Registration deadline nears for school board election

By Cherry Sokoloski and Dan MacArthur
North Forty News

Oct. 9 is the deadline for registering to vote in the Nov. 6 Poudre School District Board of Education election.

Voters can cast ballots for any candidate seeking election regardless the director district. Candidates must reside in the respective districts, however.

Ballots will be mailed on Oct. 12, according to Larimer County Chief Deputy Clerk Jan Kuhnen, and should be delivered by Oct. 15. She said those who have not received ballots by then should contact the elections office at 498-7820. Those with lost or damaged ballots also can call for replacements.

Currently there are 115,362 eligible voters. Voters can check their registration status on the county clerk's web site or by calling the elections office.

Walk-in voting will be available from Oct. 15 until election day at the county office building, 200 W. Oak St., in Fort Collins. It is available to all voters, although especially intended for voters with disabilities who can more easily use the touch-screen voting machines. Only the touch-screen machines will be available at the walk-in site, and voters must surrender their mail ballots before they can vote.

Voters can either return their ballots by mail or drop them off. Drop-off sites in Fort Collins will be located at the county office building and at the Reader's Cove bookstore in the Harmony Market, 1001 E. Harmony Road. Ballots also can be dropped off at the county buildings at 205 E. Sixth St. in Loveland and 1601 Brodie Ave. in Estes Park.

Two of the four director districts are being contested. Political newcomers Barbara Schwerin and Trena Anastasia are seeking the District A seat currently held by Anne Yeldell, who is not seeking re-election. Incumbent M.L. Johnson faces a challenge from first-time candidate Bob Kingswood in District G. Incumbent Nancy Tellez is unchallenged in her pursuit of the District F seat, as is Tom Balchak for the District B seat now held by the term-limited Ross Cuniff.

Directors continuing to serve on the board are Jim Hayes in District C, Jana Ley in District D and Larry Neal in District E.

Barbara Schwerin
District A

Barbara Schwerin, who owns Alliance Construction Solutions with her husband, Clayton, has extensive volunteer involvement with Poudre School District.

Schwerin, 50, currently serves on the board of directors for the PSD Foundation and has also served on the Budget Development Group, which is charged with reviewing and making recommendations for PSD's budget.

She was also an active volunteer at Traut Elementary, serving as president of the Traut Parent Advisory Board and its site improvement team. At Traut, Schwerin was also a member of school committees, was the liaison with the school district and served as an Odyssey of the Mind coach.

Other community involvement includes volunteering with Boy Scouts of America and Redeemer Lutheran Church.

Schwerin's educational background includes a B.S. degree in business administration and management from the University of Northern Colorado. She also earned certification as a professional in human resources.

As owner of Alliance Transportation Solutions in Thornton from 2000 to 2002, Schwerin managed all areas of the business including benefit packages for employees and financing for major equipment purchases. In the 1970s and '80s, she worked in administration for Hensel Phelps Construction Co. in Greeley and for VRI Builders Inc. in Texas.

If elected to the board, Schwerin's top priority is to close the achievement gap among PSD students. She sees this as a growing problem as the poverty rate increases in Fort Collins and notes that there is "still a large gap" between Hispanic and Caucasian student populations.

"It takes schools, the community and parents working together to educate the kids," Schwerin ssaid.

"I view myself as unbiased and open-minded and would make decisions based on the facts presented," she added. "I'd like to make a difference in the education of our children."

Schwerin and her husband have two children who have attended PSD schools.

Trena Anastasia
District A

Trena Anastasia, who is completing a Ph.D. in education and human resources, has extensive experience in public speaking, publishing and community involvement.

She and her husband, Joe, a chemistry teacher at Fossil Ridge High School, have two children who have attended Poudre School District schools.

As a partner in TrenaSpeaks/Master Every Moment, Anastasia, 43, has delivered presentations nationally, focusing on the topics of customer service and generational issues in the workplace. She also founded Real Life Magazine and ran the publication for nine years.

Other work experience includes serving as associate dean and faculty trainer for CollegeAmerica, a private technical school with a facility in Fort Collins. She was also an academic adviser at Colorado State University for seven years and has worked there as a research assistant while pursuing her Ph.D.

Anastasia's volunteer work in the community has focused on organizations dealing with educational issues and low-income housing. She has served on the advisory board of Neighbor to Neighbor and has volunteered in 13 different PSD schools. She also founded Larimer County YouthFest, a one-day fair bringing teenagers and youth organizations together. The event, which targets sixth through ninth graders, has served 4,000 youths, she said.

Anastasia said her primary reason for seeking a seat on the school board is her concern about the achievement gap among PSD students and the rising rate of poverty in the district.

"I believe in choice and opportunity for every child," she said. "As a district, I believe we need to follow through on that commitment."

In addition, Anastasia said, the school board needs to ensure that the upcoming transition in grade configuration is "seamless for students and staff."

M.L. Johnson
District G

M.L. Johnson, who is seeking a second term, said he is convinced that "economic development in this community will, in a very significant part, be based on the quality of its education system."

"I want to ensure that every child in every school has access to a high-quality education and that our students graduate with the knowledge and skills needed for good citizenship and economic independence," he stated.

"Quality public schools contribute to both the maintenance of homeowner property values and to community economic development initiatives. Thus, all citizens, not just parents of children in school, have reasons for continued involvement in their public schools."

