Candidate Q&A: Mat-Su School Board

Mat-Su Borough School Board

Larry DeVilbiss

Seat sought: School Board Seat C

Are you an incumbent: Yes

Age: 63

Residence in the Borough: Palmer since 1956

Public service: Planning commission, Mat-Su Borough Assembly, School Board.

Family information: Wife Norma, daughter Heather, son David.

Why are you running for the school board at this time: As a graduate of Palmer Jr. High and Palmer High, I thought it fair to give back to my community. Also, as a taxpayer it caught my attention that the vast majority of our tax dollars go to MSBSD. I want to ensure that the kids get maximum bang for their buck.

What experiences do you have that demonstrate your ability to be an effective board member: I have been on numerous boards and chaired most of them. Most would agree that I am fair and tend to bring reason and moderation to even the most hostile environments. I honed a lot of these skills mediating with hostile guerrillas and tribal groups in South America.

If elected, what would be your top priorities: An immediate priority is to mediate a fair labor contract with the three major unions. We will continue to expand and perfect the performance-based budget process. I would like to see all of our schools make adequate yearly progress in the next couple of years.

How should the state address concerns over funding of Alaska’s public schools: I think the idea of forward funding so we can budget with known funds would be great. As the foundation formula is tweaked we need to see an annual adjustment for inflation. It would also be helpful to not be docked for our growth and median economic level.

What is the most urgent issue facing the school board today and how would you address it: We have too many instances of racial slurs directed against minority students and bullying. We have established a zero tolerance policy and will be focusing on more communication and even-handed enforcement on this policy.

Identify and explain one principled stand you would be willing to take if elected, even if it might cost some popularity points with voters: I will reference one that already happened. I supported outsourcing the custodial services in the district. This cost me a number of personal friendships and a lot of ongoing hostility from the classified employees. The result of outsourcing was that we had another $1 million to put directly into the classrooms. That was not an easy vote, but it was

principled.

Susan Pougher

Seat sought: School Board Seat C

Are you an incumbent: No

Age: 43

Residence in the Borough: I have lived between Palmer and Wasilla for 15 years.

Public service: I have worked in nonprofit state and federal programs for the last 15 years. I am an active Cub and Boy Scout parent. Former member of the Alaska Food Safety Advisory Committee. I have been on the Wellness Committee for our school district. I was a parent volunteer for fifth grade overnight field trip and am a volunteer in the classroom and for PTA.

Family information: My husband Jimand I have been married 18 years. We have two great boys. Ian is 11 and attends Colony Middle School. Nathan is 8 and attends Pioneer Peak Elementary.

Why are you running for the school board at this time: When I began attending school board meetings I noticed the school board did not look like the population it was representing. There were not parents of school-age children on the board. When groups of taxpayers are not included in the decision-making process poor decisions are made. I promise to actively seek counsel from district stakeholders so all concerns can be heard, allowing the board to make informed decisions.

What experiences do you have that demonstrate your ability to be an effective board member: To be effective you must be able to commit the time required. You must be dedicated to teamwork and be able to disagree agreeably. You must be able to communicate, be trustworthy, honest and consistent. You must have concern for all students and programs and work to build the quality of each. I have these abilities. Must importantly, I’m willing and ready to learn. I’m committed and want to serve our community on the school board.

If elected, what would be your top priorities: The best education for our children will always be my top priority. To provide our children the best education we need to attract and retain outstanding educators. We will need to take a hard look at our business practices and change those practices that are not giving us a good value for our tax dollar.

How should the state address concerns over funding of Alaska’s public schools: Education Funding Task Force met this last summer and has some reasonable recommendations to present to the Legislature. I am concerned that the recommended increases in funding per student are not inflation-proofed. I hope this will change before the Legislature makes its decisions this fall.

What is the most urgent issue facing the school board today and how would you address it: I’m happy to say the school board faces very few emergencies. There is usually enough time to research each issue and actively seek opinions of the taxpayers we represent. I promise to seek informed counsel on debated issues. The school board needs to be a voice for the students, not an extension of administration.

Identify and explain one principled stand you would be willing to take if elected, even if it might cost some popularity points with voters: No outsourcing of district services. I believe that taxpayers’ money should stay in the Valley in the form of pay and benefits rather than leaving as profit for a corporation.

Don Zoerb

Seat sought: School Board Seat F

Are you an incumbent: No

Age: 55

Residency in the Borough: A 34-year Alaskan and Butte resident since 1979.

