Carolyn Reed to run for Poudre School District board seat

Longtime Wellington Resident Carolyn Reed has declared her intention to run for Poudre School District Board of Education Director for District E, a seat she has held by appointment since May 2014. She was appointed when the former District E director moved away from the area. If elected in November, Reed will serve a four-year term.

At the time of this writing, she is unopposed for the seat. However, the deadline to file for candidacy is not until Aug. 28. District E is the largest geographically and most rural district, encompassing Wellington and mountain communities.

“I have watched Wellington and Fort Collins grow over the years, and I have an understanding of the challenges and opportunities growth can bring,” Reed said. As a school board member, she has been concerned with issues of reduced testing, funding challenges and planning for growth.

Reed attended Wellington elementary and junior high schools and is a graduate of Poudre High School. She attended Wright State University and Colorado State University and worked as a UPS driver in Fort Collins for 20 years.

Today, she and her husband own and operate a chain that has grown to seven restaurants, a fact that allows her to bring a business perspective to school board issues.

Reed’s three grown children attended PSD schools. She is particularly appreciative of the early intervention her daughter received for speech and language development issues for several years at Beattie Elementary School. “The staff was always positive and included me in assessment and decision making,” Reed said. “My daughter recently graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a Spanish major and a minor in criminal justice. Without the ongoing help she received through Poudre School District, that would not have been possible.”

Reed also has six grandchildren and three step-children.

Because of the quality education Reed and her children received at PSD, she feels strongly about serving on the board. “It sometimes takes as much as 20 hours a week,” she said. Having served for more than a year, she understands well the commitment needed to serve on the board. “I respect the opinions of my neighbors, students, parents and the business community,” Reed said. “I look forward to continuing to serve all the communities within the district.”