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Steamboat School Board race contested

2 experienced educators vie for Steamboat’s District 5 seat

Scott Franz
Rebecca Williams
082911_Williams_Rebecca_MUG

— The Steamboat Springs School Board race has one more candidate.

Former Steamboat Springs High School business teacher Rebecca Williams filed for the District 5 seat hours before Friday’s afternoon petition deadline, and she now will face Colorado Mountain College adjunct professor Sandra Sharp in the November election.

The District 5 contest is Steamboat’s only contested race.



Both Williams and Sharp said this week their experience as educators led them to file for the open seat.

“I think that I have a unique perspective,” said Williams, who taught business and computer applications courses at the high school for three years. “I really want to stay involved and be a part of what’s going on with education in Routt County.”



Williams also served on the high school’s Accountability Committee during her tenure at there and said she got a behind-the-scenes look at how budget decisions are made.

“I have really good relationships with teachers in the district, and I want to stay involved,” she said. “Helping students grow has always been a passion of mine.”

Williams, 28, has lived in Steamboat for five years and taught preschool classes before teaching at the high school. She volunteers at the Steamboat Christian Center and has a 4-month-old son with her husband, Drew.

Sharp, who has a son attending Steamboat Springs High School and another just starting college, also has an extensive background in education that she said would help her make important decisions as a School Board member. Formerly a data and records manager at the Northwest Colorado Board of Cooperative Educational Services, Sharp said running for School Board has long crossed her mind.

“I’ve seen the educational process from many different directions,” she said Thursday after filing. “Now is a time in my life to contribute. I have enough experience in business to work out a budget, and I think that will be especially useful as we potentially face more cuts.”

She said she would be comfortable analyzing the district’s budget in the face of additional state funding cuts to best decide where reductions could be made without affecting students in the school district.

Sharp, 50, teaches English composition and developmental reading classes at CMC.

The District 5 election winner will join incumbents Brian Kelly and Denise Connelly along with current board President Robin Crossan, who is running unopposed for her second term in the District 4 seat, and newcomer Wayne Lemley, a former financial information business owner who is running unopposed for incumbent Lisa Brown’s District 2 seat.

Meanwhile, the school board races in Hayden and South Routt also are finalized.

In South Routt, the District 4 seat offers the only contested race this November. Oak Creek residents Byron Dean and Jules Palyo earlier this month announced their candidacies for the seat being vacated by longtime board member Linda Long.

Dean taught a variety of subjects at Soroco High School for more than 30 years. Palyo, who owns Flat Tops Ranch Supply, has been an active volunteer in the South Routt School District for 11 years.

Incumbents Tim Corrigan, who currently serves as the board’s president, and Brett Mason have filed for re-election and will not face opponents.

In Hayden, incumbents Sharon Nereson, in District D, and Vance Fulton, in District B, are running unopposed for another term.

The District 5 contest is Steamboat’s only contested race.

Both Williams and Sharp said this week their experience as educators led them to file for the open seat.

“I think that I have a unique perspective,” said Williams, who taught business and computer applications courses at the high school for three years. “I really want to stay involved and be a part of what’s going on with education in Routt County.”

Williams also served on the high school’s Accountability Committee during her tenure at there and said she got a behind-the-scenes look at how budget decisions are made.

“I have really good relationships with teachers in the district, and I want to stay involved,” she said. “Helping students grow has always been a passion of mine.”

Williams, 28, has lived in Steamboat for five years and taught preschool classes before teaching at the high school. She volunteers at the Steamboat Christian Center and has a 4-month-old son with her husband, Drew.

Sharp, who has a son attending Steamboat Springs High School and another just starting college, also has an extensive background in education that she said would help her make important decisions as a School Board member. Formerly a data and records manager at the Northwest Colorado Board of Cooperative Educational Services, Sharp said running for School Board has long crossed her mind.

“I’ve seen the educational process from many different directions,” she said Thursday after filing. “Now is a time in my life to contribute. I have enough experience in business to work out a budget, and I think that will be especially useful as we potentially face more cuts.”

She said she would be comfortable analyzing the district’s budget in the face of additional state funding cuts to best decide where reductions could be made without affecting students in the school district.

Sharp, 50, teaches English composition and developmental reading classes at CMC.

The District 5 election winner will join incumbents Brian Kelly and Denise Connelly along with current board President Robin Crossan, who is running unopposed for her second term in the District 4 seat, and newcomer Wayne Lemley, a former financial information business owner who is running unopposed for incumbent Lisa Brown’s District 2 seat.

Meanwhile, the school board races in Hayden and South Routt also are finalized.

In South Routt, the District 4 seat offers the only contested race this November. Oak Creek residents Byron Dean and Jules Palyo earlier this month announced their candidacies for the seat being vacated by longtime board member Linda Long.

Dean taught a variety of subjects at Soroco High School for more than 30 years. Palyo, who owns Flat Tops Ranch Supply, has been an active volunteer in the South Routt School District for 11 years.

Incumbents Tim Corrigan, who currently serves as the board’s president, and Brett Mason have filed for re-election and will not face opponents.

In Hayden, incumbents Sharon Nereson, in District D, and Vance Fulton, in District B, are running unopposed for another term.


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