Prettyman won't run for school board re-election
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BY MARGARET REIST / Lincoln Journal Star
Lincoln attorney Keith Prettyman will make his second term on the Lincoln Board of Education his last.
Prettyman, 57, said Wednesday the decision not to run for re-election came down to a matter of time.
“When I switched to my new employment it was clear to me I had two choices: Be less effective in my new job, or as a board member. Or give up a lot of sleep — which is essentially what I’ve done the past two years.”
Prettyman, who was general counsel of Assurity Life Insurance when he was elected to the school board in 2001, is now an attorney with Woods & Aitken law firm.
The most difficult part of the decision, he said, is leaving a position he feels strongly about.
“I have not lost any of my interest and certainly any of my passion for LPS and for public education,” he said. “The more I’ve learned the more passionate I’ve become. Unfortunately, for me anyway, I’m not in a position to run one more time and use the experience I’ve gained.”
In addition to Prettyman’s seat, others up for election include Barb Baier’s seat in District 3, Don Mayhew’s in District 7 and Kathy Danek’s in District 1.
Danek has filed for re-election. Both Mayhew and Baier have said they haven’t decided for sure.
Kirby Young, co-owner of Servant Cab, is running against Danek. Tony Merritt, a project engineer for the Gallup Organization in Omaha, has said he will run for Baier’s seat but has not officially filed.
Recently, two more people filed for the District 5 seat being vacated by Prettyman, and one more person filed for Baier’s seat.
They are:
* Mike Laughter, 45, 2326 Andrea Place, a Republican and regional engineer for NRG Media, is running for Prettyman’s seat in District 5.
Born in Lincoln, Laughter has lived in various communities growing up and returned to Nebraska last year. He said he decided to run for the school board because he wants to be “part of the solution.”
One of his biggest concerns, he said, is what he perceives to be a lack of transparency by the board and district. He cited the recent approval of salary increases for LPS administrators. Although he said he thinks the raises were a bit high, he was more concerned by the process.
He has three children. One is attending the University of Nebraska at Kearney. The other two attend Southwest High School.
Laughter was on the school board in Atlantic, Iowa, in 1999.
* JezikaIvy L. Hilgenfeld, 30, 1116 New Hampshire St., a community volunteer and University of Nebraska-Lincoln student, is a Republican who is running for Baier’s seat in District 3.
A Native of Boise, Idaho, Hilgenfeld moved to Lincoln three years ago after a four-year tour with the U.S. Air Force. She has worked with at-risk youth in Florida and taught school in South Korea. She is studying at UNL’s Child, Youth and Family Studies Department.
Hilgenfeld said she wants to inject a fresh, new voice to the school board. What she lacks in experience, she said, she makes up for with an understanding of the latest research in creating quality education environments.
She said she would like to be a voice to connect new research-based ideas on teaching with the policies and practices at LPS.
One of the biggest challenges facing LPS, she said, is putting the policies of No Child Left Behind into place and ensuring the success rate that will be required by the government in a few years.
She and her husband, Scott, have a 5-year-old daughter who attends West Lincoln Elementary.
* Norman Dority, 4212 Prescott Ave., is a Republican running for Prettyman’s seat.
He owns a piano-tuning business and ran against Prettyman in 2005. Dority has several times been a candidate for seats on the school board, as well as the Lincoln City Council and the State Board of Education. He first ran for City Council in 1983 and for the school board in 1985. He could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
As he nears the end of his final term, Prettyman said among the accomplishments the district has seen during his tenure include a general increase in student achievement, making a smooth transition to a new superintendent, and the renovation and new construction in the district to keep up with growth.
Continuing to see improvements in student achievement will become more and more challenging, he said, especially in difficult economic times.
He said he still hopes to remain involved with education issues.
“I’ve not lost interest,” he said. “I’ll just be less visible.”
Reach Margaret Reist at 473-7226 or mreist@journalstar.com.
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Good wrote on January 15, 2009 5:01 am:
Carl wrote on January 15, 2009 6:25 am:
Wow a little bit of surprise. wrote on January 15, 2009 7:14 am:
Justin wrote on January 15, 2009 7:34 am:
Sara wrote on January 15, 2009 9:23 am:
Ignignokt wrote on January 15, 2009 9:27 am:
Hallelujah wrote on January 15, 2009 9:59 am:
Alan wrote on January 15, 2009 11:11 am:
Spin wrote on January 15, 2009 11:48 am:
Recluse wrote on January 15, 2009 11:56 am:
Step right up wrote on January 15, 2009 12:07 pm:
E Jr wrote on January 15, 2009 12:16 pm:
roger wrote on January 15, 2009 12:36 pm:
Phaedrus wrote on January 15, 2009 1:23 pm:
Please do not be too disappointed by all the people who are judging you based on one decision that they don't really understand. After all, none of them have the courage to run and serve. They're more comfortable taking anonymous potshots.
The people who get it appreciate your understanding of educational issues and the work you've done to improve public education for our children. "
Thank you wrote on January 15, 2009 3:47 pm: