Angela Lema announces candidacy for School Board District E
Angela Lema has spent years fostering success for students, as owner of The Salon Professional Academy, 432 North Ave. Now she wants to do the same for School District 51 kids.
By JAMES BURKY James.Burky@gjsentinel.com
Angela Lema has spent years fostering success for students, as owner of The Salon Professional Academy, 432 North Ave. Now she wants to do the same for School District 51 kids.
Lema announced her candidacy for School Board on Tuesday. She’ll be running for the District E seat, which covers Clifton and Palisade. Although Lema doesn’t have children in the public schools, she still feels compelled to support the system.
“I’ve seen kids come through my program and they’re struggling after school. Based on that, I think we can do better,” Lema said. “Public school is about giving kids a relevant and good education.”
Lema is from Moab, Utah, and moved to Grand Junction in 1985. She eventually moved to Denver before returning to Grand Junction about 15 years ago.
That’s when she started The Salon Professional Academy.
Since then, the academy has produced hundreds of graduates, she said.
Lema thinks that because the academy is a post secondary school that deals with government compliance, and deals with federal financial aid, her experience is relevant to public education.
“I’ve been educating kids for 15 years. But we’re not just teaching hairdressing,” she said. “We’re teaching business, chemistry and anatomy. But I also think my background gives me enough of a unique experience to bring something new.”
Lema wasn’t planning to run until people in the community approached her, she said. After thinking it over, she realized that it would be a natural move for her to make, she said.
Plus, she thinks the end goal of public school and the academy are the same: prepare students for the workforce.
She thinks that District 51, though, needs to improve on that front. She also said teachers need to be supported by the district and school board.
Lema will be running for the seat held by Dr. Amy Davis.
David Combs, a longtime activist and community leader, announced his candidacy for the same seat on July 17.
For more information on Lema’s campaign, you can visit voteangelalema.com.
“I think school board is a big job and so my priorities are going to be helping students and teachers. I’m hearing a lot of frustration from everyone about the school district,” Lema said.
“I think I’m the best person to do both of those. I want to increase positive outcomes for students, support teachers and be fiscally responsible with taxpayer money.”