6 apply for seat on board

PALMER — The Mat-Su Borough School Board will appoint a new member Wednesday, bringing the board back to full strength after a resignation nearly a month ago left the board one short.

Five Valley residents are in the running to fill the board’s Seat G, which was vacated by Sandra White April 3 when she resigned because of family issues.

The eventual appointee will join the board in the midst of an ongoing budget process, which is not expected to be finished until the end of June. That process, according to Seat A school board member Jim Colver, is a tedious one, with three board members already voting against the budget.

“We’re pretty split on it,” Colver said.

Valley residents Donald Zoerb, R. Ole Larson, Carolyn Sessom, Brian Sullivan and Myrl Thompson have submitted applications to take White’s place on the school board. The applicants will face a public interview session Wednesday in front of the school board. The school board meets in the Palmer High School Upper Library at 6 p.m.

A replacement will be chosen that night, district spokeswoman Catherine Esary said. The appointee will hold the position until regular elections this October.

For the candidates, knowing the educational system is a plus, but not necessarily the deciding factor in winning the appointment.

“If someone knows something about how it works it will be helpful,” board President Sarah Welton said.

Whether well-versed in the system or not, the school board is happy so many people applied. Colver said the turnout of applicants leaves him pleasantly surprised.

“It shows good interest in public education,” he said

The board went into executive session April 24 to brainstorm questions applicants will have to answer Wednesday. Welton said typical job interview questions are the norm for this kind of selection.

The public can play a role in the board’s decisions by submitting comments in writing about each candidate in time to be read before the April 30 meeting. Letters and comments may be mailed to Welton at 501 N. Gulkana, Palmer, AK 99645, or e-mailed school board Secretary Stacy Escobedo at stacy.escobedo@mat-suk12.us.

Donald Zoerb

Zoerb is no stranger to the Mat-Su School Board or anyone who has voted in the previous two elections. Zoerb ran unsuccessfully for the board in 2006 and 2007, garnering more votes in the latter year than the former.

“So, I’m getting stronger,” Zoerb said.

The chief financial officer at Matanuska Electric Association, Zoerb said his financial skills would be a boon to the district.

“I’ve got the financial credentials to make a contribution to the board,” Zoerb said, mentioning three years of service on an advisory board mulling over financial issues for the district.

He lauds many of the board’s recent decisions, including the appointment of George Troxel to the superintendent position. Because of decisions like that, Zoerb said he doesn’t feel like drastic change is needed.

“I think they’ve charted a good path,” he said.

But what really drives Zoerb to seek an appointment is what he calls his deep roots in the community and a strong sense of wanting to do what he can for the Valley’s youth. His contribution, he said, is his possession of a skill set the board could benefit from.

“The decisions are seldom easy,” Zoerb said.

Myrl Thompson

Thompson has cut his teeth as a resident watchdog of Alaska’s Legislature, and now he’s turning his attention to local education.

The Big Lake resident, who ran unsuccessfully against Rep. Mark Neuman, R-Big Lake, in the 2006 state election, said he submitted an application to keep the board on its path.

“I wanted to have a forward-looking group in there,” Thompson said.

Thompson said his knowledge of the Legislature and what he calls a keen institutional memory will set him apart from other applicants. Although he admits to little experience on an educational board, Thompson said he’s ready and willing take the challenge head on.

“I suppose the learning curve is going to be a factor right off the bat,” Thompson said.

He would also like to see sports get more attention from the board.

“They could use a bit of the sports angle too, because it’s very important,” Thompson said.

More importantly, Thompson said, is that he can help the board continue to better Valley schools.

“Things are changing in the Valley for the better,” Thompson said. “I want to keep it that way.”

Carolyn Sessom

Years ago, when Sessom was helping students on the North Slope realize their potential, it sparked a long-lasting desire to see students do the best they can.

In the present day, with three children — ages 8, 10 and 12 — in Mat-Su schools, Sessom said her involvement with her own children’s education has nourished her ability to be involved at a higher level. With a seat on the school board, she’d like to establish a way for more parents to realize ways of staying involved in their children’s education beyond the classroom.

“I find lots of parents who want to have more of an impact but don’t have the tools,” Sessom said.

Citing an interest in survey work, Sessom said if she were appointed to the seat she would like to create forums for people to express themselves.

“Venues for people to ask questions,” she explained.

An appointment could turn into a long-term commitment for Sessom, who said she’d definitely consider running in October if she’s appointed.

“It’s something I would weigh seriously,” she said.

R. Ole Larson

Larson wants to do what’s best for area kids and leave politics at home. The Palmer resident and retired adult correctional superintendent said he applied for the Seat G position because his long history of working with multi-million dollar budgets and in supervisory positions will help the board achieve its goals.

Like his opponents, Larson said he’s applying to help the board continue its success.

“I don’t think the board is going in any bad directions,” Larson said.

He added that a three-year stint on the Matanuska Electric Association Board of Directors from 1990 to 1993 will help him transition to the school board if he is appointed. Larson is also no stranger to the district’s schools with his children gleaning their kindergarten through high school education in the Mat-Su.

As for if Larson would run for the seat in the October elections, he said if anyone is showing an interest by applying he or she would surely be expected to run.

“The challenges for the future for young adults are not only being prepared to enter the work force but to also develop new initiative solutions to social issues,” Larson writes.

Brian Sullivan

Fresh back from a deployment in Iraq, Sullivan said he’s turning his attention to educational issues, prompting him to apply for the school board.

“I have three kids in the school district,” Sullivan said, adding that now is the right time to get involved. “I view it as community service.”

Sullivan, an operations officer for the Arctic Military Police Battalion out of Fort Richardson, said if he’s appointed he’ll pay a bit more attention to sports because of their importance when it comes to keeping children involved in something positive.

“I just want to get in there and make good decisions for the district,” Sullivan said.

Like his opponents, Sullivan said he doesn’t see anything he’d want to immediately change if he’s appointed.

“I would need to be on the board and working with folks before adding criticism and commentary,” he said.

The real selling point for his candidacy, however, is an interest in issues that affect him and other families like his.

“People of this demographic need representation,” Sullivan said.