Bucher, 61, a longtime social studies teacher, equity leader and mother of one BVSD graduate, is making her second bid for a board seat after an unsuccessful run against Beth Niznik in 2021. She taught in the district for nearly 30 years and is now at a private school that serves students who, she says, have been pushed out of public education due to sociological, neurological or sexual differences. Bucher has been active in promoting inclusive curriculum, sponsoring a Gay-Straight Alliance and helping lead the No Place for Hate campaign. If elected, she says she would be the board’s first openly gay member and the first teacher to serve in 20 years. This year, she is running against Jeffrey Anderson in the only contested BVSD school board race.
Endorsements: Rocky Mountain Equality Action Fund, BVEA teacher union
Answers to questionnaire
Motivations and qualifications: Why are you running for a BVSD board seat now, and what experience and qualifications make you prepared to serve?
I retired in 2020, having met the required years of service. I wanted to give back to the BVSD community that had given me so much in the 27 years I worked there. I take true pride in the efforts made to create an inclusive and equitable learning community. Since that time, I have been working at private schools, and in doing so have learned about the places that the school district is still underserving a variety of students. My efforts are truly to be of service to a community that I love. But also to continue on a journey to bring more equity in outcomes to all students, and to protect those who are under constant scrutiny today.
Declining enrollment: Student enrollment across BVSD has been falling for years, with some schools projected to dip below 50% capacity by 2029. What would you do to address declining enrollment and its impact on schools, including the possibility of grade-level or school consolidations or boundary changes?
This is a problem we will need to address, and it is more complicated because our east county schools will not have this problem as communities continue to expand and add residents in Erie and Lafayette. I am a real fan of neighborhood schools and recognize their importance in uniting neighborhoods and giving a sense of belonging to students. The difficult decisions to cut/close a school come when the programs available to students begin to be reduced, making the school a less than optimal option. For example, not having enough students enrolled in SAAC, Great Books, or any number of supplemental programs ceases to be offered. Then the quality of the school may actually decline. We want our students to have excellent and equitable opportunities for success.
Budget and taxes: BVSD spends significantly more per student than the state average, and more each year as enrollment declines. Meanwhile, homeowners are shouldering more of the cost as the district becomes increasingly locally funded (currently 95.8%). What would you do to balance student needs with fiscal responsibility? Should the district consider future tax measures (e.g., mill levy overrides or bonds)?
In all of my years and in all the communities I have worked in, parents and students demand top notch schools and realize the connection between a great school district and the value of the surrounding homes. However, in my community, since the Marshall Fire the values of homes has exploded! Since the taxes are based on assessed values, the tax burden has already gone up. Areas that are in special taxation districts can’t swallow a call for more taxes, but Bonds could be a way to cover the costs for long-term investments still needed in the infrastructure.
Equity and student disparities: Hispanic students make up 22% of BVSD enrollment but account for 43% of suspensions and only 11% of gifted program placements. What would you do to address these disparities and ensure minority families feel confident that the district is consistent in its handling of bullying and inequity?
This is a very complex problem. Efforts to train teachers and leaders have been in place for decades now. As an educator who has left the public school system, I would say the problem lies in how connected our Latino students feel to the community that they are learning. The disciplinary problems reported in the state do coincide with the development of adolescents, but are at a higher count in Latino populations, and the BVSD numbers that you have provided are extremely high compared to the state average. I believe that more effort in making the curriculum represent all learners, and classrooms responsive to different learning needs, will lower these numbers. An equitable success rate would dramatically change the disciplinary numbers.
As far as the recognition of TAG students, I have seen that a more robust evaluation process would make these numbers more equal. Some elementary schools simply use the success of students on Math assessments or English assessments as the determining factor in including students in these groups, and this designation sticks for their entire school career. If designating TAG students is important, we should be looking at the whole child, and not one or two factors. By High School, students can opt into AP and IB programs that cater to these students, but the self-esteem that students “labeled early isn’t reproducible. This could be accomplished by desegregating TAG programs in the early years and encouraging students to participate.
Student well-being and mental health: As of March 2025, 55% of schools nationwide reported increased staff concerns about students exhibiting symptoms of depression, anxiety and trauma. What should the district do to support students’ social-emotional health while maintaining strong academic expectations?
Mental health has been reported as a concern across the country, and BVSD has implemented some programs that should be assisting students to find available help in the large comprehensive high schools. Theoretically, the cell phone ban should also help with mental health at all levels, as students’ lack of engagement with others is sometimes cited as one of the major reasons that we have an epidemic of poor mental health. Some resources should also be supplied to the smaller schools, which have the advantage of creating small communities of learners that engage all. I would like to know what these schools are doing to help mental health. I am sure teachers/counselors are addressing this regularly. This is a symptom of our society in general and not a particular feature of BVSD.
Technology and AI: BVSD teachers are already using AI tools like MagicSchool to develop lessons and communications, but the district has no clear policy on transparency or risks. BVSD also launched its first year of a districtwide cell phone ban, with no formal impact evaluation. What should the district do to guide and evaluate the use of new technologies, and what sort of boundaries – if any – should the district set for AI in schools?
I have a master’s degree in Information and Learning Technology and have thought deeply about the impact of technology on students. The arguments and fears that we have about AI are very similar to the arguments we had about using Internet resources 20 years ago. Will students cheat? Yes. Will we be able to figure out how to teach our students using it? Absolutely, yes. We are figuring it out more and more every day. But blindly banning technology, and suddenly, is not a way to change the culture of schools. This technology will be a part of our world and our students’ experiences. We will need to be resilient enough to see the potential of using AI for good and in unexpected ways, and to learn how to protect our students from having their own data used by AI.
As far as cell phones, the bans did little to stop all use of cell phones, but the policy did give teachers the support to more actively patrol the use. This alone has helped in classroom management of the student engagement process. It would be very interesting to have some quantitative data from parents and cell phone usage as reported by their provider. Some excellent schools are banning all technology and this seems out of touch with the world students will live in.