Four candidates race for school board seats

The race is on for the Custer School District (CSD) Board of Education. Two positions are opening up for three-year terms, and four candidates tossed their hats in the ring for a chance to represent the district. At the polls, voters will choose between Mark Perrenoud, Jesse Sorenson, Brandy Tarap and Corey Virtue.
Mark Perrenoud is a retired licensed psychologist, has two adult children and two grandchildren and has been a landowner and taxpayer in Custer County since 2005.
“I have contemplated being on a school board for years. Now I have time due to retirement. I believe in volunteering for the community and now have time to,” said Perrenoud. “As a psychologist, I worked with children, parents and schools. Working for the school board seems to be a natural extension of these skills and interests.”
Perrenoud said he is proud of the progressive action the CSD has taken over the years, including the four-day school week, providing computers to students, the Career and Technical Education addition, remodeling the high school and the senior projects, which provide a “great experience for students.”
“There are a number of strengths to build on. Aspects to improve will be determined by input from parents, students and staff,” said Perrenoud.
Regarding transparency and engagement in the district, Perrenoud said he was unaware of the current levels but added that effective communication with parents is essential.
“The board needs to provide access for parents to provide input,” said Perrenoud.
Looking to the future of the CSD, Perrenoud said this will be a time of transition.
“I think for the next year or two there will be much financial uncertainty. This is due to the probable congressional dissolution of the U.S. Department of Education and how different responsibilities are given to other departments. The state is reviewing the school funding formula and property taxes. This is a time to be financially cautious,” said Perrenoud.
Along with this, Perrenoud noted that the CSD will be integrating a new superintendent and special education director.
As a third issue to be aware of, Perrenoud said, “Public education is under attack at the national and state level. We need to support and trust that teachers are professionals and have the best interest of the students in mind.”
As for specific issues to address, Perrenoud said, “I want the district to continue to develop students that are critical thinkers and have good social skills. The district might want to look at more digital education, making students good consumers of online and social media information.”
When asked why people should vote for him, Perrenoud said, “I will work hard for CSD and be a good communicator, advocate and team member. When there are decisions to make, I will look at what the research might tell us and consider what is best for the students. Students are the first priority, and all parties should be sought out to provide input and feel listened to. Board members will enforce district policies.”
To learn more about Perrenoud, go to markper
renoudcsdboard.com.
Jesse Sorenson has been the system coordinator for Black Hills Electric Cooperative for 22 years and a resident of Custer County since 1995.
With two boys in the CSD, Sorenson has thought about running for the board of education a couple of times.
“I feel now I have the time to put into the job. I know this will take up a lot of time, and I wanted to be able to do the best job I can,” said Sorenson. “Because two incumbents were not running again and my two students are graduating in a couple years, I felt the time was right.”
Previously, Sorenson was a Custer County Commissioner for four years. He said, “I learned a lot about where our tax dollars go and how they are spent, and I feel this will help me make conservative decisions for the CSD.”
Although Sorenson said he is proud of all aspects of the CSD, he is primarily proud of the small-town feel and the relationships between teachers, students and parents.
When it comes to possible improvements, Sorenson said he would like to see better communication district-wide from teachers and administrators.
“The current level of transparency could be improved. It appears that there are things done once in a while with little or no communication with parents or students, and that could be improved,” said Sorenson.
Sorenson said turnover, teacher retention and teacher pay were the biggest issues facing the CSD.
“Custer has a cost of living that continues to go up, and wages are not following suit,” said Sorenson. “I would like to get and keep the best teachers out there. We are going to have to get creative on achieving this.”
When asked why people should vote for him, Sorenson said, “As a longtime CSD resident, I believe with my work experience, commission experience and my time volunteering in different activities, I can bring a wide variety of conservative values. I have always tried to be involved in the community. I was on the Custer County Commission for four years and the Rocky Knolls Golf Course Board for six years. I volunteered as a first responder and firefighter for the Pringle Volunteer Fire Department for 10 years and assisted coaching in several youth sports. I would appreciate your vote on June 3.”
Brandy Tarap, owner of Southern Hills Family Medicine PLLC, is a family medicine physician, the mother of two elementary age girls and has lived in the area for the last 11 years.
Tarap has been considering running for the CSD Board of Education for the past year.
“I believe I am in a unique position to make a difference from a medical perspective. I also believe it is important for the board to be comprised of individuals with a vested interest, such as having children currently in the school district,” said Tarap.
One aspect of the CSD that Tarap is especially proud of is the teachers.
She said, “My daughters have had the absolute best teachers in their first few years of school. We genuinely have some great teachers in this community.”
As for aspects she would like to see improved, Tarap said, “We are a very highly taxed community, and a huge percentage of those taxes go to the schools. So why is this not reflected on the scores, teacher salaries and many other issues? I would like to see these high tax dollars be reflected in our own district.”
Tarap said she would bring a fiscally conservative approach to the school board.
Regarding transparency and engagement in the district, Tarap said, “I believe that more parent engagement opens the door to more opportunities for our children. Therefore, I believe that can be an area that always continues to grow.”
Tarap said the biggest issue facing the CSD is the turnover in administration, teachers and coaches. She would like to see potential causes rectified as well, like “losing children to the Hill City School District and homeschooling and being one of the highest taxed school districts with the lowest pay for teachers.”
“I am not coming in with any particular agenda. I want to be part of a non-biased board that can add positive support to the administrators and teachers of the CSD, who are experts teaching our children, who are our future,” said Tarap.
Tarap added, “I believe a good education is not based solely on what happens in the classroom and the classroom scores. It is also comprised of extracurricular activities, learning life skills, forming good communication skills with their career opportunities that they might be interested in.”
When asked why people should vote for her, Tarap said, “I am actively involved in both the community and the school on a daily basis. I hear positives, negatives and everything in between from people every day because I am a physician caring for people every day. With this, I am hoping I can make a difference and help the school and our children. I want them to have the best foundation possible to have the best future possible.”
Corey Virtue is the senior construction planner at Black Hills Energy, has two children in the CSD and has been a resident of Custer County for 42 years.
Around three months ago, Virtue started thinking about running for the board of education “to help make sure that my kids will continue to get a great education and to figure out how to recruit and retain our current teachers.”
Virtue sees himself as uniquely qualified for the position due to his leadership experience.
“I served in the military for 21 years. I believe my leadership skills will help while serving on the board. I am also on the chamber board and a senior vice commander at the Custer VFW,” said Virtue.
In his experience, Virtue said the teacher engagement and transparency have consistently been great.
“I am proud of our teachers. Day in and day out, they continue to give our kids a great education,” said Virtue. “We need to figure out how to pay our teachers better and how to retain our teachers.”
In alignment with this, Virtue said the biggest issues facing the CSD are budget restrictions, teacher shortages and retention.
Specifically, Virtue said, “I would like to figure out a way to pay our teachers more and how we can retain them. One of the biggest issues is there is a housing shortage. That is another issue that is not going to go away overnight.”
When asked why people should vote for him, Virtue said, “I believe that my leadership skills from the military, chamber board and the VFW make me a good candidate for the Custer school board.”
The election for the CSD Board of Education is June 3. Polling locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. so residents can cast their vote for the future leaders of the CSD.
Voters with disabilities may contact the school business office for information and special assistance in absentee voting or polling place accessibility.