I am a parent who has children in the DCSD. I watched a video recording of the candidate forum put on by the Douglas County Federation on October 1 st, and I heard some striking differences between the various candidates.

The incumbent (Fred Wucherpfennig) and 4 challengers (Naomi Helterbran, Joan Grady, Christopher Condie, and Ryan Stuart) are running.

Naomi and Ryan both indicated that they want to "significantly raise teacher pay" to "attract the best and brightest teachers" to the District. Ryan stated that DCSD pays teachers less than virtually all the surrounding districts.

While these statements sound reasonable on the surface, they actually indicate how misinformed these challengers are - in fact DCSD teacher pay compares favorably to all metro districts except Cherry Creek (and CCSD receives several hundred dollars more per student in state funding than DCSD does).

Staff pay is by far the largest component of operational spending, so in order to "significantly raise teacher pay" the taxpayers would have to pay significantly more in taxes to fund this. The District is already attracting the best teachers - the District gets around 5000 applicants each year!

Many of these are from surrounding Districts - teachers who see how well we are doing at DCSD and want to join it. Since our teachers are already well paid compared to other metro area teachers, raising taxes to give them significant pay raises doesn't seem fiscally responsible to me.

Fred is on the Board now, and he has a long history of volunteer work in the District. His depth of knowledge was clearly superior to the other candidates as he addressed questions in depth that others gave either no answer or only vague answers to.

He has demonstrated a consistent work ethic and a history of making a positive difference in the District. Fred described his support of charter schools by voting for the contracts that have come before the Board.

Fred described his many contributions to, and support of, accountability in our schools and listed accomplishments like the SAC rubric that helps the SAC be more effective in reviewing school performance and school improvement planning.

Fred described how he works to keep a positive relationship between the District and staff, and how he voted for the current contract that includes performance pay and joined the teachers and classified staff into one unit.

While most of the candidates stated they had no obvious agenda, Ryan stated, "I do have an agenda. I'm very clear. I support the students and not the system." He continued, "I'm a fighter. I'm not going to sit back and let policy develop around me - I'm going to make policy."

This cavalier attitude bothers me for several reasons. First, anyone who has been around a board of directors knows that one director does not make policy - Ryan's statement is either arrogant or naïve. In order for a board member to be effective, he or she must work together with others to determine a course of action and build support within the system to make it happen.

Second, the Board only makes policy, it doesn't implement it. The Board must use the system to support the students, and work within that system to have any results. If the system needs change, then change it, but a Board member must support the system.

Naomi continues to state that she does not support testing students. This is an outdated liberal viewpoint that even the NEA and AFT no longer support. The fact is the District has an obligation to students, parents, and taxpayers to provide objective feedback on student, school, and district performance.

This is important for parents to make intelligent choices on where their children attend school, and for taxpayers to know that their tax dollars are being used wisely and effectively for education.

Joan did not even attend the forum, and Chris had good but not very specific answers to the questions.

It was clear to me after listening to these candidates, that the incumbent Fred Wucherpfennig is by far the best candidate of this group with a balanced, reasoned approach and tremendous knowledge of the District. Because of this, I urge you to support Fred in his reelection effort.

With the incumbent not seeking reelection, this race has two candidates (Mike Dubrovich and Justin Williams) seeking to obtain the seat.

Mike talked about his many years of experience as an administrator and his accomplishments in that realm. However, his knowledge seemed to be limited to the school level, as his answers to District wide issues were vague. He stressed a 'keep it simple' approach that focuses on the basics, as teachers' plates are "too full".

He mentioned that 15 years ago, Cherry Creek had only 5% minority population and now its up to 30%. DCSD now has 5% minority population. "What's coming, and are we prepared for it?" he asked. "I believe that kids from working class homes need more support," he added. Well, which is it Mike? Do we need to provide more support for kids from working class homes, or do we need to keep it simple and focus on the basics?

Justin talked about how passionate he is about preparing students for college - in fact his business is in that field. He discussed how vital a positive relationship between the Board and staff is to the overall success of the District. Justin stressed that he believes we cannot keep doing things the way they have been done for the past 20 years, so his view is less biased than his opponent's.

I liked Justin's commitment to preparing students for the future and his commitment to ensuring a positive working relationship with staff. I believe this orientation will make him a better Board member than his opponent, and I urge you to support Justin in his election campaign.

The members of the Board of Education play a very important role in the direction of the school district, and are vital to the tone of the organization. Its important to have knowledgeable people, who work well with others, and are committed to empowering staff to do the right things for student learning and foster a positive culture in the organization.

For these important reasons, after listening to the candidates, I urge you to vote for Fred and Justin - to have the best Board we can have for our students, our parents, and our taxpayers.