What are the primary strengths and weaknesses of your district’s schools?  How can your district make public school a more attractive choice for local families?

District 20’s primary strengths are the parents, teachers, and local business partners who love this district, this community, and are committed to making it more successful than what it is today. We have the desire and willingness to do better for our students and community.

The primary weaknesses are the current cultural drift and its impact on academic growth and achievement. This is a conservative community with conservative values, yet we have stopped representing the community’s vision and values of education. 

District 20 can make public schools a more attractive by getting back to our conservative roots, back to a focused mindset where the main things are the main things: reading, writing, math, science, civics and instilling virtuous character.

Depending on the size of their district, School Board Members decide how to spend $10s of millions of dollars, or even $100s of millions, in taxpayer money each year.  How would you seek to prioritize the funds being stewarded by your district’s School Board?

To be a good steward of the taxpayers money, the school board must be effective in representing the community, setting strong goals and guardrails, and holding the superintendent accountable for student performance and financial stewardship.

Evaluating the current operations and budget to determine the top 3 waste producers (money, time, resources) are two of my top priorities. Part of this on-going evaluative process should be to determine what we need to START doing, what we need to STOP doing, and what we need to KEEP doing. 

In recent years, established freedoms, including that of speech, peaceable assembly, exercise of religion, and medical autonomy, have been impacted by various mandates adopted by schools across America.  As an elected representative of the citizens of your district, how would you seek to secure the Constitutional liberties of your schools’ students and staff?

I am concerned about the erosion of Constitution liberties and freedoms that have accelerated during the last 5 years. As a conservative candidate I will reject any mandate that infringes on our Constitutional rights and fight for our right to live and speak the Truth.

What do you consider to be a parent’s role in a child’s education?  Do you believe that any information about a student should ever be withheld from a parent?

Parents are every child’s first and lifelong teacher. Parent engagement and accountability are directly correlated to students’ success. I support proactive school and curriculum transparency, active parent involvement, and a process to ensure the content being taught reflects community values. I believe there are very few instances when information about a student should be withheld from a parent. The very few instances would involve cases where the student reports abuse occurring at home, in which case, the school would be required to fulfill its role as a mandatory reporter.

What are the primary strengths and weaknesses of your district’s schools?  How can your district make public school a more attractive choice for local families?

D20 has been Accredited with Distinction for 15 consecutive years–the highest performing large school district in Colorado. No school has a Performance Improvement Plan in place. Its strengths are a continual focus on academic excellence, character development and arming students with the skills necessary for postsecondary success. Colorado is a choice state, and D20 has numerous traditional and charter schools to meet every student’s academic and social needs. Its weaknesses are not unlike any high-performing organization; it must always strive to raise the performance of all students all the time. No child should be left behind.

Depending on the size of their district, School Board Members decide how to spend $10s of millions of dollars, or even $100s of millions, in taxpayer money each year.  How would you seek to prioritize the funds being stewarded by your district’s School Board?

My priority is money being optimized where it counts most–our classrooms–and already do this as the incumbent Vice President of the BOE. D20’s per pupil funding from the Colorado School Finance Act ranks 178th out of 178 school districts. I have been in D20 from the days when it was financially strapped to the present day where we have been able to build reserves. Those reserves were needed during the global pandemic and have since been replenished. We have always been financially responsible. Any time we have asked voters for capital improvement (bond), or mill levy override resources, we have had citizen oversight committees in place to ensure that those resources are being  spent as promised to taxpayers.

In recent years, established freedoms, including that of speech, peaceable assembly, exercise of religion, and medical autonomy, have been impacted by various mandates adopted by schools across America.  As an elected representative of the citizens of your district, how would you seek to secure the Constitutional liberties of your schools’ students and staff?

I believe strongly in local control as written in the Colorado Constitution. I also strongly believe in Separation of Church and State as written in the U.S. Constitution. I will also follow the law. While I am a lifelong Christian, I took an oath to represent all students and their families. Our schools should be free of any influence that infringes on the Constitutional liberties of Americans. We are starting to blur those lines in public education.

What do you consider to be a parent’s role in a child’s education?  Do you believe that any information about a student should ever be withheld from a parent?

Parents (or guardians) are essential to a child’s education and parental involvement is a strong indicator of student success. Schools complement what is taught at home. Schools are not daycare centers. It takes a team effort to develop children. My family was heavily involved in our children’s education, and we developed a strong working relationship with their teachers and administrators. Unless there is a formal reported situation of parental abuse where a child is in danger, then no information about a child should be withheld from a parent(s).

What are the primary strengths and weaknesses of your district’s schools?  How can your district make public school a more attractive choice for local families?

The ability to choice students into/out of schools is a tremendous strength. Providing families with options to place children in optimum learning environments is a significant asset. Another strength is having the United States Air Force Academy within the boundaries of D20. Developing stronger relationships with USAFA can benefit D20 students in a myriad of ways. One weakness of our district is the current $300 million deferred maintenance list. We can make our schools attractive by maintaining facilities the best a fiscally responsible budget will allow, by attracting and retaining the best teachers, and by involving parents at every turn. Engaged, involved parents are the key to students having a successful school experience and obtaining a quality education.

Depending on the size of their district, School Board Members decide how to spend $10s of millions of dollars, or even $100s of millions, in taxpayer money each year.  How would you seek to prioritize the funds being stewarded by your district’s School Board?

Those dollars necessary to keep school doors open clearly are a priority. Funds directly tied to student learning and academic performance likewise must be at the top of the prioritization list. For instance, curriculum and textbooks need to be contemporary, particularly those relating to technology and modern sciences, as the fields are so fluid. Our teachers must be paid a competitive wage or else we risk losing them to other school districts. Nothing in the budget is sacred, and where fat needs to be trimmed (in order to reward high-performing teachers), it should be trimmed. And, in order to protect our students and staff, security officers should be hired for all D20 schools.

In recent years, established freedoms, including that of speech, peaceable assembly, exercise of religion, and medical autonomy, have been impacted by various mandates adopted by schools across America.  As an elected representative of the citizens of your district, how would you seek to secure the Constitutional liberties of your schools’ students and staff?

Schools cannot and must not usurp the U.S. Constitution nor the rights of parents. Where conflicts between these arise, the Constitution should prevail and the rights of parents are sacrosanct. To secure Constitutional liberties, district/school policies should be written to align with the Constitution and not seek to undermine it.

What do you consider to be a parent’s role in a child’s education?  Do you believe that any information about a student should ever be withheld from a parent?

The role of the public school system is to assist parents in the educating of their children. Not the other way around. Parents are, or at least should be, the final decision-making authority when it comes to their own kids. Excepting situations where the life or well-being of the child may be placed into jeopardy, information should never be withheld from parents.