Parent-volunteer Kara Kretchmer outlines priorities as candidate for Timpanogos School District Seat C7

Kara Kretchmer, a parent of eight and long-time volunteer in the Alpine School District, said she is running for Seat C7 on the newly formed Timpanogos School District board to "do what I've done for the past 35 years" supporting students and easing burdens on classroom teachers.

Kretchmer said her immediate responsibilities as a board member would be to adopt policies, hire a superintendent and a business manager, and take a clear inventory of the district's finances. "We will be responsible for, finding a superintendent. We will be responsible in finding a business manager," she said, adding the board must "figure out where we are financially, where the money's coming from, where it's going." She emphasized prioritizing repairs and safety upgrades by urgency, citing Pleasant Grove High School as a building that needs "much repair and seismic upgrades."

Why it matters: The Timpanogos district is newly formed and must divide assets, negotiate with neighboring districts and set a budget while beginning operations. Kretchmer framed transparency around tax dollars as central to earning voter trust: "If taxes need to be raised, it will become a discussion. It will be presented, so that everybody has an input and know what's going on and…