Chris Johnson - Board Candidate Interview Questions

July 17, 2014

1. What has been your personal involvement with education in our community?
I have four children in the district two at Soda Creek, one at the Middle School, and one
starting High School. We have lived here (and been enrolled in school here) for the past 3 years.
I have also volunteered in different capacities within the schools and the district.

2. What do you feel is the number one challenge facing our schools today?
Funding schools are being asked to do more special ed, gifted ed, social/emotional
development, provide multiple meals per day for some students, small class sizes, attract and
retain top-notch teachers, comprehensive testing, teacher effectiveness the list goes on, and is
ever expanding. Our schools are better funded than some, and we have been good about doing
more with less, but the list of must-haves and must-dos keeps growing.

3. Although the district is Accredited with Distinction from the state for academic achievement,
what are some areas in the school district that you feel can be improved?
Parent engagement parent engagement is one of the strongest predictors of student success,
and its free. We should cultivate this largely untapped resource to increase student
achievement.

Academic achievement Though we are Accredited with Distinction, there are still many
students who are achieving at the less-than-proficient level. We need to figure out why these
kids are struggling. Our district goal should be that every student is proficient or advanced this
may not be achievable, but it should be the goal.

Attract and retain high quality teachers Ive seen a lot of turn-over in the time that Ive been
here.

4. The board operates under a board governance model. In other words, the board establishes
policies to provide guidance to the administration in order to operate the district. The board
hires one employee, the superintendent, to lead the district and implement its policies. Do
you know anything about this process? Is this a model in which you can comfortably operate?
I am familiar and comfortable with this model.

5. Once the board discusses an issue and votes on an item, it is the expectation that the entire
board, including any dissenting members on a topic, will support the decision of the majority.
Can you support this philosophy? How do you typically handle conflict?
I absolutely support this philosophy. I dont see how a group could work together successfully
any other way. If there are differing opinions, which is quite normal and expected, then the
facts might need to be reviewed, and each person can and should present his or her argument.
A compromise can be suggested, because often both arguments are valid, and somewhere in
the middle can make sense. But once the vote has been taken, the decision is treated as a joint
decision.

6. The school board will soon be fully engaged in developing the 2014-15 budget. What have
been your experiences in preparing budgets and what do you feel are priorities that the board
should consider when preparing the budget?
I dont have a lot of experience preparing budgets for large organizations. I have been involved
in the district budget at the SAC and DAC level. As a priority, the board should continue to look
for efficiencies. They should examine whether the package that they are evaluating is operating
as efficiently as possible. They should make business decisions, not emotional decisions.
Furthermore, every budget decision should have a long-term result of supporting one or all of
the strategic anchors that the school board has adopted.

7. How would you determine whether the school board is doing a good job?
I would expect the board to approach problems with an open mind, discuss the issues with
respect and thought, and make decisions based on a long-term strategy which is in line with the
values of our community. This process should lead to continued or improved job satisfaction for
teachers and administrators, and continued or improved success for our students.

8. Board members sometimes have differences of opinion on an issue. Can you describe a
situation that you were involved in where a group with differing opinions and points of view
had to reach a final decision? Please describe the process, what went well, and what you
might do differently in a similar situation in the future?
I have been involved in many situations where there has been disagreement, but a final decision
had to be reached. The best strategy is first to be sure that everyone has had a chance to say
their piece. Listen respectfully no interruptions, no criticism. Ask questions make sure you
understand. Once all viewpoints have been heard, review the goals of the group. Quite often
the goals will guide the decision. I think that being respectful is the key to maintaining a
healthy working relationship. Nobody wants to feel like their ideas are unworthy.
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Board Candidate Interview Questions- Sherri Sweers
July 17, 2014
PLEASE PROVIDE RESPONSES TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS. THE BOARD OF EDUCATION WILL
REVIEW YOUR ANSWERS PRIOR TO THE INTERVIEWS THAT WILL TAKE PLACE ON JULY 17, 2014. ALL
CANDIDATE RESPONSES WILL BE PUBLIC RECORD AND WILL BE PART OF BOARDBOOK FOR THE MEETING

1. What has been your personal involvement with education in our community?

I was an adjunct professor at the Colorado Mountain College (CMC) here in Steamboat from
approximately Fall semester 2006 through Spring semester 2012. I taught Business
Communications and was responsible for class organization, agenda, books, grading and
reviews. CMC afforded me great latitude in teaching this course and I was able to design a class
where the students were taught practical methods of communicating in the business world; it
was, I believe, a class the students appreciated (and enjoyed if I might be so bold despite the 20
page paper). I thoroughly enjoy teaching. However, I left CMC to focus on my newly opened
legal practice in 2012.

I also have two children in the Steamboat school system. I have two boys, ages eight and ten,
both of whom attend Soda Creek Elementary school (3
rd
and 5
th
grade respectively). While I am
committed to my childrens education, admittedly my participation with the school is minimal,
mostly due to time constraints. I mostly assist teachers with certain topic assignments (e.g.
reading, writing or math groups) when requested.

