Community members gather for the League of Women Voters Candidates Forum early Monday evening at Pinon Elementary School in White Rock. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com

School Board District 1 Candidate Stephanie Galvez makes her opening statement at the League of Women Voters Candidates Forum Monday at Pinon Elementary School. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com

School Board District 1 Candidate Margie Serrato makes her opening statement at the League of Women Voters Candidates Forum Monday at Pinon Elementary School. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com

By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com

During the League of Women Voters’ forum Monday night at Pinon Elementary School, candidates for Los Alamos Public Schools Board District 1 and 2, University of New Mexico-Los Alamos (UNM-LA) Advisory Board and Mirador Improvement District Board each pitched why they are best suited for the job.

Candidates attending the meeting included:

School Board District 1 Candidates:

• Stephanie Galvez
• Margie Serrato

School Board District 2 Candidates:

• Tamara Hinckley, via Zoom
• Jasmine Stephens, via Zoom. Stephens provided an opening statement but did not attend the remainder of the forum due to connection issues.
• Antonio Jaurigue was unable to attend but in a written statement, he promised to answer all of the public’s questions.

UNM-LA Advisory Board

• Andrew Fischer Wright
• David Hampton
• Conner Tharp
• Bryan Fearey

Mirador Improvement District Board

• Juan Galvez, who provided a short statement
• Sandy Jones was unable to attend but provided a written statement.
• Katherine Martin did not attend but provided a written statement.
• Megan Hesselink did not attend but provided a written statement.
• The other candidates did not attend or provide a statement.

The forum started with School Board District 1 candidates’ opening statements.

Stephanie Galvez said she has deep roots in Los Alamos; she has lived here for the past 45 years.

“My father, Paul Martinez, dedicated his career to creating safe spaces for children through the youth activity centers,” she said. “He taught me children are the heartbeat of our community. They deserved to be seen, supported and given the tools to succeed. I believe in strong schools, one where every child succeeds academically. That means ensuring our students are strong readers, confident in math and science and able to think critically and solve problems because these are the skills that create opportunities whether that is college, careers or trades.”

She added she believes teachers and staff deserve to be heard and supported and parents to be treated as partners.
“I believe in a strong future; one where every child thrives,” Stephanie Galvez said.

Serrato said, “I am the change that I want to see in the world. I know that is a bold statement to make. If you don’t know me that might also sound like an arrogant statement but if you do know me, you know that it comes from a place of deep humility, and it also comes from a place of radical self-responsibility. For me, in my trajectory of my life I had to be in the position of navigating multiple cultures, multiple identities, multiple languages, multiple systems and that has given me a very unique perspective on what the role of education can and should be as our world changes rapidly for our kids.”

Serrato said she had the privilege of living and teaching in other countries and help with growth and development of many students who grew up in one place and then moved to another. She noted that many in Los Alamos have the same experience.

Serrato added it is important for those who are from here to welcome newcomers and be a bridge for better understanding.

Hinckley said she is native to Los Alamos; she graduated from Los Alamos High School, worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory and eventually became a teacher.

During her grandparents’ funeral, she said she had an eye-opening experience that pushed her into teaching. People came up to her and said how much her grandparents meant to them.

“My grandparents had made a difference in the lives of these people and that is why I went into teaching in the first place and that’s also the reason why I am interested in serving on the board,” Hinckley said. “I feel like Los Alamos is my town, and I want to serve and help as I can.”

Stephens said she is alumni of Pinon School.

“What I really want to focus on if I become a board member is making sure our children’s needs are being met, whether that be mental wellbeing, physical wellbeing – every part of the child matters to their success and we need to focus more on the child as a whole rather than just their academics,” she said.

During the question-and-answer period, one member asked the candidates how they intend to serve the community and not their personal biases.

Stephanie Galvez said serving on school board isn’t a political agenda, it is to serve the students.

Serrato said the purpose of the school board is to support the strategic plan, the teachers, the students and the staff in whatever ways are possible based on the rules.

Hinckley agreed that it is not a political position nor is it a religious position. She too said what is best for the students to be successful is the most important thing.

Another question asked the candidates what the district’s greatest strengths and challenges are.

Stephanie Galvez said the district’s greatest strength is academic excellence, but a challenge is to strengthen students’ social and emotional wellbeing so each one feels valued and mattered.
Serrato said academic excellence is a strength while a challenge is the social and cultural aspects of what students are experiencing and mental health awareness.

Hinckley said the strength is the passion that all school district employees have and a challenge is how to recruit and retain them with the salaries the district offers as well as the cost of living in Los Alamos.

Another participant observed that students who fall between the gifted students and those who have special needs are sometimes overlooked and wondered what the candidates felt could be done.

Stephanie Galvez said making sure teachers are prepared with the tools and skills needed to assess everyone in the classroom is necessary.

Serrato said it is nuanced; explaining the teachers often lack time, resources and sometimes parental support. Teachers can’t be expected to carry the whole burden; she said it is a group effort to identify what is needed.

Hinckley said training teachers is important and having more qualified trained staff in the classroom as well as maintaining a small classroom size. She added teachers and instructional assistants need more planning time.

