Three of the four seats up for election on the Durango School District 9-R School Board will be contested. Board members run by district but are voted on at-large.

First on board members’ agendas will be the task of finding the district’s next superintendent. Bill Esterbrook is filling the position for one year until the board finds a permanent replacement for former superintendent Keith Owen. The district also is tasked with distributing $3.2 million that the district receives annually thanks to a mill-levy increase voters approved last November for technology, teacher pay and maintaining small class sizes. Another focus will be on implementing Senate Bill 191, the state’s teacher-effectiveness law that will go into effect in 2014.

Each term is for four years, and board members receive no monetary compensation for their time.

District A

Name: Kristy Rodri

Occupation: Part-time receptionist at the Veterans Affairs Medical Clinic.

Rodri worked for the district as an administrative assistant for 22 years. She is the fourth generation in her family to attend district schools and the third generation to work in them. She was most recently the administrative assistant to the school board and superintendent, and there were many times at board meetings when she would have liked to add her opinion, Rodri said.

Finances will be critical for the district to deal with responsibly, Rodri said. As the board begins its search for the next superintendent, Rodri said that person needs to listen well, be open to feedback and have the ability to make hard decisions.

In the case of more cuts to education, Rodri named employee travel as an area that should be looked at closely. Educationally, Rodri said she’s hearing from teachers that new programs and initiatives are becoming burdensome to teachers. At some point, the district needs to slow down and not make as many changes, she said. She would like the board and central office to work harder to communicate with teachers. Technology needs to be a focus of the district, as well as opportunities for concurrent enrollment, she said.

Name: Greg Spradling

Occupation: Educational Consultant with Greg L. Spradling Enterprises

Spradling has spent more than 30 years in education and was the principal at Durango High School from 2001 until 2007, when he resigned. While at DHS, Spradling was reprimanded by district administrators after he showed three male teachers a picture on his office computer that reportedly showed topless women. He was hired as the principal of Ridgway Secondary School in mid-2007, but he was abruptly dismissed after less than a year on the job. Standardized tests shouldn’t be the only measure of effective teaching methods and student achievement, Spradling said, and he supports using different types of assessments. When the district proposes changes in the curriculum, the school board has a responsibility to question the reason for change, he said.

It’s important board members are available to the public, and the board could increase the number of coffee chats it holds to talk with community members, Spradling said.

In the likely event of more budget cuts, the district should look at programs not directly related to instruction such as those that serve community or family needs, he said.

“We need to be careful as an educational profession not to take on more than what our responsibilities are, and that is to educate kids,” he said.

The district’s next superintendent needs to be well-rounded in the education field and a good leader, he said.

District G

Name: Suzanne Carlson

Occupation: Lawyer specializing in family law at the Law Firm of Lisa Ward.

Carlson was formerly a tribal judge for the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and has three children attending Florida Mesa Elementary School. There is a need for more community involvement in the district, she said. The schools need help recruiting volunteers, and the district needs to make it easier for volunteers to help, she said. The district also should begin tracking why students move from school to school within the district, she said. Carlson said she would encourage more collaboration between teachers and schools to help with professional development.

The district needs a superintendent who will support its strategic plan and has integrity and vision, she said. She also would prefer a local candidate.

Right now the district is using too many different types of tests and should evaluate whether some could be eliminated, she said. “We have some testing that is duplicative,” she said. She supports the International Baccalaureate program, now adopted at three elementary schools, and its focus on rigorous, project-based learning.

Name: Wendy Rice

Occupation: Family and consumer science agent at La Plata County’s Colorado State University Extension Office

Rice has served on the school board for the last four years and has two daughters who attended district schools. She helped in the effort to create a wellness policy for Durango’s schools.

The board needs to continue working on curriculum, making sure it is consistent and appropriate, and it shouldn’t shy away from trying new approaches if necessary. Eventually, she said, she would like to see personal tablet computers replace textbooks.

The board has a responsibility to make sure schools and teachers get fair treatment across the board, from funding to staffing to facilities, Rice said. And if a staff member has a concern, “we’re the ones they need to be able to come to.”

With expectations rising for teachers, the district needs to solicit help from parents and community members, she said.

Curriculum needs to be examined for its effectiveness, she said. The board also needs to revisit the strategic plan to make sure the district is following through.

When it comes to budget cuts, supplies, employee travel and professional development are areas where Rice said she would look first.

The district’s next superintendent needs to want to be a part of the community, know how to use staff members to their greatest skill and be able to lead with a soft hand.

District B

Name: Stephanie Moran

Occupation: Adult educator and GED program coordinator at the Durango Adult Education Center

Moran has taught for 30 years at elementary, middle and high schools in Colorado, New Mexico, Ohio and Tennessee. She also has been a college instructor.

The search for the next superintendent would be her first priority, Moran said. The district needs a leader with energy who comes in with some ideas but also listens to people already in the district. She doesn’t want someone who sees the district as a stepping stone to a more prestigious position.

The district should grow career- and technical-education programs, which provide opportunities for students who may not want to go to college, she said. She’s in favor of testing teachers’ skills before hiring them. Moran wants the district to look closely at the effectiveness of current curricula, assessments and programs such as the International Baccalaureate before starting new ones. If the district is being asked to spend money, she wants statistics and doesn’t want to give an “automatic check,” Moran said.

She said she also would like to know if there’s a way for the district to help support students who don’t have the money to stay in school, some of whom instead come to the Adult Education Center.

She supports the concept of small learning communities at the high school and supports early intervention for students with learning difficulties.

Name: Carla Mulkey

Occupation: Retired

Mulkey has spent 31 years working in the schools, including 27 years as a counselor at Needham Elementary School, a post she retired from in May.

The district is headed in the right direction with research-based curriculum, but the heavy workload on teachers and principals could be a cause for concern, Mulkey said.

If budget cuts are necessary, Mulkey supports looking at professional development and supplies budgets first while relying more on volunteers to help save money.

The district’s next superintendent needs to have good personal skills, integrity and also be able to make a decision when the going gets tough. Mulkey said she would not be intimidated to stand up to a superintendent if necessary. Part of the board’s role is to look out for the public interest, she said.

It’s important for the district to communicate with the public and explain to parents what happens inside the schools, she said. Concurrent enrollment and creative class scheduling, for example allowing administrators to teach classes if they have that expertise, should be encouraged, she said.

District D

Name: Julie Levy

Occupation: Director of government and public relations for BP’s Rocky Mountain region.

Levy was elected to the board in 2009 after a seat became vacant halfway through a four-year term. Looking ahead to the next four years, it will be important to make sure the high school’s small learning communities have the resources they need as they adopt a new focus next year, she said.

As the district decides how to implement Senate Bill 191, teachers should have a say in that evaluation process and shouldn’t be judged solely on student achievement, she said. And with so much focus on data and student growth, Levy said she would like to see all teachers have an iPad that would give them access to real-time data.

She also would like the board to develop a stronger relationship with students and suggested having a student representative on the board.

In deciding where to make budget cuts, Levy said she has tended to lean toward making cuts that would be ongoing, like bigger class sizes, rather than eliminating or shaving off an expense for one year. The district’s next superintendent should have a strong understanding of student achievement, have a background in various education jobs and be eager to stay on the path the district is on, she said.

In the upcoming years, Levy said the board needs to keep its focus on the strategic plan and analyzing data to judge its effectiveness. The district also should continue to improve relations and explore collaboration opportunities with local charter schools, she said.

ecowan@durangoherald.com