AURORA | The Aurora Public Schools Board of Education will have at least one new face on the seven-member board after next month’s election.

Two incumbents and five newcomers are vying for three seats on the board.

Board members Cathy Wildman and Dan Jorgensen are both up for re-election, and Mary Lewis’ seat is open because the long-time board member is term limited.

The five newcomers seeking a seat are Grant Barrett, Linda Cerva, Monica Colbert, Billie Day and Michael Donald.

Unlike other districts, APS isn’t split into geographic areas so the top three vote-getters will get seats on the board.

Before being elected, Wildman taught form more than 40 years in elementary, middle and high schools. She retired from APS in 2010.

In a candidate questionnaire, Wildman said it’s important for the district to find partnerships in the community — which includes foundations, trust funds, universities, museums, libraries, community and faith based organizations — to help struggling students.

“The school district cannot do it alone,” she said. “We are a community.”

Jorgensen serves as the Accountability and Research Manager in the Accountability and Data Analysis Unit at the Colorado Department of Education and holds a doctorate in education from University of Denver.

The school district this year scrapped its Fifth Block summer school program — which officials had long-touted as a way to help struggling students — in favor of giving individual schools the flexibility to use that money for either summer school of after-school help based on their choosing.

Considering the diverse needs from school to school, Jorgensen said the new approach is the right one.

“I’m a strong believer that each school has its own unique needs based on its individual context and community,” he said. “Thus, we must have flexible systems and learning models in place to address the needs brought about by these differences.”

Donald said he would like the district to look at each individual struggling student and possibly offer help from a third-party counselor, who the district would pay.

“Often when a student falls behind, there are personal issues involved. An in-depth, third-party, private counseling service can work wonders for many students,” he said.

Barrett, who runs a trophy and awards store in Aurora, graduated from APS and now sends his children to the district’s schools.

He said he opted to run for the school board — his first crack at elected office — because he believes effective schools are crucial for the city.

“The schools affect so much of our community, I feel like it’s a pretty important piece to have running smoothly,” he said. “Right now our schools are failing our kids.”

Cerva, who works as a tax adviser, is also making her first run for elected office.

While she doesn’t have children in the district, she has godchildren in APS and said she sees the schools as a vital piece of the community.

As for specific issues, Cerva, a Democratic party activist, said she wouldn’t be opposed to considering performance-based pay for some teachers.

“If a teacher is performing well and you can see the work through the test results, I believe that needs to be looked into,” she said.

Colbert, who works for a nonprofit, said a few years ago she never would have considered running for office.

But after paying more attention to the schools because her two daughters attend APS, she said she changed her mind. “The priority has become larger and larger for me,” she said.

Billie Day, a retired high school social studies teacher, moved to Aurora in 2006. While she doesn’t have any family in the district and didn’t work in APS, she said public schools are important to her.

“I have a strong belief in the value of public schools,” she said.