<\/p>\n
It looks like Mancos schools will have one new board member and two familiar faces.<\/p>\n
Voters elected in incumbents Pam Coppinger and Tim Hunter and newcomer Katie Cahill-Volpe, as of the unofficial results Tuesday night.<\/p>\n
\u201cMancos school district is a stellar school that I am proud to be a part of,\u201d Coppinger said. \u201cI would like to thank all who have supported me in any way. And look forward to the next four years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Voters were able to vote for three candidates. Of the total 3,228 votes cast at the time of the latest unofficial results, Coppinger led the way, earning 655 votes, 20%, followed by Hunter with 559, 17%. Cahill-Volpe received 471 votes, 15%, although fellow newcomer Nick Manning was close behind at 438 votes, 14%.<\/p>\n
This election was especially contested, with eight candidates vying for three seats. Coppinger and Hunter were the only two incumbents running, while everyone else was new to the board.<\/p>\n
The other seat up for election was held by former Treasurer Ed Whritner. Whritner resigned in June to take on a new position coordinating project-based learning efforts for the district.<\/p>\n
Besides Cahill-Volpe, the other candidates included parents Bridgett Jabour, Tressa Jukes, and Gina Love; Nick Manning, who runs a company that focuses on international education; and Adam Priestley, a parent and former Mancos secondary principal.<\/p>\n
Jabour took 361 votes (11%), Jukes 186 votes (6%), Love 329 votes (10%), and Priestley 229 votes (7%).<\/p>\n
Coppinger has lived in Southwest Colorado on and off since her youth, and previously taught in the Mancos School District Re-6.<\/p>\n
At a candidates forum, Coppinger said she was running because she loves children and wants to see through the projects the board has started. She pointed to her position as a former teacher as helping her as a board member.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing a member of any board is very different depending on the organization,\u201d she told The Journal<\/em> on Tuesday. \u201cAs a retired teacher, I have the privilege of knowing quite a bit about how the school operates and who the partners are that work with the district.\u201d<\/p>\n Hunter, the other incumbent, moved to Mancos in 1994, and he owns and operates a building business in town.<\/p>\n He said at the previous forum that he is running to help see through projects that have been started, and will continue to listen to the community.<\/p>\n Hunter said that trusting and supporting teachers, particularly those working with young people at transitional ages, is the best way to prepare students for a changing future.<\/p>\n And newcomer Cahill-Volpe is a parent in the district, who formerly served on the accountability committee. She works as a sales manager for a publishing company.<\/p>\n She said at the earlier forum that she is running on behalf of her children and all community members, and would like to engage in the new project-based learning initiatives and tackle the challenges of the new school campus, along with being a strong voice for equity in education.<\/p>\n