8 vie for school board seats

The eight candidates vying for three open school board seats in the Lakeland and Post Falls school districts have differing philosophies when it comes to education.

One wants more discipline. Another wants more vocational education offerings.

Some say being prepared for growth and planning for the future are priorities.

All are willing to give up a good chunk of their personal time to serve as trustees. For free, for the students and for their communities.

Two seats are open in the Lakeland School District and there is one contested seat in Post Falls. Elections are May 20.

Lakeland Zone 2

Incumbent Barbara Puckett is being challenged by Daniel Gregg in Zone 2, which includes the Athol and Bayview areas, extending about four miles south and three miles west of Athol. Polls will be open at Athol Elementary and Bayview Community Center from noon to 8 p.m.

Puckett, who works as postmaster in Hayden, filled about six months remaining on the term of a trustee who resigned, before being elected to her current post. The 14-year Athol resident and mother of two said serving as a trustee has given her good insight into the workings of a school district.

Puckett, 43, said she doesn’t have an agenda other than “to do what’s best for the district and stay open-minded.”

She was involved in the hiring of the district’s new superintendent and said with all the changes in the district’s administration next year, keeping continuity on the board of trustees is important.

Gregg, a 42-year-old detention deputy at the Kootenai County Jail, has two children in the district. He lives in the Athol area, and said he has volunteered for years at Athol Elementary.

He said he was approached by a couple of teachers and asked to run.

Gregg said he has concerns about the implications of the federal No Child Left Behind Act and believes teachers are too constricted in their teaching because of the emphasis placed on test scores.

“There are children being left behind,” he said. “Let teachers teach.”

He would like to see teachers paid more.

“If a teacher has a lot of years under their belt, they’re not getting paid what they should be,” he said. “If you want to get good teachers, you’ve got to pay for them.”

Gregg said the district has some nice new schools, but he also wants to make sure the older buildings – including Athol Elementary – are well cared for.

Lakeland Zone 3

Four are seeking the seat currently held by Board Chairman Don Soltman, who is not seeking re-election.

Floyd Moyer says discipline is lacking in the school system.

A Marine, former mayor and police chief, the 66-year-old grandfather said he has the experience to deal with disciplinary problems.

As the in-house supervisor at Post Falls High, Moyer works full time supervising students who are in trouble.

Moyer, who lives east of Rathdrum, has three grandchildren in Lakeland schools and said they’re getting “a super education.” He doesn’t believe major changes are needed.

Richard Reese declared his candidacy for the school board because two years ago incumbents ran unopposed.

To keep it from happening again – and offer voters a choice – he decided to run.

The independent electrical contractor said he’s passionate about vocational education, which he has taught in the past.

“There’s an assumption that everyone’s going to college,” he said. “The absolute fact is that’s not true.”

He said he wants to keep kids from dropping out of school and he believes increasing vocational offerings might be one way to do that. For those who are academically inclined, Reese said he’d like increased funding for high achievers.

A self-described fiscal conservative, Reese, 56, also has experience as a substitute teacher in “every grade, including kindergarten.” He has lived in the district for five years and has four children in Lakeland schools.

Tim Skubitz had never heard of Rathdrum when the opportunity arose nearly seven years ago to purchase the town’s McDonald’s restaurant.

He did some research, learned the school district “was one of the finest in the state of Idaho” and moved to the Twin Lakes area with his wife and three daughters.

Skubitz is interested in the long-term outlook for the district and would like to see a plan developed looking 10 to 20 years ahead.

“I think it’s a huge fiscal responsibility,” Skubitz said.

He has served on the Ronald McDonald House board of directors for 5 1/2 years and will serve as president of the board beginning next year.

The 45-year-old said it’s not the job of board members to work independently. They must be able to work together.

Skubitz said the board must operate with “complete transparency.”

Architect Paul Matthews said the Lakeland School District is the “best school district in Idaho,” where everything from money management to test scores is concerned.

“I wanted to see that continue,” said Matthews, 46, who lives in the Twin Lakes area.

He said he’d like to see communications improve between the board of trustees and patrons in the school district. It’s not only parents of students who should be considered stakeholders, Matthews said, but everyone in the district who pays taxes to the schools.

Matthews, who has two children attending the Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy, said he’d like Lakeland to have a charter school – though he said that’s an area where parents, not trustees, need to take initiative.

“That kind of diversity in education I’d love to see,” said Matthews, who has lived in the district for 18 years.

Zone 3 includes Garwood, Chilco, Twin Lakes and Lower Twin Lakes, extending south to Boekel Road. Polling places are Garwood and Twin Lakes elementary schools. Polls are open noon to 8 p.m.

Post Falls Zone 5

Julie Hunt and Aimee Gerome are vying for the seat vacated by Trudi Kuhn.

Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Ponderosa Elementary School.

Hunt has been treasurer for the Parent Teacher Organizations at her children’s schools for years. She’s served on district hiring committees, textbook selection committees and budget committees and volunteered in classrooms.

Running for the school board is the next natural progression in her quest to serve the community, Hunt said.

The Certified Public Accountant said she has a “good understanding of budgets and money” and is open-minded.

Growth is one of the biggest challenges facing the Post Falls district, she said, along with keeping teachers from leaving the district.

Hunt, 46, has lived in Post Falls for 16 years. She has three children enrolled in the district.

Gerome worked with special education students in the Post Falls School District as a para-professional before going into real estate.

“I want to be involved in the community and this is a way for me to be involved in an area where my kids are going to be impacted,” said the 41-year-old realtor.

Her strengths include a passion for education and business sense, she said.

As a real estate agent, Gerome said she knows the potential for growth in the district.

“We need to be prepared,” she said. “We can’t have overcrowded schools.”

Gerome has three teenage children and has lived in the district for three years.