eight years, she said she is “closely involved in the education of both of my children” and “understands the concerns parents in the district have with regard to the lack of academic rigor in our schools.”As a business owner, McClelland understands “the need to keep overhead at a minimum by hiring quality employees and maintaining budget requirements.” She believes it is important to accept financial aid from builders. Plus, “bond referendums are the accepted and responsible way to build new schools, and mill levy overrides…are a fiscally irresponsible way to raise money for new schools,” she said.If the mill levy passes, she would “keep a watchful eye on the funds making certain they are used for the sole purpose of building schools.” If it fails, she would encourage more parental involvement in the classroom.McClelland believes in performance pay for teachers, and said academics are her top priority, “We need to get back to the basics and raise those CSAP scores.”
Anna BarthaAnna Bartha wants to make D-49 “the most successful school district in the state.””It is imperative to our future that we provide a public education for our children that will adequately prepare them for success in life to lead, to serve, and to provide,” she said.Bartha has been a substitute teacher in two local districts, a house parent for abused and neglected children, a volunteer youth leader and Sunday school teacher for more than a decade. On the fiscal side, she was the treasurer for the El Paso County Republicans and a bookkeeper for a local business.Speaking on impact fees, she said, “I am very impressed with the builders’ agreement with the district to provide an additional $1,500 for every home sold. It is in their interest to have a highly successful school district in order to sell homes.”Asked about the mill levy override, Bartha said, “The mill levy override is on the ballot and the voters will decide.” If it passes, she will ensure new schools are built. If it fails, she will “work hard to reduce the budget, take money from administrative waste and place it in the building fund until we can build the priority schools.” She will also work towards placing a bond referendum on the ballot next year. “This is the traditional way to secure money for new schools. I support the goal of building new schools 100 percent, but not the fiscally irresponsible method of using a mill-levy override.”
Dave StarkDave Stark said as a board member he will emphasize accountability “including student achievement, school performance and fiscal responsibility to the citizens of our district.” If elected, he will continue the constructive dialogue with developers and wants to improve communication with Colorado Springs City Council, county commissioners, administrators, teachers and citizens.He sees the agreement between developers and the district as a hard won accomplishment and is proud of his part in the “cooperative team effort between board members, developers, district administrators, and concerned citizens.” Stark said, “With a $1,500 per household developer contribution to school construction, this agreement creates a win-win situation for our children and taxpayers.”Stark wants the mill levy override to pass; stating that if voters approve the D 49 ballot measure developer impact fees could construct a Claremont Ranch elementary school. If the measure fails, future board members must prioritize revenue from the impact fees “to alleviate only the most desperately overcrowded schools.”
Dave TrujilloDave Trujillo has lived in D 49 for 10 years and is a life-long resident of Colorado Springs. A 14-year veteran of the Colorado Springs Fire Department, Trujillo’s work experience includes positions as a driver engineer, an emergency medical technician and member of the CSFD hazardous materials team. He believes his parenting skills, volunteer experience as a mentor and coach, along with his problem solving skills and teamwork approach, will make him a good school board member.Trujillo wants D 49 to retain good teachers, and thinks it is important to implement “a fair pay and benefits package for teachers and other staff members.” He believes fiscal accountability is possible if school board members and citizens’ committees oversee bond and mill levy spending.Trujillo said all educational programs are important, but he wants “a state of the art curriculum that will improve CSAP scores.” He added D 49 can do better than average on state CSAP tests, and believes smaller classes and more school buildings will help achieve that goal. He is in favor of both the mill levy override and developer impact fees.
Jackie VialpandoJackie Vialpando said, “Education is the backbone of our society and our children deserve the best.” She spent seven years in the United States Air Force, has a master’s degree in education, and worked for D 49, D 38, BOCES, and as a school nurse. “I have extensive knowledge regarding special education, and I know what resources are available in the community,” she said.Concerning the mill-levy, she said, “My hope is that the mill-levy will pass, and then we need to come up with a long-term plan on how to deal with the vast amount of growth that this area will experience. The school district is currently in a crisis. The money is needed just to catch up. As a community we need to think of the future of our children and our property values.” She feels developer impact fees of $1,500 per house are adequate.After spending two years on an employee involvement committee, Vialpando said “The budget is stretched as far as it can be and nothing out there can be eliminated.” She thinks all subject areas should be fully funded. Furthermore, she sees non-academic programs “as part of a well-rounded education” and necessary for college admissions.Vialpando said, “If incentive pay is managed correctly, it would be a great way to maintain quality teachers.”
Jeffrey Husted“I am running for the school board to continue the current board’s view on the district,” said Jeffrey Husted. He also said he thinks it’s time for a new board to move to the next level and look at alternative ways to handle overcrowding. He wants to examine charter and home schooling options within the district.Husted has lived in D 49 for 16 years, and worked with several different community groups. He believes the school board should have accepted the first monetary offer made by the developers. Husted said he thinks home building will eventually slow down, creating a shortfall in the funds necessary to take care of the current overcrowding. “I feel a one-time contribution would have been more advantageous to the district,” he said.He would like to see more revenue devoted to elementary and middle schools, and more time spent teaching core subjects. In addition, Husted wants to find other ways to cut the budget before eliminating non-academic programs and thinks incentive pay for teachers is a good idea.While he feels D 49 needs additional tax revenues from homeowners, Husted said the $115 million mill levy override is too much of a tax burden at a time when fuel and electric costs are soaring.
