As Carrie Warren-Gully leaves the Littleton Public Schools Board of Education for her new role as a county commissioner, district officials say her replacement should be someone who is ready to leave political agendas at the door and tackle the tough issues facing schools.
Warren-Gully is scheduled to be sworn in as an Arapahoe County commissioner on Jan. 11. She tendered her resignation from the LPS school board in December, leaving a vacancy on the five-member board.
The board officially announced the beginning of its search for her replacement in a special meeting on Jan. 6.
Applicants must have been a registered voter within the district boundaries for at least the last 12 months. Applications, which are available at LittletonPublicSchools.net, are due by Feb. 5. The board plans to interview candidates at its Feb. 11 meeting, and make a decision at its Feb. 25 meeting. By law, the new board member must be sworn in no later than March 7.
The new board member won't have long to settle in before they have to make the decision whether to run in the November election to keep the seat.
Superintendent Brian Ewert said Warren-Gully will leave big shoes to fill.
“She's been in the district so long as a parent and advocate,” Ewert said. “We're so thankful we've had such a solid, graceful, communicative board member. She took a common-sense approach to governing, and always made sure to listen to all sides of issues.”
Ewert said he thinks her replacement should be someone invested in the district, and not beholden to an ideology.
“You've got to be an advocate for students, but teachers and staff too,” he said. “These are nonpartisan positions. It's not about being a Democrat or Republican, but taking a look at each issue that comes forward, analyzing it, being humble enough to get good input, and remembering that we're here for the kids.”
The new board member should appreciate the complexity of a school district, he said.
“These are incredibly complex systems and budgets we're dealing with,” Ewert said. “We're responsible for taxpayer dollars from the local, state and federal level. It would help if it's someone involved through groups like (parent-teacher organizations) or district committees.”
The new board member will have weighty issues to deal with: how the district recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic and how to deal with the impacts of declining student enrollment — which could mean school consolidation or staff layoffs.
School board President Jack Reutzel echoed Ewert, saying boards that get bogged down by political agendas don't get much done.
“You need a broader perspective than that,” Reutzel said. “A school board just deals with too many things to have someone waving one flag or another all the time. Personal issues, too — you need to leave what's happening with your child or your home school at the door.”
Reutzel, like Ewert, said Warren-Gully's replacement will have to hit the ground running, and should be someone who is already familiar with the intricacies of issues like school finance.
“It's not always an easy job,” Reutzel said, “but we've got smart people in our community, and I'm expecting a great group of candidates.”
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Littleton Public Schools launches search for new board member - Centennial Citizen
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