Candidates File for School Board Seats

Multiple candidates filed to run for school board in two of the three areas that are up for election this June. Given the track record in this decade, this is big news. In Area 2, where the seat is now held by board President Sheryl Kirkeby, Curt Pochardt and Adam Sanders filed petitions. As a result, voters in the central part of the city will have their first opportunity to vote in a school board election in 15 years.

Voters in Area 1, which includes the southern part of Robbinsdale and the area beyond the hospital, will have four candidates to choose from, including Candice Estes, Heather Gosch, incumbent Arnold Laubauch and Suzan Nolan. For this part of town, this will be the first contested election in nine years.

Unfortunately, voters in Area 7, which includes Rapid Valley and other areas beyond the city limits to the south and east, will once again be denied the opportunity to vote in a school board election. No candidate filed to run against incumbent Doug Kinniburgh. He will, therefore, be automatically re-seated on the board in July.  If he serves his entire three-year term, voters in this area will have gone 12 years without the opportunity to vote in a school board election.

Kinniburgh puts a lot of time and thought into his service as a school board member. With his engineering background and work experience with the South Dakota Department of Transportation, he brings a special expertise in construction projects and facilities. But his constituents need to have the opportunity to hear him articulate his ideas. Hopefully, he’ll be included in any candidate forums.

All of the candidates offer voters interesting backgrounds and perspective. In Area 1, Candice Estes has been a long-time advocate for racial justice and Native American children. Heather Gosch is a CPA and married to District 32 State House Representative Brian Gosch. Arnie Laubauch, an attorney with the Public Defender’s Office, has served on the school board for nearly five years. Suzan Nolan, a retired counselor from the Rapid City Area Schools, has an intimate knowledge of the school system.

In Area 2, Curt Pochardt has worked for several years as a substitute teacher and has spent time in virtually every school in the district. Adam Sanders is also running. Sheryl Kirkeby has served on the board for nearly seven years.

With seven candidates actively campaigning, there should at least be some opportunity for the public to talk about the District’s future. We will all stay tuned.