Intihar, Coghill, Paulsen, Mathieson Elected to District 200 Board of Education

Updated 11:17 a.m.

Joann Coghill, Barbara Intihar, Brad Paulsen and James Mathieson have won the 2013 election to the District 200 Board of Education with all precincts reporting.

Coghill finished in first place with 4,857 votes, followed by Intihar with 4,792 votes, Paulsen with 4,748 votes and Mathieson with 4,596 votes.

Intihar said Tuesday her main focus as a board member will continue to be academics in the district.

"That's our business and everything else supports that, and that's what should drive our district," she said. 

Following the outcome of the Jefferson referendum, she said the board will have to regroup to assess why voters rejected the referendum and figure out a proposal the community would accept. 

"Buildings take a tremendous amount of energy and work, and since I've been on the board, that's what we've been doing—buildings. We started with the high school and then we did Hubble, and it takes resources from the top down, from the board to Brian (Harris) to the staff," Intihar said.

"You still have to focus on why you're doing the building that you're doing... If we could get out of that major building cycle... We can really focus on academics and make our district as good as it can be."

She said she thinks there will be challenges ahead with funding, making sure the common core curriculum is implemented well and that the district is taking care of students' needs from a social and emotional learning standpoint. She added she has ideas for what the district could do if they had the money, such as offering foreign languages at an earlier age and doing more in preparation for college and career counseling. 

Coghill wrote in an email Wednesday, "I am actually more excited to be on the board more than ever before. The challenging economic times aren’t over, but we have our budget and projections very conservative and will adjust as situations develop. The Common Core will be our focus to align and exceed the state’s standards and help every student recognize their potential.  

"I am very disappointed that the Jefferson Referendum did not pass," she wrote. "The efforts of Dan and Lisa Wagner and their committee were extraordinary. This is a serious problem that we will continue to address until our special needs children have the facility they need and deserve."

Paulsen said Tuesday he was "thrilled" with his personal results and looks forward to the opportunity to serve on the board, but was disappointed to see the referendum results. 

Paulsen, a licensed architect who deals specifically with the architecture, engineering and construction of schools, said he has an opportunity to take what he does in his career to help with Jefferson.

"We have to go back and look at all the options and see how the board wants to evaluate the outcome, evaluate other additional options, explore alternatives and listen to the community.

"It wasn’t just a loss, it was a significant loss... We have to go engage the community and explore what the next step is... The problem’s not going to go away… Whatever happens, it’s not going to let the problem get swept under the rug."

Mathieson said Wednesday he looks forward to working with the new board. 

"I think it was an interesting race. It was kind of (an) incumbent group versus non-incumbents and I was able to sustain through that," he said. "...I felt I ran a really upscale race (and) said what I thought. I think we needed some change and that happened," he said.

Mathieson said technology and finance issues will be priorities of his as a board member. He said he also hopes to see if there is any way to find money to make improvements at Jefferson without the referendum. 

Board member Andy Johnson did not run for re-election and will retire from the Board of Education this spring. Of the nine school board candidates, incumbent Ken Knicker finished sixth with 3,570 votes.

"Ken Knicker and Andy Johnson will be missed and remembered as board members who’s positive attitude and genuine care and concern made a difference for our kids and our district," Coghill wrote. 

At an election result-viewing party at Arrowhead Golf Club Tuesday, board president Rosemary Swanson commended Johnson and Knicker for their service as board members. Their absence on the board will be a "great loss," she said.

Check back with Patch for additional updates.