Hyder school board welcomes newest members

Karen Reed, an elementary school teacher in the Sentinel School District, and Sam Torres, who manages a dairy farm in Dateland, have been appointed the newest members of the Hyder school board.

They will replace Thomas Magill and Mary Hume, who recently resigned from the Hyder Elementary School District governing board for personal reasons. Reed will serve the remaining three years on Magill's term, while Torres will pick up the last eight months of Hume's term.

As board members, Torres and Reed will be responsible for the development and implementation of all policy in the district, said Yuma County Superintendent of Schools Tom Tyree, who recently interviewed the candidates and appointed Reed and Torres.

Reed said her decision to serve on the school board was based on her love for the Hyder community.

"And it's a nice school, and I hope I can be a part of keeping it like that," she said. "I don't have a specific agenda. I'm not going in there to really make any major changes on anything."

Reed, a resident of Hyder since 1975, has been involved in public education as a teacher or classroom aide since 1981. She does not have any children in the district.

Torres, who could not be reached for comment Monday, has been a Hyder resident for three years and has three children in the district.