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Voters in the Jefferson County School District will add at least one new face to the school board next month; Lyle Rehwinkel is not running for re-election. Hoping to replace him are Jamie Hurd, Sue Matters and Gary Smith. Juan Leach Orozco has withdrawn from the race.

The other two openings pit Brian Crow against incumbent Laurie Danzuka, and Alyssa Macy against the current board chairman, Tom Norton Jr.

For the open Position 2 seat, voters should choose Jamie Hurd, 34. Hurd grew up in Colorado and worked for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and, most recently, for the Warm Springs tribes as a wildlife biologist. She’s a stay-at-home mom with three young boys and also serves on the Madras Aquatic Center Recreation District board. Hurd promises to bring youth, energy and a desire for improved communications to the board.

Hurd is opposed by Sue Matters, 55, of Warm Springs. She has managed the tribes’ radio station, KWSO, for 14 years, and ran for the school board four years ago. Hurd’s other opponent, Gary Sisk, 60, retired from his job as the Ashland School District’s facilities coordinator last year.

Danzuka, 46, should be returned to the board for a third term in the Position 1 seat. A Madras High School graduate and resident of Warm Springs, she works for Warm Springs Ventures in economic development. Before joining the school board, she worked as a childhood advocate and served on the tribal education commission. She’s a solid member of the board whose work on behalf of students on and off the Warm Springs reservation should be allowed to continue. Her opponent, Brian Crow, 47, is relatively new to the area and manages the Jefferson County fairgrounds.

Finally, one of the most difficult choices The Bulletin’s editorial board has made in this May election is that between Alyssa Macy, 42, the incumbent, Tom Norton, also 42, for the Position 3 seat. Both are strong candidates, reared in Jefferson County and both graduating from Jefferson County High School in 1993.

Norton has served the board well for eight years and currently is its chairman. He’s a bright, thoughtful rancher. If he’s re-elected, the district will be well served.

Macy, however, will bring an intense new look at the district’s challenges. She’s been a human rights activist and has worked on campaigns and for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. She returned to Warm Springs in 2013 because she wanted to put her skills to work in her own community. Her breadth of experience and background in policymaking make her the better choice for the board.