DEL NORTE— The Del Norte School Board recently accepted the resignation of board member Lyle Tuoti, in order to have him serve as security personnel for the coming school year. After some discussion and consideration the board added Veronica Climie to the board during their meeting on Thursday, July 5.
Climie spent many hours working with the bond committee last fall when the school district was working to pass a bond in Rio Grande County to compensate for funding needed for the new school. “Veronica worked to help spread the word to residents in South Fork and without her efforts, combined with the efforts of the entire committee, the bond would not have been possible. We are happy to have her as a representative on the board,” said school board President Neal Walters.
Climie has lived in the South Fork area for several years, having moved to the area from California. “I have three children that attend school in Del Norte and wanted to not only be a part of their education but the future of their education as well,” said Climie. Her and her family own the South Fork Laundry mat and hope to help bridge the divide that sometimes separates the South Fork community from Del Norte and the school district.
“One of the main reasons that I decided to run for the school board was to make sure that a line of communication from the school district is formed with the parents and students that come from South Fork. As a parent who lives in South Fork I always found myself wondering who I should contact in order to express any concerns or ideas to the school district. Now parents have a clear way to do that, and it will be through me. I want to make sure that the two communities stay informed, and I can do that as a representative of South Fork on the board,” said Climie.
Climie came to the area from California where she worked as a certified sign language interpreter at several state colleges. Though she no longer offers her services as an interpreter, her experience will allow her a unique perspective that will add to the existing board. “My main goal while I am on the board is to make sure that the new school continues to move forward in a timely manner. My children will be attending there, and I want to make sure that it continues to move forward with momentum.”
“I would like to take a moment to thank all of the people who helped make the new school possible and the support the community showed for the students and their educational futures. The support that South Fork residents gave towards the new school is the reason I ran for the school board. I feel that they deserve to have a representative on the board after everything they did to make sure our students got a new school,” finished Climie.