Compiled by Sarah Judd

1. Why are you running for this office?

I am rerunning for this position that I have held over the past almost four years. I have learned a lot about how the Lincoln County School District works and the things that are state mandated and what the school has to work with and the budget and personnel. I feel I have a reasoned voice. We moved here ten years ago, so I don’t have a lot of roots here, so I feel I can have a more unbiased view of the issues. What is really important is how everything comes together to enhance education as a priority. Extracurricular activities are wonderful, but I think education in the classroom should come first. It’s important to me. I think we have a really good relationship on the board from different towns despite different opinions. Everyone works together really well. There is a lot of respect between everyone. I think we have an awesome superintendent and staff. She and the board work together well with the same goal to progress this school district with what is important in the coming years. She’s always looking forward to the future.

2. Where are you from?

I live in Panaca. I moved here from Missouri, and before that, I lived in Utah as well as Colorado. I have seen a lot of different schools and school districts. I ran because my kids were older now and I felt it was important to contribute. Education is important to me.

3. Local family?

My kids have married into different local families, so we are tied into the community. This has been one of my favorite places to live. I have no plans of leaving it. It’s a great place. The greatest thing is the community feel and people helping people. I really see teachers and administrators wearing a lot of hats and doing whatever it takes to get education into the kids. There’s always room for improvement, but I don’t think it’s from a lack of trying. My kids have had a really good experience with administrators and teachers, and we’re one big family. I urge you to come to the school board meetings and see for yourself how we work together and how the superintendent leads. The public is invited to come make comments. The meetings are conducted in a friendly, open atmosphere. We also remain very professional at the same time.

4. What do you think are your qualifications?

I have nine kids and grandkids in the area still. What happens in the schools will always be important. I have the ability to reason through the issues. I’m involved in conferences and reading and visiting schools, and I am just keeping involved in what is going on and collecting ideas for improvements.

5. Have you served in this office or a similar capacity before?

I have been in leadership roles in church and with working with other people. I was involved in my kids’ sports programs, music, and dance. I am always involved and help when I can. I volunteered at the hospital thrift store for a couple of years. Thrifting is a treat for me. I have a side business thrifting that keeps me involved in the community too.

6. What do you think are the major issues facing Lincoln County that you would try to work on?

Our funding is always a big issue. I think keeping education as top priority is also major. We can get excited about extracurricular activities, but they have their place. I want to keep a voice out there that we’re an education board. I have suggested some programs for the superintendent to look into including a financial class that the students can take with them after leaving high school. The role of the school board is to set policy and to oversee policy and not to micromanage schools. It can be really annoying, and they have trained us not to do that, so oversight is the main thing. We meet with questions about our budget, and we have workshops, and we figure out what is needed in our schools.

7. Why do you think you are a better choice than your opponent?

I can only tell you what I can add. I can work well as a team member. You’re not a maverick. You don’t go in and make sweeping changes. You need to work well with people you disagree with. I can see and suggest and counsel about things in a reasoned way.

8. Add any further comments

The overall vision of this district is that each member stays in their lane, doing their part, and they support and help where needed. We try to create a unity to help the kids move on to college and career readiness.