Four run for school board seats

As local schools face their worst budget crisis in more than a decade, four citizens have stepped forward seeking seats on the Sisters School Board in the May 19 election.

Longtime incumbent Glen Lasken is running unopposed for Position 5, the seat he has held on the school board for many years.

Only one of the three open seats is contested. Cheryl Stewart and incumbent Tom Dumolt are vying for Position 2. Both have children in the schools. Mark Yinger had filed for the position but withdrew his candidacy.

Don Hedrick is running unopposed to fill Position 1, formerly held by Mike Gould.

Hedrick was a teacher for nine years and a principal for another 25 years. Since

retiring to Sisters, he has served on the superintendent search committee and chaired the Facilities Task Force that drafted a comprehensive report prioritizing the district's facilities needs.

He most recently served on the advisory budget reduction committee.

As a board member, Hedrick acknowledges the first priority will be managing the budget shortfall, expected now to be $1.5 million.

Hedrick said he hopes to use his experience to help "continue the strong tradition of excellence they have here in the Sisters School District. This is a district where the patrons expect excellent education. The challenge is going to be continuing to provide that in the face of financial

difficulties."

In the sole contested race, Dumolt and Stewart have distinct approaches to the job.

"I think I'm looking at it from a little bit more of a traditional standpoint," the incumbent Dumolt said.

Dumolt, who manages a retail lighting store in Bend, thinks the district needs to focus more intensely on basic skills - reading, math and writing.

Dumolt believes he has had an influence on steering the district in the direction of focus on core issues.

"In a very subtle way, I do think I've had influence in things like that," he said.

He also feels he represents parents who may have concerns about the schools, but who don't like to speak up or don't know to whom to take their issues.

Dumolt believes in adhering to the strict limits of board authority.

"My job is simply policy," he said. "We've got an extremely talented superintendent; she's doing a good job. It's her responsibility to run the district."

Stewart believes the Sisters schools are good, but can be made better.

"I'd really like to see a culture of continued improvement in the schools," she said. "What could we change and improve to be more effective with all students?"

Stewart believes her professional background as a human resources consultant, as well as extensive experience working with the school reform organization the Chalkboard Project, and volunteering in a wide range of capacities in Sisters schools will enable her to contribute significantly to that "culture of continuous improvement."

Stewart says that Sisters is very good at providing

opportunities to students to become engaged with school.

"Kids find their place to be superstars," she said. On the flip side, she believes students need to have the opportunity to fall down, too. "They need a place to fail and figure out a way to work their way out of failure and build some

resilience."

Stewart wants to see a thorough assessment of all Sisters' school programs to ensure that there is maximum educational value in everything the district does. And that value has to be communicated to the patrons of the district.

"You have to explain what you're doing and why," she said.

Both candidates acknowledge that the severe budget crunch makes their work much more difficult.

"Money is number one and I can honestly say money is going to be the major problem this year," Dumolt said.

Dumolt expects the district will have to grapple with some kind of staffing cut to make up its shortfall.

"I don't see how the district can make the cuts necessary without going there," he said.

Stewart said that the district owes the patrons the best possible stewardship of scarce funds, especially after the renewal.

"With local option passing, the community has really stepped out and voted for the schools," she said. "We're going to have to be very clear on the most important goals of the district... we have to use those dollars very wisely... The community needs to be clear on what they're getting for those dollars."

Ballots will be mailed

May 1.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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