Public service: Member Matanuska-Susitna Borough School Board Audit/Finance Advisory Committee 2004-2006; commissioner for Alaska Public Broadcasting Commission 2003–present and co-chair 2004-2006; board of directors (treasurer) for Alaska Public Telecommunications Inc. (nonprofit parent of KAKM Channel 7 and KSKA 91.1 FM) 2000-2004; treasurer Bearpaw District Boy Scouts of America 1997-1999; U.S. Air Force veteran 1971-1975.

Family information: Married, six adult children.

Why are you running for the School Board at this time: I am running for the school board to serve our youth and the taxpayers. My goal is to provide the best possible opportunity for student learning while living within our limited financial means. We need to maximize the value received for every taxpayer dollar spent. As chief financial officer of a large business, I have the education and experience to identify operational savings and fairly evaluate competing needs for limited resources. I believe that all decisions — financial or otherwise — must be made in the best interests of the students. I am committed to investing the time and effort necessary to serve.

What experiences do you have that demonstrate your ability to be an effective board member: I have extensive senior executive-level experience as the chief financial officer of a large corporation. I have served three years on the school district’s Audit/Financial Advisory Committee, during which time I became conversant with the significant financial issues facing our district. I am an honors graduate of the University of Alaska with a Bachelor of Business degree with an accounting major. I have served as treasurer of the board of directors of the nonprofit parent corporation of two large public broadcasting stations, as treasurer of our local Boy Scout district, as president of the Alaska chapter of the Financial Executives Institute and two terms as co-chair of the Alaska Public Broadcasting Commission. Responsibilities there were for awarding more than $3 million annually in state operating grants, overseeing the public broadcasting system in our state and enforcing compliance with grant terms. I am very familiar with the parliamentary rules under which school board meetings are conducted and am personally committed to doing the work necessary to be a fully contributing member of the school board.

If elected, what would be your top priorities: 1. Make all decisions in the best interests of the students; 2. Live within our financial means; 3. Ensure that meaningful performance and accountability standards are in place for the school board’s only employee, the superintendent, and that performance is impartially evaluated against these standards.

How should the state address concerns over funding of Alaska’s schools: The current funding formula, which was adopted in 1998, is outdated. The Joint Legislative Education Funding Task Force recommends a major overhaul based on work by UAA’s Institute of Social and Economic Research. I support this recommendation. From a broader perspective, however, the bigger challenge is to ensure that the Legislature provides an adequate level of overall funding statewide. I will advocate for this as a school board member.

What is the most urgent issue facing the School Board today, and how would you address it: I think the upcoming contract negotiations with the teachers union require immediate, urgent attention. This process will start shortly after the election. The school board and union need to approach these negotiations from positions of mutual respect with the shared goal of coming up with an agreement that is fair to both the taxpayers and the teachers. The school board needs to adopt a clear set of goals for these negotiations and empower its negotiating team to work in good faith toward an agreement. Once it has done so, individual school board members must resist the urge to meddle in those negotiations. I also hope that the teachers will be able to resist the temptation to introduce the stress of contract negotiations into their classrooms.

Identify and explain one principled stand you would be willing to take if elected, even if it might cost some popularity points with voters: I believe that every decision made by an elected official must be based on the highest ethical standards. We shouldn’t be asking ourselves for a unique example where an elected representative takes a principled stand; instead, the taxpayers should be safe in assuming that this will always be the case. Serving on the school board isn’t going to be easy, and I understand that you can’t make everyone happy all the time. My decisions will always be made with the best interests of the taxpayers and students in mind with the goal of being fair to everyone.

Colleen Hamblen

No photo available

Seat sought: School District Seat F

Are you an incumbent: No

Age: 48

Residency in the Borough: Eleven years in the Valley.

Public service: Association of Christian Schools (ACSI), MSB Board of Adjustments and Appeals, MSB Labor Relations Board treasurer, Knik-Fairview Community Council.

Family information: Married 18 years to Robert Hamblen. I have two children, daughter Jael, 13, and son, Owen, 11.

Why are you running for the School Board at this time: I was asked to run for the school board by someone with whom I had worked with on the Schools Yes campaign last summer. It was felt that the school board needed someone with experience in running schools and a desire to see our children get the best education possible. I have been disappointed with the lack of education knowledge on the school board. There are intelligent people with a great deal of knowledge about budget and business currently on the board, but no one with a background in the education process there.

