School board elections could be canceled

A majority of Yuma County school board district elections could be canceled this fall because of a lack of candidates.

"I am submitting an item to the board of supervisors to consider cancellation of certain school board elections because the number of candidates is equal to or less than the number of open seats available," said Sue Stallworth, clerk for the Yuma County Board of Supervisors.

The action will be considered at the next regular Board of Supervisors meeting at 9 a.m. Wednesday at 198 S. Main St.

If the supervisors take no action or if they vote no for the item, then the elections will be held as planned.

But if they approve the item, the elections will be removed from the ballot. The board would then appoint those candidates whose names already appear on the ballot as well as those qualified write-in candidates to the school board, Stallworth noted.

"It is my duty to inform the board these elections could be canceled but it is not a recommendation. They just meet the criteria," she said.

In the Antelope Union High School District, there are three open seats with three candidates: Scott Ferris, Danny Millner and Victoria Morga. In Yuma District 1, two candidates and one write-in are running: Maureen Irr, Catherine Nicewander and J.P. Melchionne for three open seats. At Crane, Jim Colby, Mary Garcia and Brenna Paulin are running for three seats.

At Hyder, Shirley Fuller, Petra Lopez and Karen Reed vie for three seats. At Mohawk Valley, Melisa Sharp is the sole candidate for three open seats. In Wellton, Robin Rinehart is a candidate, and Brenda Bowman and Cynthia Quiroz are write-in candidates for three seats.

Gary Wright, a District 1 board member, noted that Yuma County has had a huge problem the past eight years attracting candidates to run for board positions. Public education is based on the governing boards taking action to protect, support and meet the needs of our children, he added.

"I'm confident voters will make education a priority in the years to come," Wright said.

"How can we advocate for change - address failing schools, find solutions to funding, address teacher salaries, meet state standards - when we don't have adequate candidates to give our administration direction to solve these problems?"

He also said Yuma's children have a huge potential to succeed but they need the support of the boards and all educational professionals must work as a team to make education work in the county.

Jim Colby, a Fourth Avenue Junior High School teacher for 34 years and now a Crane candidate, noted there is a lot of apathy on the part of residents.

"As I get ready to retire, I'm running for school board to do something to contribute to education and find out what makes schools run," Colby said. "Part of the apathy is brought on by most parents not really being aware of what's going on at school."

Yuma County Superintendent Tom Tyree said that not having enough people to run for vacant positions on school boards is "across the board" in the state, if not the entire country. He added the Arizona School Board Association conducts periodic forums to educate prospective candidates and encourage them to run.

"It's a very important position and we need qualified candidates," Tyree said. "As soon as positions open our office makes promotions in various media to let the public know we need talented people to fill these positions."

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William Roller can be reached at
wroller@yumasun.com or 539-6858.