Oracle School Recall Set for Tuesday Vote
Posted on: Thursday, 15 May 2008, 06:00 CDT
By Andrea Rivera, The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson
May 15--The fate of three members of the Oracle Elementary School District's Governing Board will be decided Tuesday when residents vote in a recall election.
Susan Beaman, Boyd Bosma and Jack Walden are targeted in the recall election.
Fellow board members Elizabeth Harmon, who is up for reelection in November, and Mike Carran are not subject to the recall.
Beaman and Walden were up for re-election in November.
The challengers are Alicia Bristow, who seeks to replace Beaman; Dave Bowersock, who wants to replace Bosma; and Kurt Steffens, who is running to replace Walden.
The Oracle school district has two schools and more than 400 students.
A political action committee -- the Committee for a Community Responsive School Board -- was formed to oust the three members back in September after tension between the three board members and residents of the school district peaked.
At the meeting, Oracle Superintendent John Clark asked that the board release him from his contract.
More than 100 Clark supporters attended the meeting, and the outpouring of support compelled Clark to withdraw his request and instead plan to retire when his contract expires at the end of June.
Grounds for recall state the three board members are ineffectual in their positions.
Bosma said the board is not a rubber-stamp board and instead he and the others have made every effort to be partners with the district.
Members have been effective in restoring the role of the board, Bosma said.
"Fact is, we put in major reforms with respect to board policies that were being violated," he said.
Board members have changed how they conduct meetings and have adopted new policies.
Board participation also has improved, Bosma said.
Statements of defense by the three members targeted for recall are included on the ballot.
Walden wrote that the school board approved the hiring of new teachers to decrease class sizes and approved buying new school buses and computers.
He also wrote that improvements to fencing, playgrounds, sidewalks and flooring also were approved by the board, which he says demonstrates that the board is being effective.
Beaman, who has served as the board's president for the last four years, wrote her "focus and main concerns are the education and welfare of our children, making decisions in their best interests and being fiscally responsible and accountable."
The three challengers were asked to run by the Committee for a Community Responsive School Board.
Bristow wants the board to operate with civility.
"If you look at the voting record, it's always 3-2," she said. "The other two members have a difficult time providing input. The way they've treated the public and parents has not been good citizenship."
Bristow said she and the challengers plan, if elected, to listen to the community and consider what the people have to say about the district.
Bowersock already is part of the Oracle community -- he's volunteered in the schools for the last three years -- and he would like to represent the teachers and students, he said.
"As I look at it, the school board's job is to get input from the teachers and to research," he said. "You don't go out and try to run the thing."
Personal perspectives
Here's a look at the board members targeted for recall and their challengers:
Susan Beaman
Age: 59.
Residence: Oracle.
Occupation/employer: Fine-arts coordinator with the Flowing Wells Unified School District.
Marital status: Married to Richard Beaman.
Education: Attended the University of Arizona, Central Arizona College and Pima Community College.
Public offices held/run for: Oracle school district Governing Board.
Boyd Bosma
Age: 72.
Residence: SaddleBrooke.
Occupation/employer: Retired as a senior professional associate for the National Education Association.
Marital status: Married to Madeline Bosma.
Education: Bachelor's degree in education, master's degree in education administration and doctorate of education in curriculum and instruction.
Public offices held/run for: Oracle school district Governing Board.
Jack Walden
Age: 76.
Residence: SaddleBrooke.
Occupation/employer: Retired business owner.
Marital status: Married to Jolene Walden.
Education: College graduate; served four years in the U.S. Navy.
Public offices held/run for: Oracle school district Governing Board.
Alicia Bristow
Age: 62.
Residence: Oracle.
Occupation/employer: Executive director of the Hands Across the Border Foundation.
Marital status: Married to Bud Bristow.
Education: Bachelor's degree in business management; master's degree in public administration.
Public offices held/run for: Ran for the Oracle school board a year ago.
Kurt Steffens
Age: 63.
Residence: The Eagle Crest Ranch housing development, which is near SaddleBrooke.
Occupation/employer: Retired middle and high school teacher and high school counselor.
Marital status: Married to Molly Steffens.
Education: Bachelor's and master's degrees in secondary education from Arizona State University.
Public offices held/run for: None previously.
Dave Bowersock
Age: 78.
Residence: SaddleBrooke.
Occupation/employer: Retired U.S. Air Force pilot. Also taught sixth grade in Kansas.
Marital status: Married to Nancy Bowersock.
Education: Bachelor's degrees in education and sports administration. Master's degrees in public administration and education administration.
Public offices held/run for: None previously.
--Contact reporter Andrea Rivera at 806-7737 or arivera@azstarnet.com.
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Source: The Arizona Daily Star
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