Summit School Board candidate: Guy Pacot

SUMMIT COUNTY — Summit School Board candidate Guy Pacot wants local students to be prepared for a globalized world through inspiring teachers and plenty of opportunities.

“I don't want kids to make the same mistakes I made in my life,” he said.

Pacot was raised in California's Sacramento Valley and was part of the pilot testing group for the state proficiency exam. He said he left high school a semester early, passed the General Educational Development exam and obtained a high school diploma.

Neither of his parents graduated high school or have degrees.

“I never had a lot of people in my life who mentored me,” he said.

While working in information technology (a career for which he was self-taught) at Lake Dillon Fire-Rescue, he's been taking prerequisite nursing classes at Colorado Mountain College. He plans to enroll with the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, obtain a bachelor's degree and ultimately become a registered nurse.

Pacot said that when he started taking nursing classes he “got really excited about education.”

“I really liked it and had a thirst for it,” he said.

His daughter, Dara, who graduated from Summit High School, holds a finance degree from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

In the 28 years Pacot has lived in Summit County, he said he and his wife have helped local kids in need. The couple also volunteers at the Women's Resource Center.

Pacot is a member of Rocky Mountain Bible Church in Frisco and the local Republican Central Committee.

Meeting needs of all types of students

Pacot said he wants to ensure Summit schools especially emphasize language arts and math, which can pave a path for success in more specific fields.

“We need to spend as much time as we can on those things,” he said.

With job prospects becoming more globalized, Pacot said he wants to prepare local students to have the “ingenuity and know-how” to succeed.

He said he supports the “inquiry-based learning” available to local students through the International Baccalaureate programs as “what really motivates you to find information as an adult.”

“That also helps create critical thinkers,” he said.

Pacot said the district is fortunate to have superintendent Millie Hamner, who is “very, very hands-on with the achievement gap” between struggling English learners and their English-speaking peers. He also said she's “really bringing 21st century learning to Summit County.”

Pacot has never attended a Summit School Board meeting, but said he reads the minutes online and often speaks with local people involved with the district about the issues.

His goals for the district include reducing the achievement gap and bringing “a passion for learning back for students.”

He said it's important to have teachers who motivate students and improve their self esteem as well as instill in them a passion for the importance of learning.

Pacot said he appreciates the work of Ben Chavis, author of “Crazy Like a Fox,” a principal who turned a diverse population of mostly minority students at an Oakland charter school from poor performance to excellence. He said that while Chavis' methods for discipline were too harsh, he wants schools to reward students for “attendance and excellence” while “leaving room for virtually no excuses.”

Regarding gifted and talented students, Pacot said he wants an “even higher level of challenge” for them.

He said he would like to get even young high school students who are gifted involved with summer internships.

He said students pursuing non-academic areas such as culinary and trade schools already have some good options, but that he'd like to encourage at least community college enrollment after high school.

Relating his own experiences, Pacot said he believes such students will appreciate that education later in life.

Pacot said he'd like to have public forums available outside of school board meetings to get a better feel for the issues facing students and parents.

“You never go wrong with open and transparent relationships with any community,” he said. “There's always room for improvement.”

For more information on Pacot, visit http://pacotforsummitschoolboard.com.

Robert Allen can be contacted at (970) 668-4628 or rallen@summitdaily.com.