Candidates vying for school district trustee seats

A private education consultant and a man nicknamed “Super Fan” are trying to unseat two Coeur d’Alene School District trustees on Tuesday.

Susan Francis, a consultant and former University of Idaho professor, is running against incumbent Diane Zipperer, a structural engineer, in Zone 4.

Incumbent Sid Fredrickson, Zone 5, is being challenged by Kevin Mylan, a roofing contractor whose support of the Lake City Timberwolves football team – aided by a giant megaphone – led others to dub him Super Fan.

Francis, 56, said she laughed when people first called her asking her to run against Zipperer.

“I’m not a politician,” she said. But Francis, an eight-year resident of the district, said she feels like she can help the district during what she describes as a “rocky time.”

She said some patrons have an issue of trust with the district because the district didn’t rebuild Lakes Middle School as promised with money from the last levy voters passed. Francis said some patrons don’t feel trustees are responsive to parents concerns about some works of literature that are required reading in the district.

“It’s very important that we try to meet the differing needs of students,” she said. “We don’t all learn the same. We’re not all ready for the same literature.”

Zipperer, 51, acknowledged that parents are concerned about some of the literature used in the district.

She served on a committee, along with parents, teachers and administrators, who tried to come up with a solution to address parents’ concerns.

One possibility is allowing parents to opt out if they don’t feel comfortable with their children reading certain books, she said.

“I’m comfortable with where we are with that right now,” Zipperer said.

Zipperer, who originally became involved in the district as a volunteer with Parent Teacher Organizations, said she’s proud of her involvement in the district’s advanced learning committee and the addition of the International Baccalaureate program at the primary levels. She has lived in the district since 1991 and has a daughter attending Lake City High. Another daughter graduated from the school.

Mylan said he is running for trustee because he’s “just interested in what’s good for kids.”

“I have no personal agenda and I have no political gain in it,” he said.

He raises the issue of trust – also due to the district’s decision to postpone the Lakes project because of cost overruns on other projects. Mylan, 46, said the board needs to rebuild trust with the community.

“We’ve been swimming around in a stagnant pool,” said the father of three. “It’s time to drain the water and add more fish.”

He said there are also concerns about curriculum and literature used in the district.

“(Students) can get pornography on the Internet,” Mylan said. He said some of the books assigned as reading “have a lot of sexual innuendo.”

He’s an advocate for getting “back to the old ways of doing things.”

Fredrickson, Coeur d’Alene’s wastewater and utility superintendent, is a former teacher and has seven grandchildren enrolled in Coeur d’Alene schools.

“I like to think of myself as a well-rounded candidate, not a one-issue candidate,” he said. “I’ve got a strong financial background. I’ve been dealing with multimillion-dollar budgets for years.”

The 66-year-old describes himself as a fiscal conservative who said he would like to see through the district’s strategic plan, which calls for closing the achievement gap between struggling students and high achievers.

He said he’s level-headed and can build consensus with other board members.

Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Zone 4 polling places include Sorensen Elementary, Winton Elementary, North Idaho College, Kootenai Medical Center and the Mica Flats Grange Hall.

Zone 5 polling places include Borah and Bryan elementary schools, Lakes Middle School, Coeur d’Alene High, The Bridge Academy and Project CDA.

“ Coeur d’Alene voters will also decide the fate of a $31.1 million, two-year School Plant Facilities Levy.

The funds would be used to build a new Lakes Middle School, the district’s 11th elementary school, purchase property for future school sites and improve technology district-wide.

Lakes, a 56-year-old building originally built as a high school, needs replacing because its classrooms are too small, its heating system is outdated and there’s no access for disabled people to the second story of the school, district officials say.

Patrons already approved funding for an extensive remodel for Lakes in a 2002 levy, but cost overruns on other projects included in the levy meant there wasn’t enough money left for the Lakes project. Critics say the district should have better managed the levy funds to make sure Lakes was rebuilt the first time.

If voters approve, the new school would be built behind the existing school, which would then be demolished.

The levy would cost homeowners an estimated $1.60 per year for every $1,000 of a home’s assessed value.

Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Atlas, Borah, Bryan, Dalton, Fernan, Hayden Meadows, Ramsey, Skyway, Sorensen and Winton elementary schools; Canfield, Woodland and Lakes middle schools; Coeur d’Alene and Lake City high schools; Project CDA, The Bridge Academy, North Idaho College, Kootenai Medical Center and the Mica Flats Grange Hall.

“ Plummer-Worley voters will decide a $10 million, 15-year bond measure on Tuesday.

The money would be used to build a new elementary school in Plummer. The school would serve students who now attend the 71-year-old Lakeside Elementary in Worley.

Voters in the district, which serves southern Kootenai County and parts of Benewah County, have not passed a school bond or levy since 1980. A supermajority of voters need to approve for the measure to pass.

District officials say the school needs constant and costly repairs and building a new school makes sense.

Construction would begin in April 2009 and be ready for students in fall 2010.

The bond would increase taxes by $1.45 per $1,000 of assessed taxable value.

Polls will be open noon to 8 p.m. at Lakeside Elementary, the Coeur d’Alene Casino Events Center, Benewah Market, the district’s Administrative Office in Plummer and the Tensed Senior Center.

Voters can register at the polls.