Three spots on the Bayfield School District Board of Education are up for election Nov. 7.
The candidates running are current board member Amy Davlin, Justin Talbot, Molly Orendorf and Debbie Wilhelm. With Election Day approaching, candidates shared why they are running for the school board and what they hope to accomplish.
Davlin is the board’s treasurer, while Wilhelm serves as the board’s vice president.
“I'm feeling just so positive about the direction that our district is taking, really in the past year and a half, for the first time in my four-year term,” Davlin said.
In 2020, the district faced some challenges, not just with the COVID-19 pandemic, but with climate and culture. In 2021, the district canceled school abruptly on a Friday, citing staffing concerns. Much like other districts in Southwest Colorado, Bayfield School District struggled to fill substitute teaching positions.
Last year, the district transitioned to a four-day school week as well. Assistant Superintendent Bill Hesford told The Durango Herald in September 2022 that the primary reason for the switch was to improve teacher retention and recruitment.
“This year, we're taking kind of a more focused look at academics and making sure that we're seeing those trends improving as well. We have seen some improvements in regard to academic performance and test scores,” Davlin said.
In 2022, Bayfield High School students rated at approaching expectations for PSAT evidence-based reading and writing methodology with a mean score of 460.4, according to the Colorado Department of Education Performance Frameworks. That result was just under the 461.1 mean score needed to be considered meeting expectations.
In math, BHS students were approaching expectations with a mean score of 426.
Bayfield Middle School students are also approaching expectations in Colorado Measures of Academic Success testing, logging a mean score of 731.2, just under the 741.1 needed to be considered meeting expectations.
However, math scores for middle school students came in slightly lower in 2022 with a mean score of 718.8.
“The way I look at it, thinking very candidly is like if you live in a wonderful place, and you're lucky enough to be there, you should be part of a solution based approach,” Davlin said.
Wilhelm has worked as the information technology manager for Basin Co-op since 1997. She attended Bayfield High School, has two high school-aged children that have attended Bayfield Schools since Kindergarten, according to the district’s website.
Wilhelm was not immediately available for comment on Thursday.
Talbot and Orendorff also hope to secure one of the three spots.
Orendorff has a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies. She’s also worked in Bayfield School District as a paraprofessional and a substitute teacher. She now holds the position of administrative assistant at GOAL High School in Durango.
“I would like to bring a (previous) staff perspective to the school board and help the district think outside of the box when possible,” Orendorff said.
Orendorff says her goal if elected is to continue the district’s hard work to foster a culture of belonging.
“The current public education system doesn’t work for a lot of students, and I think we could get creative at the local level to find a way to meet state standards and also create an environment where all students and staff get what they need in order to be successful (not a “one size fits all” approach),” she said in an email Monday.
Talbot is a graduate of Bayfield High School and has two daughters who have graduated from BHS and has a third daughter still attending BHS. Talbot has also previously served on the Town of Bayfield board of trustees.
“I am a big proponent of public education. I see parents and students finding other avenues for education, teacher burnout, teacher retention not happening and with budget restraints it's a tough deal right now,” Talbot said.
Talbot says he has no personal ax to grind with the district and wants to be deeply involved in keeping Bayfield schools a place where students like to attend school and teachers want to teach.
“I want to help continue to improve public education where everyone succeeds and is an asset to the community and world,” Talbot said.
tbrown@durangoherald.com
