My name:
Fred Wucherpfennig
My age:
50
My family:
Wife: Kathy; Children: Rachel, Andrea, and Matthew
Education:
Post-graduate work at LaSalle University
BS Mechanical Engineering from North Dakota State University
What I do:
Own and operate 2 businesses - Carpet Castle Design Center in Castle Rock (the only full service flooring design center in Douglas County), and Ruby Distributing Ltd. (an e-retailer)
My favorite place in town to hang out:
Any of the parks.
What I like most about living here:
Access to the mountains and the sunshine - whether driving, hiking, or skiing I enjoy the beauty of the mountains.
My interests and hobbies:
I like to do woodworking, work on my cars and play tennis.
My favorite thing to cook:
Grilling steak!
People who inspired me (and how):
Abraham Lincoln, because he was willing to do what was right, even though it was politically unpopular at the time.
Our Founding Fathers, because they had a vision for what could be, they made a plan and they literally fought for it to make it come to pass.
How I have contributed to the community:
I have spent countless hours volunteering for the school district in various roles with SAC, DAC, LRPC, and the board of education, which has helped students in many ways - directly and indirectly. Additionally, I am involved in 4-H and church activities that help people, and my companies donate to worthy causes like Habitat for Humanity, schools, churches, the Rotary Club, etc.
The biggest issues facing the school district now:
Growth and Development will continue to be a significant influence on DCSD for the foreseeable future. While many people may think that growth is nearly complete, in fact the County is only about 50% developed. This continued development will mean that the district will need to build numerous more schools to house the students that will be coming. As the large developments (like Highlands Ranch and the Meadows) wind down and are replaced with much smaller developments, planning for this growth will become more difficult. This requires leadership with flexibility as well as vision, to anticipate issues and respond quickly when situations change. Regulation v. Local Control will continue to be an interesting give and take. While the Colorado Constitution clearly places control of local schools in the hands of the local school board, it seems every time the legislature meets they feel compelled to chip away at that with new requirements. DCSD is an innovative, high-performing district, and the legislature's attempts at 'one size fits all' regulations hamper the district's ability to improve performance. Additionally, the various reports that must be done for current regulations are stifling. Currently, over 500 reports must be generated by the district each year. Many of these reports are a complete waste of time, and many others require similar data but in different formats. Think how much better the district could do at instruction if all of that time and effort was spent on student learning! Embracing Technology to allow teachers to differentiate instruction to students and improve student learning is an exciting challenge. Technology is changing so rapidly that it is very difficult to stay up to pace, yet that is exactly what must be done to maximize the benefit to our students. Technology is also making it less important where a worker is physically located, and more important what skills the worker has and at what cost. Because of this, it is increasingly important that our students are globally competitive in terms of skills and training. DCSD needs to be comparing our students' performance against not just other students in Colorado, but against students from around the world, and making changes as needed to ensure our students are truly competitive. |
Why I am running:
I am running because I want to continue to help DCSD be the best it can be. My extensive school volunteer experience provides me a unique perspective to provide knowledgeable and considered input to BOE discussions. I have children in district schools and I am a business owner and homeowner, so I have a vested interest in the continued success of DCSD just like many of my constituents. I have the knowledge, vision, and leadership abilities to communicate the desires and expectations of my constituents in a way that can make DCSD even better in the future, and I just want to do my part to help make that happen.
For more information, visit
www.fredw.info.