At a meeting of the Camp Verde Unified School District Governing Board on Jan. 8, Carol German was sworn in as a new member of the board, replacing Kitty McDowell, who ended her time on the governing board on Dec. 31.
German applied for the seat directly and was selected after an interview process with Yavapai County School Superintendent Tim Carter, since no one sought election for the seat.
“I’m a strong advocate for education,” German said of her choice to take the position. “Always have been. I was an educator for 31 years. I always loved it.”
German’s background comes in the field of computer science, which she taught at both the high school and college level before she retired. She taught high school in Williams, in New Mexico and for one year in Camp Verde before moving on to teach at Yavapai College, where she rose to the level of department head and eventually assistant dean.
German sees Camp Verde as a strong school district for those who seek what it has to offer.
“I’ve watched students over the years from CV High School go on to bigger and better things,” German said. “I think they have an excellent opportunity if they take advantage of it.”
Like many in the world of education, German sees low teacher pay as the main challenge for school districts, and hopes that state plans for continued teacher pay increases materialize.
“I do believe we need to get our teachers paid at a professional level. They’re professionals. They’re soldiers. They’re on the front lines. They deserve to be paid.”
As a board member, German sees her responsibility as enacting policies that help the school district reach its goals. Beyond her work for Camp Verde Unified School District, she said she hopes to someday bring a career and technology education center to the Verde Valley in order to foster a more skilled workforce with post-secondary education.
Jon Hecht can be reached at 634-8551, or email jhecht@larsonnewspapers.com
