Matt Mecham, 43, has been chosen by the Dolores Re-4A school board to fill a vacancy created when Alan Thayer resigned.
Mecham and his wife are former educators, and have five children in the Dolores schools from pre-school to sixth grade, a good incentive to get involved, he said.
"Dolores schools are one of the best, and I want to see what I can do to help keep that going," said Mecham. "One of my first goals is to improve communication between students, parents, teachers and the community - to keep everyone in the loop."
Mecham praised the faculty, describing it as "world class."
"The group they have is amazing," he said.
As a board member his approach is simple: "Give teachers the tools they need and get out of the way. Let them do what they do well."
Regarding the new school expansion, Mecham urged the community to be patient.
"There are always unforeseen circumstances with a project that large," he said. "It is important to communicate the process so people understand what is going on with their school."
Mecham's plans to run for a full two-year term when his seat is up for election in November. His family is from North Carolina, and he recently moved to Dolores from Moab, Utah. He loves to coach sports, and is the general manager at Aarons in Cortez.
