Candidate Profile: School Board District 4: Karen Carpenter

School Board: District 4

Candidate: Karen Carpenter (incumbent)

Residence: The Uplands

Education: A Bachelor's degree in Latin, a Master's degree in human behavior and a law degree.

Karen Carpenter was elected to the board in 2010 when she won the seat that had been vacated by three-term veteran Walter Miller.

Once elected, Carpenter often clashed with what had been perceived as a very pro-administration board and its attorney John Bowen. Together with fellow incumbent Julie Aranibar, who'd also been elected to the board in 2010, she often found herself on the losing end of 3-2 votes.

However, Carpenter's dogged questioning of district finances helped lead to the previous administration's acknowledgment of millions of dollars in unreported expenditures in late 2012. A shuffled board then elected her chair, where she provided important leadership during the most trying time in the district's history, which included three interim superintendents and finally the hiring of current chief Rick Mills, whom Carpenter voted for in a 3-2 vote.