PINEDALE – Three Pinedale school district board candidates, from the west side, introduced themselves Monday, Oct. 29, in opening statements, took turns answering questions about school and education issues and then made closing statements.

Challengers Lori Joyner and Maureen Dempsey faced off against incumbent Sublette County School District No. 1 Board trustee Charles Prior. An additional seat for the east side is also up for election but no candidates filed for the seat. The two incumbents, Jamison Ziegler and Chris Nelson, are up for re-election for the at-large seats. They were not challenged and were not included in the forum hosted by the Sublette County Chamber of Commerce.

The entire debate can be heard on the Sublette County Chamber of Commerce’s Facebook page.

Opening statements

Joyner moved to Pinedale about a year ago and decided to make it her permanent home. She graduated from the University of Utah and last fall received her master’s degree. She asked the audience to hold up cell phones with pictures of kids they have a relationship with in the school district, saying, “Every child in this school district is my child.” She believes all kids must have access to good education.

Prior is a Wyoming native who received a degree in civil engineering from the University of Wyoming. He works in the oil and gas industry in environmental compliance. He said all students need opportunities to successfully complete elementary, junior and high school educations. He has served on the school board for just over four years and would like to continue serving.

Maureen Dempsey is a retired teacher with 30 years of experience in rural areas. She started her teaching career at the Wind River Indian Reservation and spent 10 years in Lander. She moved to higher education in northern Nevada and came back to retire in Pinedale. Her grandson is in kindergarten and she said she is a true believer in public education. She said she has the ability to collaborate with others.

What do you see as the top priority for Sublette County School District No. 1 for the next three years?

JOYNER: Preparing for growth. Good things are happening in our country right now. There are opportunities for long-term planning but planning for growth is important in the short term. “I do see a lot of people coming, a lot of children coming in.” Having wonderful educators to support student success and help make those big-step achievements.

PRIOR: The top priority is to continue the strong education programs that we have and make sure we’re providing them with the funding we can get from the state and maintain our high level of education and training. Pinedale is one of the state’s outstanding school districts that provides those opportunities for our kids.

DEMPSEY: She agrees that a top priority is trying to maintain the high standards of the school district. “I imagine that funding is going to be a challenge, so we’re going to have to look at that.” Others are to provide teacher training and as many programs possible that are relevant to students’ needs.

With Sublette County School District No. 1 having an increased student population, what challenges does this present?

JOYNER: We need to coordinate services and “amazing resources” in the community to meet the needs of students coming into our district. Growth will challenge the district’s funding. The school district can’t provide it all – collaborate and bring what we have together.

PRIOR: A challenge will be student-to-teacher ratios and having enough teachers to handle the numbers. Student increases makes providing opportunities and accommodating special needs more difficult to fund.

DEMPSEY: The challenge is having smaller classroom sizes. The kindergarten class is rather large and a teacher needs to be added so the ratio stays small. Accommodating children with different needs to provide the services they need. Also having enough programs and enough qualified people to teach them.

What have you done to prepare for the role of being school board member?

JOYNER: She has worked with students at all levels. She serves as director of the Big Brothers/ Big Sisters program and works now a lot with students. She has a master’s in organizational leadership with an emphasis on ethics. She carried out a “listening tour” for a year. She has the desire to learn and listen as well as her education experience and academic leadership.

PRIOR: During the last four-plus years, he has attended state and national conferences, broadened his understanding of government requirements “that tie our hands” to find better ways to work within those restrictions and researched school district issues.

DEMPSEY: She has a master’s in education and been on many committees with teachers and administrators. She is a certified mediator and has learned how to work through problems and come up with solutions.

How do technological advances affect the educational system?

JOYNER: It comes back to developing and cultivating good and healthy behavior. She couldn’t have completed her master’s without technology. Prepare students for technology in their personal, professional and academic lives because it will be the platform of delivery.

PRIOR: Technology in school can be very difficult to handle, especially social media, which might be used for bullying but is an excellent way to do research. Making sure our kids understand it and know how to use it properly as a tool to advance is very important. Pinedale does a very good job of that.

DEMPSEY: Technology provides a 21st-century experience but it is also a challenge to make sure students know how to use it. It is a challenge to keep it current and find funding. Students need to know how to use it correctly; it’s also a challenge for teachers to get students’ attention. Pinedale is working on that with its cell phone policies, making sure to use them correctly and ethically.

How do you ensure students are safe in our local schools?

JOYNER: I cannot ensure the safety of our students in schools; however, I do agree with collaboration between agencies. It is unfortunate to have to worry about safety when school is about learning and adventure. The district has great controls in place. Encourage “See something, say something.”

PRIOR: School safety is very important now. Our district has good collaboration with local law enforcement for training. The district is looking at different methods such as locking down certain areas and cameras to provide comfort for the parents with students in our schools.

DEMPSEY: There has to be collaboration between the school board, staff, law enforcement and administrators. We want all of our children to be safe. We don’t want to turn our schools into jails; we want kids to be safe. Make sure students feel safe enough to talk about a threat.

The Pinedale Aquatic Center has relied heavily on the recreation mil levied by the school district. The PAC is not currently guaranteed a certain amount of funding. What solutions do you propose?

JOYNER: The PAC is currently undergoing fundraising on its own. Reaching out to community is the best way to go because the community has skin in the PAC. She foresees fundraising efforts within the community as being the answer.

PRIOR: Funding isn’t necessarily guaranteed because of the way the mil works. Fundraising inside and outside the community, grant writing. Make sure everybody’s on board. It is a great facility – unique for this size of community. To make sure it continues to grow we all have to work together in a collaborative effort.

DEMPSEY: The Friends of the PAC are doing fundraising, and senior citizens aren’t free anymore. Most of us are fine with that. Grants and fundraising seem to be what they need to be doing right now.