With elections for the Mingus Union High School District Governing Board approaching in November, teachers from the Mingus Union Education Association sought to offer an opportunity for candidates to meet with teachers and the public. On Friday, Sept. 28, at Rendezvous In Old Town, candidates were given that opportunity.
“We wanted to give the candidates for the board a chance to talk to the staff and find out what’s important,” said MUEA co-president Stephen Renard, an Algebra teacher at Mingus Union High School. Renard said he viewed the choice of school board members as “probably more important than president or senator” for many in the community.
“These are people who are in the trenches on a daily basis. We want to know who’s on the board, what the issues are, and to keep that open communication.”
Only one of the four candidates for November’s election was able to attend. Stephen Currie told Renard he was out of town. John McTurk hoped to attend but told Renard that he was unable to due to a work emergency on Friday night. Jason Finger declined before a date was set.
Carol Ann Teague, the only board candidate at the event, said that she appreciated the chance to show up and meet with the teachers.
“I’m loving this,” Teague said of the event. “I’m walking up to teachers and saying, ‘What do you need?’ It’s great.”
Teague, the mother of MUHS band teacher and former student Jason Teague, and grandmother of a senior and freshman in the high school, said that she felt the need to step forward as a candidate when she heard that the board was losing Anita Glazar, Jim Ledbetter and Steve Gesell at the same time. She believes that the most important issue facing the school is its budget, especially with Arizona ranking near the bottom of the nation in school funding. Teague cited her own participation in the Red for Ed school funding protests as evidence of her commitment to the cause.
On the controversial topic of school district consolidation, Teague said that she would be in favor of a “reasoned, planned and thoughtful consolidation” but said the recent attempt that led to a lawsuit with the school board was a “disaster.”
“I think it’s important for the candidates as well as the teachers to see one another’s perspective,” said Craig Mai, a Mingus math teacher who received Yavapai County’s Teacher of the Year award last year and attended Friday’s event. “We may disagree on specific decisions, but if we keep an open mind and have what’s best for students in mind, we’ll work together just fine.”
Jon Hecht can be reached at 634-8551, or email jhecht@larsonnewspapers.com
