Differences among D-11 candidates subtle

Editor’s note: This is another in a series of profiles of the 10 contested school board races in the Pikes Peak region. The stories will run intermittently in the days leading up to the distribution of mail-in ballots in mid-October.

Eliminating the achievement gap between minority and white students and rich and poor students, and keeping the focus on  student achievement in tough budget times, are priorities for the five people running for three board seats in Colorado Springs School District 11.

Each candidate is passionate about education and its importance in the community. What distinguishes one from the other often is subtle and is more about their own background and how they approach the issues than their views on the issues.

Delia Armstrong Busby was a D-11 teacher and the first black female to become a high school principal in Colorado. She previously served on the D-11 board, is certified in community governance and recently facilitated the Irving Village Group, which proposes to convert the former Irving Middle School to a community center and vocational school.

“Effective government comes from cooperative efforts,” she said. “I bring a range of understanding of this community and also a personality of no excuses.”

She’s worried about high school students disengaging and believes the district must do more to make their learning relevant and not simply time consuming.

“What is the agenda: to see if they’re attending or to see if they’re learning?” she said.

Education must be relevant to student’s lives, and staff must take an active interest in every student’s education, Busby said.

Chyrese Exline is a D-11 graduate who worked to make sure her children received educational opportunities that fit their needs. But she said she’s grown from being primarily a parent advocate to realizing that public education is a three-legged stool made up of students, parents and teachers.

“We have to support those three areas in the ways they need to be supported,” she said, adding that includes challenging the status quo and digging down to find out what works — and why  — and what doesn’t.

Exline, who made an unsuccessful bid for the D-11 board two years ago, said she would bring a broad view to the job because of her involvement in educational issues both within the district and at other levels.

Al Loma helped create the STAR Academy charter school, and said that piqued his interest in public education and led to his candidacy.

Loma said he came from a poor family and understands the struggles that many minority and poor students face. Along with that experience, he said he brings his leadership experience as a pastor and director of a drug rehabilitation program.

“I have been able to instill vision for people, to bring them hope that they can fight their way out,” he said.

That’s the kind of vision many minority students need to improve their graduation rates and ultimately their success in the world, he said. To do that, the district must reach out to the community more, give parents the tools to help their children and look for innovative ways to engage the disenfranchised.

As an Hispanic, Loma said, he could help bridge the gap between the district and the minority community.

LuAnn Long said she brings a variety of perspectives to the table because she’s been a volunteer, parent, committee member, community member and employee.

“I’ve seen the district from the inside and out, but my main focus has always been students,” she said.

She is D-11’s training coordinator for Educational Support Professionals, but said she will resign if elected. She is retiring from the district, but is working this year as a transition year.

Staying in touch with the community is crucial for board members, she said, because their decisions affect the broader community.

“It’s important to find all the facts before you make decisions,” she said. “Open communication and making sure you’re in the loop helps. You’ve got to find out what people are thinking.”

Sandra Mann, the only one of three incumbents seeking re-election, she said she wants to “enjoy the fruits of our labor over the last four years.” Although closure and consolidation decisions the board made in the past year were difficult, Mann said that work has put the district in a good position to focus on its vision.

She enjoys strategic planning and envisioning how the district can help more students be successful.

“You have to start making school relevant the day they walk in the door,” she said. “There are so many options for students now, and it’s great to think of all the possibilities. But you have to balance that with the resources.”

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Call the writer at 636-0251.