Candidates running for Adams 12 School Board Josh Bastion

Debbie Christensen David Elliott Rico Figueroa Kathy Plomer (Declined to participate) Amy Spears (Declined to participate)

Color Coded Answer Key Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

Questions 1 The districts reform efforts at present are not on pace to meet the needs of all of the students. 2 The district is moving in the right direction with the districts current leadership. 3 Too many students are not graduating with the skills they need to be successful. In determining teacher employment, student achievement (growth test scores, college and career prep) should play a significant factor (roughly 50%). In determining teacher pay, student achievement (growth test scores, college and career prep) should play a 5 significant factor (roughly 50%). 6 Teacher pay should be based primarily upon years of experience and educational attainment. 4 7 The district needs more focus on measuring effectiveness of programs and spreading best practices. The district results should be compared to results from districts around the world to assure our students can compete in the global market. Turnaround interventions for struggling schools as well as the creation / establishment of charters and other 9 new schools are BOTH important strategies to improving student success. 8 Charter schools should receive bond and mill levy funding equal to other public schools (including funding for facilities). The district should welcome and assist high-quality charter schools which include allowing high - quality 11 charters to operate in one of the districts recently closed facilities, or to co-locate in one of its underutilized facilities even if it means nearby schools might lose enrollment. The district should support high-quality public schools in every neighborhood, regardless of whether the school 12 is managed by the district or is public charter school. 10 13 The district must have more funding to improve academic achievement.

Bastion Agree Agree Agree Strongly Agree Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree Agree Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly Agree Strongly Agree Disagree

Christensen Agree Agree Agree Agree Agree Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree Agree Strongly Agree Strongly Agree Strongly Agree Strongly Agree Disagree

Elliott Agree Agree Agree Agree Agree Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Agree Agree Did Not Answer

Figueroa Strongly Agree Neutral Strongly Agree Agree Agree Strongly Disagree Agree Agree Strongly Agree Agree Agree Strongly Agree Disagree

14 The district must find a way for funds to go directly to schools. The district's finance system needs to be redesigned so that 70% or more of funding follows students to their public school or program of choice. 16 Funding for schools should be weighted to particular needs such as poverty. Spending should be more transparent and have "return on investment" measures so that we all have a clearer 17 understanding of where taxpayer money is spent and what brings the biggest return on public education investments. 18 Negotiations with all associations (unions) should be held in the open. 15

Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Strongly Agree

Agree Agree Agree Strongly Agree Strongly Agree

Did Not Answer Did Not Answer Did Not Answer Did Not Answer Did Not Answer

Neutral Agree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

Each candidate was asked to answer addition questions. See below.

School Board Candidate Name: Josh Bastian

Please rank what you believe are the most important areas of concentration for the district to raise student achievement. AFP is listing their top 3. 1. Meeting high standards 2. Effective literacy and math programs 3. Community involvement

Please rank what you believe are the most important priorities for K-12 education in this district. AFP is listing their top 3. 1. Expand number of new high-performing district and charter schools 2. Redesign teacher evaluation and pay to retain the most effective teachers 3. Provide better support for teachers

What do you believe is the most important role a school board member should play in ensuring all students in the district receive the education they need and deserve? The school board director is responsible for ensuring that the district is run in such a way that every student in the district is given the opportunity to receive a thorough education. This means that they should hire the right Superintendent to run the administration of the school district and then manage the district through that Superintendent and their board policies to obtain the results desired. It does not mean that they do not have the responsibility of oversight on the Superintendent nor does it mean that they should meddle in affairs that should properly be handled by him or her.

If you have children who do or did attend schools in the district please list those schools. Please print or type your response. I have no children in Adams 12 School District.

Do you support the nearly one billion dollar tax increase on the ballot this year? Why or why not? I do not support the proposed tax increase on the ballot for this year. There are many reasons to oppose this particular amendment without looking at whether or not it will increase taxes. The biggest reason why I oppose this amendment is that it is a sneaky attempt to undo TABOR, to undo Amendment 23, and to put decision making power for the school boards at the state level and not at the district level. Passage of this amendment would increase spending but there is no guarantee that any of that spending would happen in the individual classrooms. There IS a guarantee that at least 1/3 of the money raised will NEVER reach the classrooms. I dont feel that there is any reasonable way to justify those kind of expenditures. There are some good things proposed within the amendment but, in order to get to the good you have to take an awful lot of bad. As a whole the benefit just doesnt match the cost.

