Document text
Six challenge for ASD board By Amber Fossen Ashland Daily Tidings Position 5 Two Ashland residents say their ability to listen and their dedication to education will help them secure Ashland School Board position 5 in the May 20 election. Locals Ellie Thivierge and Bob Kuenzel are vying for the post currently held by interim board member Curt Bacon, who was appointed in October to replace Kent Provost but decided against a re-election bid. Both candidates said strengths they bring to the school board will benefit the district and the community. Thivierge, 51, a former health care manager, said listening to the community, understanding the issues and being able to dedicate time are important to serving the public. "I think it's important to understand the ins and outs of the school system," Thivierge said. "It's very labor intensive right now and I have the time." Thivierge spent 16 years in management at Mills-Peninsula Health Services - a non-profit community hospital system in the San Francisco Bay area - as director of organizational development, quality management and education. "I was the manager in the heyday of money and then they pulled the funds from us," Thivierge said. After 25 years as a health care manager, Thivierge said she understands budget issues and can help the district address some of its own financial set backs. With one student in the middle school and two at the high school, Thivierge said the reason her family relocated from the Bay Area to Ashland was because of the schools. "That's why we came and I haven't been disappointed," she said. Since moving to Ashland five years ago, Thivierge has served on the School Closure Committee, as an Ashland Schools Foundation volunteer fundraiser and classroom volunteer at the Ashland Middle School in addition to serving on the AMS site council. Thivierge said she hopes to not only assist the board in making informed decisions, but she would also hope to keep the community engaged on what's happening in education. "I'm someone who can speak passionately about the schools while speaking about the whole picture," she said. Kuenzel, 53, attorney at Ashland-based Kuenzel and Associates, said he's not running with an agenda other than a willingness to contribute. "My goal would be to be a very attentive listener to this community and to learn from its wisdom to make the best possible decisions in managing hard times," Kuenzel said. Kuenzel has been a principal in his own small law firms since1995. Previous to that, Kuenzel was a member and leader of Business Litigation Practices in Los Angeles and San Francisco and at one point served as a clerk to a U.S. Court of Appeals. An Ashland resident for nearly seven years, Kuenzel has served on the City of Ashland Tree Commission, as chair of the Ashland Schools Foundation, and is currently on the Ashland Rotary Club and YMCA board of directors. He said the skills he has accumulated will help the district with problem solving. "I think I bring an unusual mixture of high level problem solving on a wide range of issues as well as board experience and I think that, more than some other things, it distinguishes me from other people," Kuenzel said. With a daughter at the middle school and another child on their way into the district, Kuenzel hopes to help the board make sound decisions for education. "I got urged to do this," he said. "I'm in a position of willing to serve. I'm willing to do this because I think maybe I would help." Kuenzel said his role would not be to come in and change a number of things but to facilitate the board in its decision-making process while listening to community concerns. Position 2 Voters will have to distinguish one candidate from the next in the race for Ashland School Board position 2. Coming from a variety of backgrounds, four community members have filed for the position, which has been occupied by John Maurer, board chair, since 1997. While all candidates - Ashland residents Jason Houk, Heidi Parker, Sheryl Lipski and Howard Braham - offer similar messages of doing what's best for the district and students, each hopes to sway voters by standing out from the rest. Houk, 33, defines himself as the atypical candidate. "The main thing I'd like to think I'm bringing is an alternate view," Houk said. "I'm really hoping to bring in an aspect of debate and to discuss some issues that my not have been otherwise." Houk, a former Internet marketing specialist and graphic designer and current Briscoe Elementary volunteer, said he feels that teachers and students can benefit from implementing more technology into the schools. "We need to give them (students) the skills to use technology and to find information," Houk said, adding, "There are some things we can be doing with our high-speed network that could save the district some money." Houk said one of the reason's he wants to serve on the board is to have a say in what happens to Briscoe Elementary. He said he would like to see the facility used as a community resource center for technology education and support. "There needs to be a technical resource center for teachers to be able to use," he said. Houk, a father of two with one child in the district, said he would also work toward keeping quality programs in place. Candidate Parker, 54, said she decided to run because it was time to be the decision maker. "I've been working behind the scenes for 14 years and when really big decisions have been made I've found myself holding my breath hoping they'll vote for what I want," Parker said. Parker now hopes to make difficult decisions with the help of the community. "Ashland is a very creative community and what I would hope to do as a board member is to call on that creativity," she said. Parker said she became involved in the schools because of her own four children - two of which have graduated from Ashland High School. She's served on the Lincoln Site Council, the Drug and Alcohol Policy Review Committee, in addition volunteering her time in classrooms and as a Superintendent Appointed Special Advocate (SASA) among other volunteer efforts. Parker said, as a board member, she hopes to find effective ways to use revenue. Lipski, 41, said her broad understanding of education and its current issues compelled her to run for a position on the school board. "It was a combination of seeing the plight of the districts, how we're cutting a lot of the programs and support we need for our students and really wanting public education to survive and thrive," Lipski said. A former teacher in the Ashland School District and the Grass Valley School District located in Grass Valley, Calif., Lipski is now the supervisor of technology services for Southern Oregon Education Service District. With two students at the middle school and one at the high school, Lipski has had the opportunity to network with parents - something she feels is important to understanding what the community wants. "I think it's really important to have input from a lot of people in the community," she said. While Lipski said school funding is a main concern at this time, in the future, she hopes to work toward finding ways for students - including students with difficulties - to stay in school and achieve. "Once we get past the school funding issue, there are a few things I would like to see us look at," Lipski said. "One would be how can we reach all kids and how can we keep teachers. That's where I think we need to go next." Braham, 60, said an understanding of education along with decision-making experience is what the board needs and what he can provide. "I've taught at every level from elementary, to middle, to high, to junior college to college so I understand how education works," Braham said. Braham, currently self-employed and an adjunct professor at Southern Oregon University, was the former president of Ashland-based TerraMar Environmental Research, LLC, and former director for the Seattle-based National Marine Mammal Laboratory. "I think by having experiences in a variety of fields with groups of different people, it allows you to sit back and say if I do this over here, how will it affect others," he said adding that other candidates "might not ask the questions that need to be asked to balance the issues." Braham, father of four, is currently on the ASD Budget Committee and has served on the Drug and Alcohol Review Committee for both the ASD and SOU. He has also served as a member of the City of Ashland's Budget Committee and Conservation Commission. Ashland residents interested in learning more about each candidate may do so at a meeting hosted by the League of Women's Voters Ashland chapter. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m., Wednesday, May 7 in the Ashland Council Chambers located at 1175 East Main Street. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -