The Fountain Hills Unified School District Governing Board will have three seats up for election this November, with three candidates appearing on the ballot including incumbent Wendy Barnard, Nadya Jenkins and incumbent Judy Rutkowski. Bob Shelstrom is running as a write-in candidate.

The candidates’ introductions are below. Over the next four weeks, candidates will participate in a Q&A series covering a range of topics concerning the local district.

The school board election will be a part of the Nov. 6 General Election, with early ballots being mailed out on Oct. 10.

Wendy Barnard

Dr. Wendy Miedel Barnard is a person who likes to take a step back and look at the whole picture.

Barnard was born in Pennsylvania but raised in New Jersey, where she graduated and obtained her Master’s in Psychology from Rutgers University. Barnard went on to pursue a Ph.D. in Human Development from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

In the process of getting both her degrees Barnard interned with special education programs and Chicago public schools.

Barnard moved to Fountain Hills in 2010 with her family. Currently she has three children in the district; a freshman, a seventh grader and a sixth grader.

Barnard became interested in education reform after completing her Ph.D. program. She has worked for the University of Pittsburgh and currently works at ASU where she oversees a center that evaluates the college’s programs.

“It helps programs look at their activities, make sure their activities are in line with the outcomes that they are measuring and what impact they are having,” Barnard explained.

Barnard finds her work with university programs that deal with issues like teacher retention to be helpful with her role as a current FHUSD school board member.

“As a board member I don’t oversee day to day things,” Barnard said. “But I can talk to the principals, I can talk to the superintendent, I can talk to teachers and share those ideas.”

Barnard wants to continue on the board to help close the achievement gap and support all Fountain Hills students equally.

Her favorite thing about Fountain Hills’ school district is the communal feel.

“The sense of community,” Barnard said. “I think that from the front office staff to the teachers, to the district office and the principals, they care about the kids. There is not a time I have ever thought different.”

Nadya Jenkins

Being involved in her child’s education has been a constant in Nadya Jenkins’ life.

Before coming to Fountain Hills in March of 2016, Jenkins and her family lived in Illinois and Wisconsin. While her kids attended school there, she involved herself where she could.

“I was active in public schools there,” Jenkins said. “As a math and reading interventions volunteer, PBIS Council parent liaison, Principal’s Planning Committee parent rep, PTO Treasurer, and PTO President”

Currently Jenkins’ two children are in the Fountain Hills Unified School District; her son is a sophomore at the high school, and her daughter is in eighth grade.

Jenkins is just as involved in Fountain Hills as she was in Illinois or Wisconsin.

“Since living in Fountain Hills I have served on the Vision Fountain Hills subcommittee for attracting families and promoting schools, and as a board member for Golden Eagle Education Foundation, where I am currently Vice President,” she added.

Jenkins said she believes that she is involved this much with public education because of the opportunities it provided her growing up in Michigan on a dairy farm.

“For me education was a big difference for what I could do with my life,” Jenkins explained. “I really feel strongly that education can be a great equalizer for everyone.”

Jenkins wants to be on the school board to help prepare students for the future.

“I’m running for governing board because I believe in the value of a strong public education,” Jenkins said. “I want to work with students, teachers, parents and the community to ensure FHUSD students receive a world-class education. It is critical that students be ready for the workforce of our ever-changing global economy and have the tools to meet their future confidently to take on the next challenge, whether continuing their education or stepping into a job.”

Judy Rutkowski

Judy Rutkowski said she is happy with the progress that she and the FHUSD Governing Board have made since 2015.

Originally Rutkowski is from a western suburb of Chicago, but moved to Fountain Hills with her family in 2001.

Rutkowski has had two children go through and graduate from the Fountain Hills Unified School District.

“Our schools had a really good reputation,” Rutkowski explained. “So when my husband and I were looking for areas to buy in, we ended up settling on Fountain Hills.”

During her children’s time at Fountain Hills schools Rutkowski involved herself in their education in any way she could.

“My husband and I attended every open house and parent-teacher conference for our children,” Rutkowski said. “I have been a volunteer for the school district in various grades and ways since 2002.”

This includes a tenure as a school nurse in FHUSD. Now Rutkowski works as a substitute nurse in the Scottsdale school district.

Rutkowski wanted to run for the governing board in 2015 because she noticed a change in the district.

“Not wanting to give anyone a bad rap, I think things started changing a little bit,” Rutkowski said.

Rutkowski said she is proud of what she and the governing board have accomplished since being elected to the board. She is particularly proud of the three principals the district has placed at the schools, but also points to support of teachers and off-campus programs such as EVIT.

“During my first term on the FHUSD governing board, we have accomplished many positive things,” Rutkowski said. “Teachers received pay raises, even before recent state legislative action, enabling us to be more competitive with neighboring districts to attract and retain good teachers.”

Rutkowski’s favorite thing about the FHUSD is the community involvement that made her feel like she was leaving her children in a safe environment.

“I am the type of mother that finds it hard to let go,” Rutkowski joked. “But I know that I could relax because everyone in the district is looking out for the kids.”

Bob Shelstrom

Bob Shelstrom has run in school board elections before to be, as he puts it, a “disruptor” to start a “dialogue about the real issues out there.”

Shelstrom is originally from Palos Park, Ill. He graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in civil engineering and later obtained a Master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology.

Shelstrom has worked as an adjunct instructor for Moraine Community College and has substituted at a myriad of private high schools.

Along with teaching, Shelstrom also came into contact with the education world when he worked as engineering project manager in the Chicago public school system. He ran for school board in Illinois three times.

Shelstrom moved to Fountain Hills in 2013 with his family. He has three children, one a college graduate and the other two currently attending ASU.

Shelstrom get involved in the school board race as a write-in candidate after being disappointed that more people were not running.

“I thought there were people who are parents who want to make our schools better or retired teachers,” Shelstrom said. “But it didn’t happen. So I thought, what do I do? Do I be a loud mouth out there or do I get involved in the process?”

Shelstrom first became interested in Fountain Hills schools after recovering from a serious illness.

“Really, I hadn’t paid much attention to it (FHUSD) until this spring,” Shelstrom said. “I was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, so I had some bigger concerns than local government. In November I got a double lung transplant, slowly recovered and I’m feisty again. I heard about the great schools so I thought, why not do a little research?”

Shelstrom said his favorite thing about the Fountain Hills school district is its potential.

“I would say the facilities are excellent and mostly the potential,” Shelstrom said. “I don’t know a lot of people but I have known families here and these are kids who are capable of achieving at the highest level.”