Larry StanleyLarry Stanley has lived in the Black Forest area for 3 1/2 years. He is running for the school board because, he said, “CSAP scores have shown that D 49 compares poorly with other suburban school districts. Our children deserve better. Therefore, I support performance-based pay for teachers and administrators, improving curriculums to make sure that all students learn the basic skills required, re-directing bloated overhead into the classrooms and responsibly building new schools and classrooms.”After obtaining a bachelor’s degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Stanley spent 20 years in large corporations as a division controller of a Fortune 40 company and subsidiary president of a Fortune 400 company. He is part owner of four businesses.Stanley is the president of Protect Our Wells, a local organization for private well owners, serves on the committee studying incorporation of the Black Forest area, is treasurer of Bethel Lutheran Church and a member of the Board of Governors of Opportunity International.”I believe that new schools must be built but I will vote against the mill levy override as I would prefer a bond issue,” he said. Stanley wants D 49 to reduce its 39.5 percent non-academic overhead spending to the levels of other districts (33 percent to 34 percent).Concerning impact fees, Stanley said, “The recent agreement between D 49 and the developers is a good start.” But he thinks a detailed financial analysis is necessary to quantify the actual amount needed.
Lynnette T. WhitselRetired Air Force Lt. Col. Lynnette Whitsel has lived in Falcon since 1999. She holds a bachelor’s degree in math and fine arts and a master’s in operations research. Whitsel believes her education and 23 years of experience that includes strategic long-range planning, personnel, supply/demand, just-in-time inventory theory, transportation, costing, and contracting should help her provide “the best opportunities for children to learn while minimizing the cost,” she said.Whitsel said D 49 suffers from “tremendous overcrowding, and no system can continuously sustain the kind of strain that this district has been put under without breaking. I believe if the mill levy override is not passed this year, the district will have no choice than to implement radical changes in the normal way one thinks of school.”While the state does not require developer impact fees, Whitsel thinks builders are smart businessmen and women. “No one wants to buy houses where the schools are unacceptable due to overcrowding,” she said.She said she believes in a strong basic core curriculum of “reading, writing, and arithmetic,” complemented by non-academic programs and would “work diligently to ensure a balance between the two.” Whitsel added, “Our kids only have one shot at a quality education, and every single decision must be made for the overall success of the students.”
Rob DalzellRob Dalzell said he wants “to make a positive difference in the lives of children through public education and to assure that the education of students in our district is equitable.” Living in D 49 since 1990, he has served on the Falcon Elementary School Building Accountability Advisory Committee, the Falcon Middle and High School BAAC, and was a member of the district accountability advisory committee for 11 years, chairing the committee the last three. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s in public administration.He will address D 49’s overcrowding by having honest and open communication “between builders, the school district and community.” Dalzell wants to continue the partnership between D 49 and developers. “Our current board was able to negotiate a $1,500 fee, which is remarkable,” he said. Dalzell favors the mill levy override pointing out that his wife, a D 49 teacher since 1992, has 29 to 31 students in her sixth grade math classrooms.He said, “D 49 education programs can continue to improve by empowering our building principals to seek the resources and knowledge to give our students a top quality education.” Dalzell wants to ensure the district’s expectations are clear, provide a solid budget and the necessary support for employees and improve D 49’s academic program.
Stephen JaszaiStephen Jaszai said he is running for the school board because”I want to bring my skill set of strategic implementation to D 49. This will ensure D 49 continues toward achieving the highest academic scores in the state and provides a teaching environment without placing the district in debt or adding extra tax burden to the taxpayers.”He graduated from the Air Force Academy with a master’s in aeronautical science, and has lived in the community for six years. Currently, he consults for the military, and previously did business and strategic planning for Ford Motor Company.Jaszai believes D 49 needs both developer impact fees and the mill levy override. He said, “D 49 is in an emergency situation and will feel the impact of lower performance and issues of violence soon if we don’t fix the emergency. The mill levy only buys us two years without meeting the current need. Without other input, we will ask the taxpayers for more money possibly within two to three years. Finally, we must find 10 percent in efficiencies within 3 to 4 years to ensure our long term success.”No academic program deserves preferential funding, Jaszai said, but it is important to show students how subjects interact and to “create a culture that has students succeeding in all areas. In essence teaching students to know they will succeed beyond high school and college.”
Steve CutlerSteve Cutler has served on numerous D 49 committees, including six years on the Sand Creek High School Building Advisory and Accountability Committee. Living in the community for 19 years, he is running for the school board because “I have the leadership skills and experience to make a difference and to improve the educational opportunities for our children.”Cutler holds a bachelor’s degree in business management. As a program manager at Lockheed Martin, he said, “I have managed multi-million dollar programs, implementing many cost-saving projects, so I am very familiar with providing better service for the dollar.” Two of his daughters graduated from Sand Creek High School, where his third daughter is a sophomore.He believes passing the mill levy override is essential “to start catching up with the growth.” And the D 49 board needs to continue building on the long range planning started by the new superintendent. He said the $1,500 per house developer impact fee is a “good place to start.” In addition, he will “challenge every department to look for areas in which they can improve efficiency, save money, and improve service.””To be successful in today’s global market, our students need to have a strong foundation in math and science,” Cutler added. “They also need to be able to communicate effectively.”
