Votes Select Three School Board Members by Anne Gibson

The November 8th general election found four community members of the Vail School Unified District seeking to fill three vacant seats on the governing board. The three selected by voters will be sworn-in in January prior to being seated at the organizational meeting that month of the governing board to begin their four-year terms.

The outcome of the election found incumbent Allison Pratt with 14,648 votes. Allison Pratt was appointed to the board in 2015 to replace a vacancy resulting from the resignation of former board member Jim Coulter. Receiving 13,414 votes was Mark Tate. Mark Tate is retired after thirty years from Raytheon and four years as Volunteer Coordinator and Post-Secondary Success Coordinator at Vail’s Andrada Polytechnic High School. Filling the third seat with 12,450 votes is Callie Tippett. Callie Tippett was one of the five organizers of the Vail Parent Network (VPN). The VPN has advocated the Arizona State Legislature to resolve school funding issues. Completing the five-member board, are seasoned board members, Claudia Anderson and Jon Aitken.

November election finds (left to right) Allison Pratt, Mark Tate and Callie Tibbett to be seated in January to fill the three vacancies on the Vail Unified School District. Photo courtesy of the Vail School District.

November election finds (left to right) Allison Pratt, Mark Tate and Callie Tibbett to be seated in January to fill the three vacancies on the Vail Unified School District. Photo courtesy of the Vail School District.

“The VSD Governing Board is fortunate to welcome new members, Callie Tippett and Mark Tate. I am looking forward to working with them as well as Allison Pratt and Jon Aiken in striving to continue to provide the best education possible to our students,” said Claudia Anderson, a senior board member who will begin her seventh year on the board in January.  Claudia noted, “I would also like to take the opportunity to thank outgoing members Debbie King and Margaret Burkholder for their many years of service. I appreciate their advice and leadership during the six years I served with them.”

“I am very excited to have Mark and Callie join Claudia, Allison and myself on the Vail United School District Governing board. We pride ourselves in the way we govern our school district on behalf of our community and the children and for the way we are leading the District into the future,” said Jon Aitken four-year board member. “Mark and Callie are going to be an amazing compliment to our team.”

The morning after the election Allison Pratt’s five-year old son awoke to ask who won as President. He then asked about his mom. The next question was if his mom was going to be helping the President. Allison Pratt’s interests have similar concerns. “The challenge is continuing the excellence that we have in Vail despite the budget issues we face,” she said. “I want to advocate for funding for education, including funding new schools from the Arizona School Facilities Board.”

Mark Tate is proud of his 96-year-old mother, who spent her entire career in education with the last few years as an administrator in the Sunnyside School District. Having her see his election to the Vail School Board only carried on the legacy. The Tate’s have six grandchildren who delighted in seeing their grandpa’s name on the political signs and point it out to their friends. “They have been and I hope will continue to be my biggest supporter,” said Mark Tate.  His major concerns are teacher retention, facility availability, and growth. According to Tate, the Vail District is growing at a rate of over 400 students per year. The State found that we (Vail) qualified for a new high school and elementary school and then said there were no funds to build them.

“One of the biggest challenges the board will have to address is securing funding for new schools. This funding is, by law to be funded by the Arizona State School Facilities Board, and we have been told there is no money in the fund even though we (Vail) qualify,” said Callie Tippett. Callie Tippett shared that her eighth grader was “rather unimpressed” and acted that my being voted onto the school board was just another day. In contrast, she reported her eight year old was very excited his mom won. She shared that he is a little competitive.

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