Barbra Chase
Race: Douglas County School District Board Director District B
Age: 48
Occupation: Regional sales manager for a talent management software company
Family: Husband, two children in district schools
Residency: Has lived in Douglas County for 23 years
Political experience: Served last eight years as executive for parent teacher organizations
Education: Bachelor’s degree in business administration
Website: barbrachase.com
Why she’s running: Chase said she has helped raise $500,000 for schools and knows many teachers and parents, which will allow her to build a rapport with them much faster. She said she wants to restore funding to Douglas County School District schools with a fund balance that has quadrupled because of the current board’s inability to budget accurately, she said. She also wants to restore funding to high schools and said the district has fattened its bank accounts at the expense of kids who have to take a a mandatory free class when they’d rather be learning. She also wants to bring the “public” back to public schools because a lot of parents are dissatisfied with the current board. She also wants to look at why the board spends 49 percent of its time in closed-door meetings.
Chase said it will be her job to listen to parents and teachers, which the current board has not done. She accused the current board of being very disrespectful to anyone who doesn’t agree with them, and it doesn’t take public input into account for decisions.
“I think it’s your job to serve the families, and not dictate to them,” she said.