Tambra Pickford: Never stop learning, never stop growing

Tambra Pickford is a mom with a plan.

She is a newcomer to the scene of public service and won her first election in May, when she unseated incumbent Coeur d'Alene School District Trustee Terri Seymour and won the board's Zone 3 seat with 51.8 percent of the vote.

"I was extremely excited, along with shocked, and very grateful to all the people who had helped me and supported me throughout my campaign," Pickford said.

Born in San Jose, Calif., and raised in Fresno, Calif., Pickford has lived in North Idaho about a decade and has seen firsthand the work of the Coeur d'Alene School District, where her three daughters attend school. She has put her education background to good use by volunteering her time at local schools such as Bryan Elementary, Skyway Elementary and Lake City High School. She has also spent time working with English as a second language (ESL) students.

Now, she is prepared to take her experience working alongside the world of education and dive into the important role of a school board trustee. She intends to promote a positive synergy, represent the values and needs of her community and help make decisions that will ultimately improve education and schooling for the Coeur d'Alene School District, its students and those who propel them along their academic journeys.

"I'm ready to be a part of serving and supporting our children, educators and community beyond classroom volunteering," Pickford said.

Why did you decide to run for a position with the school board?

I decided to run for the school board because I'm at a time in my life where I wanted to contribute more. This seemed like the perfect fit combining my passion for our students and educators together with my desire to serve in our community.

What do you presently do for work?

I am presently a stay-at-home mom. When deciding to start a family, it was the goal of both my husband and I for one of us to be at home with our children.

As a school board trustee, what will be your priorities? Goals?

My goal is to be a team player working together with the other board members focusing on continuous improvement in our school district. We should always be improving. I feel that our school district does that well. We need to continue to look at data, identify areas of need, set goals for improvement and support both our students and our educators.

In your opinion, what are the strengths and weaknesses of the school district?

We have amazing educators working together to ensure our children are receiving the best education. We need to continue to listen to and support our students and educators.

Where do you see the school district 10 years from now?

"I see it on the path of continuous improvement and growth, serving even more students!"

As a parent, what would you like to see happen with our school district?

"I feel our school district is on the right path and has committed to a vision of high expectations for student achievement and quality instruction. I'd like to see that continue along with us building more parent and community involvement. I would also like to see a focus on higher learning after high school, whether it's a path to college or professional/technical training. I think it's important to have that dialogue taking place all the way through a child's school years, as well as opportunities for them to see all that's out there for them in terms of careers and how to go about achieving that."

As a school board trustee, how can you make that happen?

"As a school board trustee, along with the other board members, we can continue to focus on policies to improve student achievement, along with aligning and sustaining resources, and providing professional development to our teachers to meet these expectations. We can also continue the collaborative relationship with our educators and community engaging us all towards these goals. I would love to see a team spirit with both our business and education communities and explore the possibilities of a mentoring program for our students which would also help to create and engage healthy relationships and learning environments for our youth."

What can the community expect to see from you once you get going?

"They are going to see that I am proactive, positive and a team player. I have a teachable spirit and a dedication and willingness to learn and study anything and everything that comes my way so I can be an effective school board member."