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SIERRA VISTA — Voters will have the opportunity to fill two seats on the five-member Sierra Vista public schools governing board on Nov. 7.
The two members whose four-year terms expire on Dec. 31 are Tom Hoskins, board president, and Debra Scott. Hoskins has chosen not to run for re-election; Scott hopes to extend her position another four years.
The other two candidates are Hal Thomas and Mona Varga.
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The school district governing board is charged with setting policies and procedures for operation of the school district, and deciding matters of personnel, budgets, curriculum, contracts, use of school facilities, and student discipline. The board holds two regular meetings each month which are open to the public.
Governing board members are informed by and receive recommendations from district administrators.
The Sierra Vista school district is comprised of six elementary schools, two middle schools, Buena High School and its Alternative Learning Center, serving approximately 7,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
Approximately 35 percent of the students are children of personnel who work on Fort Huachuca or for other federal government agencies.
All three candidates responded to a brief questionnaire supplied by the Herald/Review.
Debra Scott
Scott was elected to the Sierra Vista Public Schools Governing Board in 2002. From 1993-96, she was an appointed member of a parochial school board in Watertown, N.Y.
Originally from Baltimore, she graduated from that city’s Loyola College with a bachelor’s degree in financial accounting. She also earned an associate’s degree in computer information systems at Cochise College.
She is currently deputy chief information officer at the Raymond W. Bliss Army Health Center on Fort Huachuca.
A resident of Sierra Vista for the second time around, Scott volunteered in elementary school classrooms, has been active in the PTSO at Pueblo del Sol Elementary and Sierra Vista Middle School. She was elected to the Buena High School site council and served as a member for five years.
In the U.S. Army, Scott reached the rank of captain in the Air Defense Artillery and Adjutant General Corps (personnel), and is also a certified religious educator, having taught young children and high schoolers for several different dioceses.
She and her husband of 26 years, Ron, have two children. Chris attends Northern Arizona University, and Sandy attends the University of Arizona.
Key Issues: Funding for K-12, quality education for all children, and professional development of teachers and staff.
Hal Thomas
Hal Thomas, a Sierra Vista resident who ran in 2002 (nine candidates vied for three seats), is back trying for a first term on the school district governing board. He is currently the general manager of the Committee for Prevention of Child Abuse in Sierra Vista, a multi-disciplinary group of individuals and professionals.
A native of Mountain Grove, Mo., Thomas spent 23 years in the U.S. Air Force, which included 3,400 hours of electronics training. He holds multiple university degrees, two bachelor of arts (business management, and psychology) from Bellevue University in Nebraska, a master’s degree in industrial education and a Ph.D. in curriculum instruction, both from Northern Arizona University.
Thomas is active with the Downtown Neighborhood Commission, and the newly-formed West End Association. He is a past executive director of the Southeastern Arizona Contractors Association, and is active in the Arizona Parents for Public Education (APPLE), San Pedro Chapter.
Married to Virgina, the couple has two children, eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Key Issues: Long range planning; citizens input via advisory committee; better communications with the public; leadership role in lobbying state legislature for adequate funding.
Mona Varga
A native Arizonan, Varga has lived in Sierra Vista since 1980. She holds a master’s degree from the University of Arizona and is a registered dietitian and a certified public accountant.
Her four children with husband James are all graduates of Buena High. Varga has been an active presence in the schools both in and out of the classroom, serving as an officer or member on a variety of committees and organizations including: school board curriculum subcommittee, PTSO treasurer, CIMI Booster Club treasurer, district Scope and Sequence Committee, board education subcommittee, and Odyssey of the Mind assistant coach.
She is proud of the education her children received from the public schools in Sierra Vista and wants other children to receive the same quality education.
Key Issues: Put children’s educational needs first through varied academic offerings and programs; increased funding to meet children’s needs and the professionals who serve them; community, parental, and mentor involvement with the educational process, assure a safe and healthy learning environment.
Current board members Connie Johnson, Nancy Richardson and Don Rothery’s terms expire at the end of 2008.
Herald/Review reporter Cindy Skalsky can be reached at 515-4611, or by e-mail at cindy.skalsky@svherald.com.
Bill Stein wrote on Nov 22, 2008 7:45 PM: