School board candidates for Academy District 20 fielded questions ranging from future facility needs to recent board actions during a public forum held at Liberty High School Wednesday night.  

Seven candidates are vying for three open seats.

Newcomers seeking election on Nov. 4 are Brandon Clark, who attended the forum remotely, Cynthia Halverson, Renée Ludlam, Jennafer Stites, Holly Tripp and Eddie Waldrep.

Candidates, including Ludlam, said they would address safety concerns brought by parents regarding students getting to school. She highlighted busy streets, such as in the Rockrimmon area, as safety hazards she would look to address.

“There was a student who got hit going to the bus stop this year. Last year, a few blocks down, another student got hit going to and from school,” said Ludlam, who then erroneously claimed that a D-20 student died in an auto-pedestrian crash in recent years.

In 2023, a Doherty High School student was struck and killed in a crosswalk in front of the school which prompted the installation of a school zone in the area that included flashing 20 mph speed limit signs and road markings. Doherty High is a Colorado Springs School District 11 school and the Gazette independently verified that a D-20 student was not killed at a bus stop in 2023.

The terms for current board members Lauren Yanez, Nicole Konz and Susan Payne are up this November, with only Payne running for reelection. She was appointed to the board earlier this year following the resignation of Aaron Salt in March.

School board candidates for Academy District 20 fielded questions ranging from future facility needs to recent board actions during a public forum held at Liberty High School Wednesday night.

Seven candidates are vying for three open seats.

Newcomers seeking election on Nov. 4 are Brandon Clark, who attended the forum remotely, Cynthia Halverson, Renée Ludlam, Jennafer Stites, Holly Tripp and Eddie Waldrep.

Candidates, including Ludlam, said they would address safety concerns brought by parents regarding students getting to school. She highlighted busy streets, such as in the Rockrimmon area, as safety hazards she would look to address.

“There was a student who got hit going to the bus stop this year. Last year, a few blocks down, another student got hit going to and from school,” said Ludlam, who then erroneously claimed that a D-20 student died in an auto-pedestrian crash in recent years.

In 2023, a Doherty High School student was struck and killed in a crosswalk in front of the school which prompted the installation of a school zone in the area that included flashing 20 mph speed limit signs and road markings. Doherty High is a Colorado Springs School District 11 school and the Gazette independently verified that a D-20 student was not killed at a bus stop in 2023.

The terms for current board members Lauren Yanez, Nicole Konz and Susan Payne are up this November, with only Payne running for reelection. She was appointed to the board earlier this year following the resignation of Aaron Salt in March.