Incumbents Rebecca Parnell and Matthew Turner and newcomer Gary Maestas have secured seats on the Bayfield School District Board of Education.
With nearly all votes counted, Parnell sat at 30% and Matthew Turner at 25%. Newcomers Gary Maestas and Robert Coronado Jr. ran a close race, with Maestas edging out the win with 23%, and Coronado Jr. trailing at 22%.
Parnell pledged to create exceptional protocols and responses that prioritize staff and student safety, ensure the budget accounts for every penny in alignment with district policies and help foster a board that is “more than just good and lawful.”
“I’d like to thank the voters of Bayfield for placing their trust in me again,” Parnell told The Durango Herald. “It's been an honor to serve our students and our families and our teachers and our community here in Bayfield, and I’m excited to continue working alongside my fellow board members and our district leadership and our community to build a future where every child in Bayfield has a chance to reach their full potential. ... I think the best is yet to come for Bayfield, and I’m excited for the next four years.”
Turner’s top campaign initiatives are continuing to advocate for salary increases across the district, identifying funding to make repairs to Bayfield Middle School and continuing to advocate for career technical education.
“(I’m) real appreciative of the chance to be back on the board,” Turner told the Herald. “I think that right now we’ve got a superintendent that’s capable of absolutely amazing things, and I’m really, really hoping to give him the support that he needs to do it.”
Maestas vowed to recruit and retain highly qualified teachers and supply stronger support for teachers dealing with classroom issues.
“I would like to thank the community for trusting me in this position,” Maestas said. “I look forward to working with the board and the school district to enhance opportunities for our children.”
Coronado hoped to dig deeper into understanding and utilizing the district’s budget; looking into why some local students opt out of enrolling in Bayfield schools; and working on improved, enhanced or new in-house educational program opportunities for high school students.
“Unfortunately, I didn’t win the vote, (and that) does make me sad, a little bit,” Coronado said. “But I believe all the (winners) are really good people. I know them personally, and I think they have the best interest in the school district, for the kids, for the staff.”
Bayfield School District Superintendent Dylan Connell expressed gratitude for the incumbents who will be returning for another four years, and extended a warm welcome to newcomer Maestas.
“I’m really grateful, being the new guy on the team, to be with a group of people who care deeply about student success and organizational health and being a good team,” Connell said. “There were four great candidates – all of them very student-focused, and all of them committed to (doing) good. (I’m) really excited to ... keep that focus on a great future for our school.”
epond@durangoherald.com