UNM-LA Advisory Board candidates were next to offer opening statements.

Fischer Wright said he has a great deal of experience working with the age group that primarily go to UNM-LA. For instance, during his doctoral work at UT in Austin, Fischer Wright said he worked with undergraduates, teaching film history and media ethics.

“…the generation that has come of age post 2020 has distinctly different needs for both professional and personal development,” he said. “Direct instruction with low student to faculty ratio, hybrid or remote option and professional certificates that deliver distinct career pathways are already a part of UNM-LA’s model, and I would advocate to make sure that these continue.”

Hampton said he has attended UNM-LA Advisory Board meetings since 2019 and has served on the board since last year.

“Even though we are an advisory board the things I would like to advocate the regents for are additional four-year degrees, additional certifications for trade and technical categories, a more robust dual credit system for our high school students and more community education,” he said.
Tharp stepped in earlier this year to fill a vacancy on the advisory board. She said she has experience in workforce development and “I know how deeply community colleges impact the economic health of the community and UNM-LA is at the forefront of doing that for our local businesses and for our workforce.”

As a nontraditional student herself, Tharp said she would like to advocate for other nontraditional students.

Fearey said, “I’ve been involved in education a long time … I come with a deep scientific foundation and a deep commitment to the community.”

He added he would like to help UNM-LA become even stronger.

During the question-and-answer period, when asked about increasing dual credit opportunities, Hampton said “…the opportunity to have our kids get a free, two-year degree before they leave is (something) we shouldn’t forgo. Where the funds come from, whether they come from school funds or UNM-LA funds, or some other state funds should be discussed.”

Tharp agreed it should be discussed, adding that it has been discussed to advocate for this at the state and district level.

Fearey also concurred. He said he has had discussions with Chancellor Mike Holtzclaw about dual credits as well as looking at UNM-LA as students’ first steppingstone for a degree.

Fischer Wright reiterated dual credit is a big opportunity for the community and should be considered.

An attendee asked how UNM-LA can serve students’ changing needs.

Tharp said a lot of students are not scheduling their lives around school but school around their lives. So, flexibility in schedules is helpful, she said.

Fearey said UNM-LA needs to bring a diversity of courses to help all students.

Fischer Wright agreed flexible schedules are important as well as in-person mentorships and collaborations.

Hampton said that UNM-LA is severely underfunded, he noted faculty makes less than high school teachers. So, the funding formula needs to be corrected, he said.

The candidates were asked about enhancing the trade courses at UNM-LA.

Advocacy is needed for those kinds of certifications and trades are needed as well as more of them, Hampton said.

Tharp said more trades are needed and there have been discussions to bring more trade programs.

Fearey said UNM-LA has a mandate to cover all those programs. He added that he helped found the LANL Foundation’s Career Pathways, which provide funding for those interested in those programs.

Fischer Wright said there needs to be a continuous push for these types of programs.

Finally, the League of Women Voters provided an opportunity for Mirador Improvement District Board candidates to make statements.

A member of the League read candidate Jones’ statement.

“Thank you, League of Women Voters for hosting this forum. I encourage all who are able, to vote in the upcoming election. I am on the ballot for Mirador PID and hope to represent Mirador residents. I bring integrity and commitment to transparency to the community.”

For his statement, Juan Galvez said, “I’m proud to call Mirador home … and I want to see it thrive for years to come. I’m running for Mirador PID because I believe residents deserve a strong voice and how our levy dollars are managed. PID is a long term commitment for all of us. Every month we contribute to building and maintaining the infrastructure that makes Mirador possible … those funds should be handled responsibly, transparently and with the residents best interest in mind. I bring more than 20 years of experience leading complex projects and facility maintenance in high stakes environments … I will be honored to earn your trust and your support, together we can make sure Mirador works for us…”

A member of the League read Katherine Martin’s statement.

“…I feel I am qualified for the public infrastructure district (PID) board because of my career as a civil and environmental engineer has given me experience in design and maintenance of utility systems and management, finance, construction projects similar to the Mirador PID…”

A member of the league read Hesselink’s statement.

“…I’ve watched our neighborhood grow and I want to make sure it grows in the right way. That’s why I am running for the Mirador PID board … serving on the PID board is one way I can help ensure that our contributions are being directed responsibly…”

Early voting is underway and will continue through Nov. 1. Residents can vote in person 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, through Oct. 17, at the Municipal Building. Afterwards, early voting will be 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, through Nov. 1, at the Municipal Building and White Rock Town Hall. The election will be 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 4 at the Municipal Building, White Rock Town Hall, Golf Course Community Building – Multi-Purpose Room, the Betty Ehart Senior Center and Room 230 in Building 2 at UNM-LA.

For more information, visit www.losalamosnm.us/clerk or www.NMVote.org.

From left, UNM-LA Advisory Board candidates Andrew Fischer Wright, David Hampton, Conner Tharp and Bryan Fearey get ready to make their opening statements. League of Women Voters’ Felicia Orth, center, introduces the candidates. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com

League of Women Voters’ Felicia Orth provides opening remarks during the forum. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com