One pair, three of a kind:

    When voters head to the polls Nov. 1, their choices for the Weld Re-8 Board of Education may be limited, but that shouldn’t adversely affect the quality, according to Weld Re-8 Superintendent Mark Payler. He noted that each open slot has a viable candidate, if not an opponent. Each of the three open seats are for four-year terms, the limit within the district.
    The only race this fall is between candidates for District B, a position currently held by the term-limited Jeff Allen. Vying for Allen’s seat, Bushrod White and Carol McDermott face a runoff in November. The winner is the only real question mark at this point.
    Running as a write-in candidate for District D, current director Virginia Shull will retain the slot she has held since her appointment following the late Esther McCrumb’s resignation in 2009.
    Running unopposed in District E, Fort Lupton Pack and Ship owner Dawn Koshio-Gillespie aims to take the seat vacated by Susan Browne. (See separate article)
    The dearth of candidates may force some changes to the board, in order to make serving more attractive to potential directors, according to Payler.
    “What I am hearing is most districts are struggling to find candidates, so I suspect the board will look at reducing the number of board members from seven to five and going ‘all open,” Payler said. “But that takes a vote of the public, and the earliest they would vote on that would be 2012-2013. And it can’t take place till 2015, because you have to let people roll off.”
    Also under review is a modified calendar for board appearances, with less biweekly meetings during slower periods during the year.
    “We thought that would be a good recruiting tool to try to let folks know that they are not involved every two weeks,” Payler said.

Colorado school board facts
• School board members serve without pay
• Number of school boards in Colorado: 178
• Number of directors on each school board:  five, six or seven
• Term of office: four years for most districts
• Number of consecutive terms a board member may serve: two (unless they have locally extended or removed term limits)
• Elections are first Tuesday in November of each odd-numbered year
• Qualifications: Must be a registered voter and a resident of the school district for at least 12 consecutive months prior to the election. Must be resident of director district if that plan of representation is in effect.