Were you endorsed by the union? No.

School Board Candidate Name: Debbie Christensen

Please rank what you believe are the most important areas of concentration for the district to raise student achievement. AFP is listing their top 3. 1. Quality teachers 2. Effective literacy and math programs 3. Meeting high standards

Please rank what you believe are the most important priorities for K-12 education in this district. AFP is listing their top 3. 1. Ensure that the high school degree is aligned with college readiness 2. Reward and hold educators responsible for student results 3. Expand number of new high-performing district and charter schools

What do you believe is the most important role a school board member should play in ensuring all students in the district receive the education they need and deserve? The role of a school board member is to enact policies that serve the best interests of all the students in the district. Board policies should provide a variety of options for parents who want to choose whats best for their kids, incentivize good teachers to work and stay in Title I schools, promote accountability across the district for student achievement, and encourage community engagement in education.

If you have children who do or did attend schools in the district please list those schools. Please print or type your response. Stargate School

Do you support the nearly one billion dollar tax increase on the ballot this year? Why or why not? No. If I could be assured that additional money would exponentially increase student achievement, I would be the first one asking for money. However, I am not convinced the tax

increase is fair to students or their families. I am not convinced the money will ever get to the
kids or the classrooms. In fact, I believe the increase would make Adams 12 uncompetitive compared to other districts. We would lose kids and we wouldnt be able to offer our good teachers competitive enough salaries to keep them. How is that working for the best interest of the kids in our district?

Were you endorsed by the Union? No

School Board Candidate Name: David Elliott

Please rank what you believe are the most important areas of concentration for the district to raise student achievement. AFP is listing their top 3. 1. Quality teachers 2. Quality principals 3. Quality curriculum

Please rank what you believe are the most important priorities for K-12 education in this district. AFP is listing their top 3. 1. Increase k-12 funding 2. Reward and hold educators responsible for student results 3. Redesign teacher evaluation and pay to retain the most effective teachers

What do you believe is the most important role a school board member should play in ensuring all students in the district receive the education they need and deserve? A school board member should do everything in his/her power to promote an atmosphere of productive learning in every classroom. This means they need to attend these classroom settings and see first hand how well they are working. This is the next generation of leaders. We need to give them every opportunity to succeed.

If you have children who do or did attend schools in the district please list those schools. No response. Do you support the nearly one billion dollar tax increase on the ballot this year? Why or why not? No. The economy is not doing well right now. People are already paying large amounts of taxes. If we continue to tax people at this rate, there will be less spending and our

economy will continue to fall. We need to look for other sources of funding for our
educational system. Were you endorsed by the Union? No.

School Board Candidate Name: Rico Figueroa

Please rank what you believe are the most important areas of concentration for the district to raise student achievement. AFP is listing their top 3. Did not respond.

Please rank what you believe are the most important priorities for K-12 education in this district. AFP is listing their top 3. Did not respond.

What do you believe is the most important role a school board member should play in ensuring all students in the district receive the education they need and deserve? I believe the role of the school board member is to bring in the concerns and interests of the community and set the vision of education for their district. They are then to hold staff accountable for accomplishing that vision. They should also participate in the strategies and problem solving necessary to accomplish the quality of education of all students as set out in their vision. They must also play a critical role in communicating to parents and the community so their values and concerns are actively reflected in the direction of the district.

If you have children who do or did attend schools in the district please list those schools. Please print or type your response. Global Village Academy - Northglenn

Do you support the nearly one billion dollar tax increase on the ballot this year? Why or why not? I do not support the tax increase. I believe putting more money into a broken system will only result in more broken results and will have wasted money and the opportunity. We must fix public education first.

Were you endorsed by the union? No.