Unopposed Re-8 school board candidate Dawn Koshio Gillespie says she is running based on her empathy and desire to work as a teacher, something she says won’t likely happen due to a divergent career path.
    Despite coming from outside the system, Koshio Gillespie has the desire to promote education as a positive for the Weld Re-8 District.

    “I always did want to be a teacher,” Koshio Gillespie said. “I even did some substitute teaching after I left IBM. I really like working with the kids, and since being a teacher is not going to happen, this will give me an opportunity to help on a strategic level.”
    Koshio Gillespie plans to bring her talents in the business world to bear on the district’s issues, with a broad approach to diversity being key.
    “I am hoping I can bring my business experience to the table as well,” Koshio Gillespie said. “I think where the school board is trying to go, I can use some of those experiences to help, working with very diverse groups.”
    The ability to work across a wide demographic is Koshio Gillespie’s strength, one she plans to pass along into a deeper sense of belonging and commitment by all sides.
    “The board wants to get the teachers involved, and the parents involved, and the students involved. I like to think that with my corporate experience, working with so many different groups and levels of expertise that I can use that to my advantage,” she said.
    Koshio Gillespie says she has a lot to learn on the job, not the least of which is how the district is handling the recent economic setbacks and cuts to state and federal funding.
    Just as important to Koshio Gillespie is the ability to balance her professional life with the duties of the board, something she sees as manageable due to the organizational abilities present in the district.
    “I met with Mark (Re-8 Superintendent Mark Payler) and he gave me some background on how they meet and run an agenda. It sounds like they are very organized, and that is important to me,” she said. “Again, coming from the corporate world, I have been in meetings that went on and on, but if you have someone who can run things, and it sounds like that is the case, I should be able to fit it all in.”
    Citing the awards won by district schools in recent years and the steady upward progress noted by CSAP results, Koshio Gillespie looks forward to her upcoming tenure as a continued success story for the kids in the district.
    “They have teachers who care,” Koshio Gillespie said. “What the schools have going is working, so it’s exciting to see how they are being successful.” 

Contact Gene Sears at 303-659-2522, ext. 217 or at gsears@metrowestnewspapers.com.