The Gilbert Unified School District governing board could have a more conservative majority come January if voting result trends stay in place.
As of Friday afternoon, conservative newcomers Julie Smith and Daryl Colvin were leading in votes, along with current board member Lily Tram, for three four-year seats on the board. Current board president EJ Anderson was less than 300 votes behind Colvin for that final spot.
Current school board member Staci Burk, another strong conservative who voted against the district’s call for an override renewal and the district’s current budget earlier this year, has two more years on her term.
Jill Humphreys, in unofficial results, won a two-year seat over Eric Johnson.
If the results stay the same with Smith and Colvin, the board’s majority philosophy will shift from what it is today. Smith is listed as a member of the Greater Phoenix Tea Party Patriots. Colvin was endorsed by the Conservative School Board Members Association in his bid for Gilbert’s board.
During governing board meetings the last few months, Smith, Colvin and Burk have expressed dismay over what they call a lack of financial transparency and district spending patterns.
With the loss of the override, one of the first major actions the new governing board will have to undertake is examination of the budget. The override provided about $17 million annually to the district. Beginning next fiscal year, the district will lose one-third of the override.
That means at least $5.8 million will have to be cut for the 2013-14 school year. That will come on top of more than $30 million in cuts the district has undergone since the state economic crisis began.
Smith pointed to the need to examine the district’s "spending habits" in light of the override loss and the failure of Proposition 204 — which would have made permanent a one-cent state sales tax for education funding.
"School districts really need to examine their spending habits and align their spending habits much more with what the rest of the community is experiencing where there’s been loss of income and loss of jobs," Smith said in an interview Friday.
She said she wants to avoid cuts to the classroom, "the last thing on the list that I would consider as a cost-cutting measure."
"We really need to examine the entire model of what’s going on in Gilbert schools and the structure. We need to become a leaner meaner machine that puts students first," she said.
Colvin, who did not want to declare a victory given the closeness of the race, did talk about what the new governing board would face, no matter the make-up, and why he ran.
"Like a lot of people who end up on the board, I was recruited to run. There was a concern about moving the board in a conservative direction that more closely represents the values in the community. We’re a community that sent Andy Biggs to the Legislature … We felt we needed a school board that would more accurately reflect the community," he said.
Colvin and Smith both noted a desire to move the district to a more "pro-American, pro-family" point of view. Smith said she is concerned about curriculum in place in the high schools. Colvin said the community needs to be given more information about spending before the board goes for another override.
Humphreys hopes to see changes in the district over the next two years on the board.
"A change in the district that I will work for is a more open, collaborative decision-making process where the community has opportunities for input while alternatives are on the table," Humphreys said.
Superintendent Dave Allison said, "There’s always a learning curve" when new members are seated onto a board.
"It’s a complex job being a school board member, especially for the fifth largest in Arizona and one that excels in quality education and is an ‘A’ district," he said. "I want to tell the governing board we want to strive to continue that educational quality that Gilbert is known for. I want to work with the board in regards to that."
When asked about the philosophical differences between the new board members, Allison said: "I’m hoping the board members ran for the board with the idea of doing the very best for our students. Any ideology, I hope, is put aside in regards for that."
magenta posted at 9:54 am on Sun, Nov 11, 2012.
This is exactly why I am keeping my son as far away from Gilbert public schools as possible. I live in Gilbert and he attends a very high-performing charter school that consistently outdoes any other school in Gilbert on test scores (save for one -- Neely). He attends an inclusive, well-rounded school that doesn't need to go around telling everyone how "pro-American" and "pro-family" it is. We all know what those code words mean.
So here's what will happen: The board will cut spending and teacher salaries to the bone. Teachers will naturally drift to other school districts that are pro-education and more tolerant. The good teachers will move on and the students -- already dealing with other resources cut to the bone -- will suffer.
Mike McClellan posted at 2:13 pm on Sun, Nov 11, 2012.
The TEA Party now has the majority of the school board, so we'll see how they manage the finances. That group opposed 204 and the override, so now they can decide where to cut. We'll see.
And I have no problem with "pro-American, pro-family."
Unless that means we scrub the curriculum and turn our study of history and literature into a giant Gilbert Potemkin Village of American Life.
David DG posted at 3:28 pm on Sun, Nov 11, 2012.
If any of those idiots on the board want to know why the voters said no to both requests for more money there are 2 reasons. 1 is they wanted to shut down 1 of the 2 Jr. High schools because they were only half full. This was going to be done to save money. What they did however is to do the political standard and give it to a "blue ribbon" committee to WASTE 2 more years. They just can't close down a school because it reduces there power.
The second reason is that far more money is spent on ADMINISTRATION staff than on teachers. They have way too many people in positions that do not teach. We don't need most of these people. They steal money the teachers in the schools need.
My son has been in the Gilbert School district since pre K and he is now in the 9th grade. I see first hand all the money the admin. steals from the schools. Its about educating the students and NOT how how many people we have on the admin side.
Quit stealing money from my child!
WesternConnections posted at 3:50 pm on Sun, Nov 11, 2012.
We said early in the summer that the override election was going to be a referendum on the GPS administration, especially Superintendent Dave Allison’s leadership. As it turned out, the election indeed was a referendum, and it focused as much on the composition of the governing board as it did on the leadership of the superintendent. Transparency and accountability were the watchwords of the challengers for the board seats, but they did not limit themselves to solely financial matters. The totally unnecessary fiasco accompanying the vote to close Gilbert Elementary School sparked enormous citizen inquiry into board decisions that were purportedly based on the superintendent’s research, due diligence and consideration of the best interests of the students. Voters responded, seating new board members and denying millions of dollars to an administration whose avaricious underbelly has become visible beneath the fragile bulwark of that “A” designation.
The Potemkin Village, Mike McClellan, is the GPS parapet that has begun to crumble, revealing a district that has been focused on enriching a select few with promotions, big salaries, generous stipends and complicit successors … at the expense of the valiant teachers who share every day with their students, focused on teaching and student learning. Voters have said, “Enough!” and it wasn’t just about taxes or spending. Pay attention to the stories coming out that show the Potemkin Village is disintegrating.
WesternConnections posted at 9:38 pm on Sun, Nov 11, 2012.
That's Gilbert Junior High School above - not elementary school.
www.WesternConnections.com
republicaningilbert posted at 5:05 pm on Mon, Nov 12, 2012.
This changing of the guard at the GPS district office has been long overdue.