An outspoken opponent of grade reconfiguration, Johnson maintains the school district faces the biggest decisions in its history with "the advent of completely changing the programming in virtually every elementary, junior high and high school simultaneously in the district grade reconfiguration; in changing attendance boundaries to balance high school enrollments; and with the crafting of student expectations to enable our graduates to compete in a global society."

Johnson, 70, earned a bachelor's degree at Abilene Christian University, master's degrees from both Baylor University and Colorado State University and doctorates from both The University of Texas and Colorado State University. He has worked as a classroom teacher in Texas, a university professor in Louisiana and department head at CSU. Johnson also has published numerous education-related articles and textbooks.

Prior to his 2003 election, Johnson served two terms as president of the PSD District Advisory Board, assisted in two mill-levy election campaigns to increase funding for school operations, and worked on a bond-issue campaign for building and maintaining schools.

Since his election, Johnson has served on Early Childhood/Head Start and City/County/School District Liaison committees and the Poudre School District Foundation board. All of his children graduated from PSD schools.

Bob Kingswood
District G

Bob Kingswood's crusade to meet the educational demands of his special-needs daughter was the primary motivation for seeking a school board seat.

"The school district can be doing a lot more for children with autism," said Kingswood, whose daughter is enrolled in the autism program at O'Dea Elementary. "That's what got me started."

Kingswood said he and his wife, both scientists, conducted extensive research into autism and became quite competent in understanding the needs of autistic children. His and his wife's understanding is "in some cases more competent than the school district," he said. The school district should retain an expert to evaluate its approach and recommend changes, he added.

Additionally, Kingswood said, he wants to help the large numbers of students who did not score proficient on the Colorado Student Assessment Program tests.

"At-risk students might need some innovative-type things to help them," he said.

An ability to "think outside the public education box" is an asset he would bring to the board, Kingswood said. "I can see the bigger picture than people wrapped up in it," he maintained.

Kingswood, 51, earned his undergraduate degree in biology from Kansas State University and his master's in fishery and wildlife biology from Colorado State University.

He served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Jamaica from 1979 to 1981. Kingswood then worked as a fish culturist in the private sector until 1987, when he joined the Colorado Division of Wildlife as a fishery technician. In 1990, Kingswood became a fishery biologist for CDOW until taking disability retirement in 1995 after being seriously injured in a car accident.

Since then he worked as an instructor at Kansas State University from 1998-2000, and he has volunteered widely, including work with Catholic Charities Northern.

Kingswood has lived all over Colorado since moving here in 1977. He has resided in Fort Collins since 2001.

Tom Balchak
District B

Tom Balchak, an uncontested candidate for the school board, retired a year ago from a 33-year teaching career.

He finished his career at Rocky Mountain High School, where he taught in the art department. He also taught at Preston Junior High and was chair of the English department at Lesher Junior High. Balchak has taught at the university level as well and has experience in both public and private schools.

Balchak, 56, received national recognition for an art/English combination course he developed at Lesher for at-risk learners. His approach to remedial education is to begin with students' strengths and then transfer them to other academic areas. Balchak was chosen as a Poudre School District Distinguished Teacher of the Year and was also a finalist for Colorado Teacher of the Year.

Balchak has also been involved outside the classroom in the education reform movement and served on state forums related to that topic. "My history of involvement has given me knowledge and experience to deal with education issues," he said.

In the Fort Collins community, Balchak has served on the board of Respite Care Inc. He has also been a volunteer ski patrolman, a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician and a seasonal Santa.

Balchak said the school board needs to look at how it responds to increasing poverty among school children and find interventions that work. It's also important to reach out to the families of these children and get them involved, he said. Other important issues facing the board, he said, are the transition to the new grade configuration and ensuring stable funding.

The candidate's goals include honoring the investment of taxpayers and supporting the teachers, since they're closest to the children.

Balchak's wife, Natalie, also retired from PSD, and their two children have attended PSD schools.

Nancy Tellez
District F

In her next term, Nancy Tellez said, she wants to "solve the problems with a big picture in mind."

The most important challenge, she said, is to "position the Poudre School District to better prepare our kids for the workplace pressures they're going to face."

The district, Tellez said, must respond to new demands for analytic and creative thinking. "Our education needs to go well beyond what they do on the CSAP test," she maintained.

Tellez said the school district also must address the continuing achievement gap among poor and minority students. "This is not a racial issue," she said. "There's a lot of research out there about why these kids don't do well in school. We need to see what we can do to turn that around."

One way, Tellez said, is finding ways to reach out to such children sooner. The new grade reconfiguration, she said, "is going to open the doors to making some of these changes."

And at the other extreme, while PSD traditionally has done well preparing students continuing with higher education, Tellez said it still needs to do a better job teaching them how to "excel, not just survive in college."

More than just her goals, Tellez said, she brings a commitment to "set a positive direction for the long-term future of the Poudre School District."

"I bring skills that have allowed me to work effectively with a wide variety of groups, including listening, examining and analyzing facts, and independent decision-making based on one criteron - what is best for our students," she said.

Tellez, 64, earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Northern Colorado and a master's in education from Colorado State University.

A teacher for 31 years at Blevins and Preston junior high schools, Tellez was first appointed to the school board in May 2005 and elected that November. Both of her children attended Poudre schools.