Former mayors Ken Henry and Teresa Coons endorse Mikolai

Mikolai ably guided district 
through tough financial times

We wish to acknowledge and support the recent endorsements of school- board candidates John Williams and Tom Parrish by The Daily Sentinel and the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce. We agree with their assessments of the talents and expertise that these two candidates will bring to the school board, if they are elected.

We wish, however, to urge voters to consider carefully the proven leadership that Greg Mikolai has to offer at this critical time for our public schools. Of the two candidates running for District E, only Mikolai has had to balance serious financial constraints with government mandates, while serving the needs of a very diverse student population and seeking to improve student performance and outcomes.

As described in detail by outgoing school board member Leslie Kiesler in a guest column last Sunday in The Daily Sentinel, District 51 continues to be a leader statewide in the struggle to meet these often competing objectives.

It has only been through collaborative efforts among teachers, administrators and the community, and with the effective and visionary leadership of Greg Mikolai, that these goals have been and will continue to be met.

Over the last few years, when District 51 had to cut $30 million from the budget, it put people’s livelihoods and children’s education at stake. Due in large part to Mikolai’s excellent leadership as school board president and the cooperation of other board members, the board was able to keep the cuts as far away from students as possible.

Although much progress has been made, the financial and educational challenges faced by District 51 have not ended. This is a time to build on recent successes and support the growth and maturation of creative efforts recently implemented and embraced by teachers, parents, administrators and students. It is not a time to change leadership.

Mikolai has demonstrated he is a strong leader who analyzes every issue thoroughly and makes informed decisions. On behalf of the members of Strong Schools, Strong Communities, we urge you to re-elect him.

TERESA COONS

Grand Junction

KEN HENRY

Fruita