What experiences do you have that demonstrate your ability to be an effective board member: I have a master’s degree in education, guidance counseling, and I have been a junior and senior high science teacher for seven years. In addition, I was the administrator at Wasilla Lake Christian School during its accreditation process and I am currently the administrator at Matanuska Christian School. We are also in the accreditation process. I have extensive experience in the policy making end of education.

If elected, what would be your top priorities: Graduating students. This Valley currently has 45 percent of students in High school that will not graduate on time, if at all. That is a startling statistic and one that is unacceptable. This has very little to do with budget, it has to do with policy, curriculum and leadership. I was at a school board meeting when the results of the 2005 school audit was released. It was revealed that the school district scope and sequence didn’t match the school district curriculum. If we don’t start the graduation path in first grade we are already behind in the process.

How should the state address concerns over funding of Alaska’s schools: The state has re-assessed the current funding formula. They spent many months reworking the process to make it more fair while continuing to fund bush communities. This would be an ongoing process as populations continue to migrate and grow in some areas while they decrease in others. I also think we need to be diligent in our own process with our budget and annual reports being complete and accurate. This way we can determine which programs can be eliminated and funds transferred to areas where they would be better used.

What is the most urgent issue facing the School Board today, and how would you address it: Students not graduating is the most important issue of the school board and the school. As taxpayers, 64 cents of every dollar goes to the school. Why do we accept a failing grade of 55 percent on-time graduates? We must get a handle on this and set policy to educate our students. The future workforce and community leaders are at stake.

Identify and explain one principled stand you would be willing to take if elected, even if it might cost some popularity points with voters: Safety for our students is paramount. Students can concentrate on their studies if they are not in fear or feel threatened. I know the freedom of speech argument as well as the next school administrator; however, this is not an issue of freedom of speech. Graffiti, derogatory wording on clothing and taunting are not acceptable on a school campus. We restrict rights of children in many areas and this should be another one to restrict during school hours on school grounds. I am not advocating uniforms, just trying to get some basic common courtesy back into these children’s lives.

Daniel M. Contini

Seat sought: School Board Seat G

No response.

Sandra White

Seat sought: School Board Seat G

Are you an incumbent: No

Age: 42

Residence in the Borough: Alaska 38 years. Mat-Su Borough 24 years (Willow and Talkeetna).

Public service: 2005 board president Mat-Su Convention and Visitors Bureau; 2006 PTSA board member; 1998-2005, board member MSCVB; 1993-1995, board member Denali Arts Council; Regional Aviation System Plan Committee member; VFW Auxiliary member; scorekeeper at Su-Valley basketball games; assistant cheer coach Susitna Valley High School; Girl Scouts of America.

Family information: Engaged to John Loomis, USAF pararescue (Ret.); daughters Paris, 17, and Willow, 15.

Why are you running for the school board at this time: I have no interest in being a “career politician” on the school board. I am interested in giving back to our communities by sharing what I’ve learned about finance and about education. My experience with budgets and my personal involvement with Mat-Su teachers, students and staff will give you an effective representative on the school board.

What experiences do you have that demonstrate your ability to be an effective board member: Here are the credentials I will bring to the job: I am a graduate of the Mat-Su School District, where my two high school children have been enrolled since kindergarten; I am the business manager for one of Alaska’s most successful air taxi companies with 17 years experience in finances, budgeting, human resources and risk assessment; In the Mat-Su School District I have been a substitute teacher, a coach, a PTSA board member and a frequent volunteer. I know our schools from the inside; I have served on the Mat-Su Convention and Visitors Bureau board for eight years and the Denali Arts Council board for three years, thus giving me a clear understanding of board operations.

If elected, what would be your top priorities: Community support is vital for accomplishing anything. Therefore, my first priority will be to promote the flow of information to the community so people can understand the challenges facing students in the Mat-Su Borough School District.

How should the state address concerns over funding of Alaska’s public schools: The original formula setting was reasonable and the resetting was desperately needed. The resetting of the formula was a quick fix and the issue needs to be further addressed with a group of concerned parties, including legislators, educators, administrators, financial experts and the public. It also needs to be inflation-proofed. Consider education funding as two separate aspects: 1. Education (teaching the student); and 2. Operations (heating the building).

What is the most urgent issue facing the school board today and how would you address it: Funding for new school construction. Work in concert with the Borough assembly, the Legislature and our community for the most efficient and cost-effective way to get it done.

Identify and explain one principled stand you would be willing to take if elected, even if it might cost some popularity points with voters: Reducing class size.