Three candidates prevailed in a close and unusually lively Bayfield School Board race:
Of five candidates competing for two seats with four-year terms, Timothy Stumpf – the only incumbent – led the pack with 26 percent of the vote.
Daniele Hillyer, also triumphant, took 24 percent.
Wendy Cox and Kristi Smith tied for third place, both taking 19 percent of the votes.
Koel Phelps came in last with 13 percent.
In the race for a two-year term seat, Carol Blatnick defeated Judy Spady easily, winning 68 percent to Spady's 32 percent.
Blatnick, who worked for the district for more than 20 years, is director of Bayfield Early Education Programs. She supports Common Core, a multistate attempt to make academic standards more uniform, and supported Amendment 66, a billion-dollar annual tax increase to fund schools that failed Tuesday night. At a recent voter forum, she dismissed a question about teaching evolution, saying, “I can't believe this is still a question.”
Her opponent, Spady, is an activist with a background in education. She earned a master's degree in organizational psychology. Spady opposed Common Core, saying it amounted to federal interference in education, and Amendment 66. She supported teaching creationism and evolution in science classes.
Stumpf, an entrepreneur, supported Amendment 66 and Common Core. He opposes teaching creationism in science classes.
Hillyer teaches at BEEP preschool. She opposed Common Core, saying it was a burden on teachers, and Amendment 66. She favored teaching creationism and evolution in science classes.
Wendy Cox, an office manager for a Durango gas and oil company, founded Four Corners Liberty Restoration Group four years ago. She opposed Common Core and Amendment 66. She supported teaching creationism and evolution in science classes.
Smith is a full-time working mother whose husband teaches music at Bayfield High School. She supports Common Core and did not take a position on Amendment 66. She opposed teaching creationism in science classes.
Phelps operates a licensed in-home day care facility. At a recent voter forum, she expressed mixed feelings about Common Core, opposed Amendment 66, and supported teaching creationism and evolution in science classes..
cmcallister@durangoherald.com
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