2. What do you feel is the number one challenge facing our schools today?

a) Maintaining or bettering opportunity and excellence while balancing a budget (not a new
challenge I imagine);
b) Providing challenging curriculum and holding high expectations to maintain a level of
excellence not in Colorado or the U.S., but rather the world
c) Effectuating true change. Perhaps the number one challenge is simply change, itself.
Effectuating true change is difficult regardless of the field. However, there are places that
have proven to have successful educational systems elsewhere: incorporating what are
proven to be good policies and practices, yet which result in inevitable change in how we
normally do things, makes this task a top challenge.




3. Although the district is Accredited with Distinction from the state for academic achievement,
what are some areas in the school district that you feel can be improved?
Academia is always an area that can be improved upon, but sometimes along with the issue of
academics comes tough decisions and change as I reflected upon earlier. If the board, and
myself as a board member, if selected, can effectively make a change which improves academia
and takes it to an even higher recogniztion level then we will have improved!

4. The board operates under a board governance model. In other words, the board establishes
policies to provide guidance to the administration in order to operate the district. The board
hires one employee, the superintendent, to lead the district and implement its policies. Do you
know anything about this process? Is this a model in which you can comfortably operate?

Without sounding too lawyerly, this model is similar to a corporate model in the business world
where there are shareholders who appoint a board of directors; the board then hires officers
(Administration) to operate the day to day business; the board also appoints a Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) (the Superintendent) who is responsible for managing the other officers and
staff/employees of the business as well as the operation of the business generally. The CEO
reports to the board on the status of the business and related issues, while the board functions
to oversee the greater picture of the business. I work with this model on a daily business in
helping businesses get started and be successful. While my own business is structured slightly
different, the concept remains the sameeach level provides a service, invaluable input, and
accountability which in turns ensures success.

5. Once the board discusses an issue and votes on an item, it is the expectation that the entire
board, including any dissenting members on a topic, will support the decision of the majority.
Can you support this philosophy? How do you typically handle conflict?

I have the utmost respect for the majority rule. No two people, and certainly not a board, will
ever view an issue or a set of facts the samethankfully. Difference of opinion, varied input,
and shared experiences are what ultimately create the best decision. That is a primary purpose
for a group or a committee or a board. In the event my opinion is different than the majority on
an issue, I shall completely respect and support the decision; otherwise, I defeat the purpose of
the group.

6. What have been your experiences in preparing budgets and what do you feel are priorities that
the board should consider when preparing the budget?
I manage my own business; I, along with my two partners, set our own budget; we simply
cannot succeed without following a stringent business plan balancing assets and liabilities. I was
also responsible for developing my own budget as the Assistant Athletic Director at the
University of Denver. While my budget was significantly smaller, I was responsible for setting
the financial parameters and maintaining a quality program.
That being said, I suspect preparing a budget for the school district is significantly more
challenging as funds fluctuate annually. I must admit that I do not have a full understanding of
all of the line items that must be incorporated into the school district budget, and without this
information, it is difficult for me to prioritize. However, in my opinion, the budget should be set
to focus on and accomplish those tasks important to the community and in line with the school
district mission.
7. How would you determine whether the school board is doing a good job?

Since the board is an elected body, the community is our best gage in determining the boards
performance. That being said, disseminating information to and obtaining input from the
community in a simple, convenient format is paramount in measuring the boards success. If
we can educate the community and ourselves, as board members, in a simple, convenient
forum(s) (which may or may not include the board meetings), performance, and the assessment
thereof, may be more successful. Teachers are our second gage in determining performance.
Most teachers know how to educate children best. Good teachers can determine what
methods, practices, and disciplines work best with children and what improvements need to be
made (not me). Therefore, while teachers report to principals, and principals to the
Superintendent, I think it very important that the board maintain a consistent, effective form of
communication with our teachers (in the union or not).

8. Board members sometimes have differences of opinions on an issue. Can you describe a
situation that you were involved in where a group with differing opinions and points of view had
to reach a final decision? Please describe the process, what went well, and what you might do
differently in a similar situation in the future

Unfortunately, my profession reveals many conflict situations that I must frequently address. A
typical means of resolving conflict in the legal profession is mediation. I am actually a huge
supporter of mediation, which involves a third neutral party who listens to the facts and the law,
and makes recommendations accordingly. Typically, the parties are separated in different
rooms with the mediator, which provides more up-front, frank discussions. The mediator then
moves between each room discussing the pros and cons of each position, in hopes that a
middle ground is found and agreed upon. I have had mostly successful results with mediation.
I recognize, however, that mediation may not work (or be possible) with a board, although I
believe certain of these settlement techniques can be used to assist the board with differing
opinions. A good mediator or group leader is key.

Board Candidate Interview Questions Tami Havener
July 17, 2014
PLEASE PROVIDE RESPONSES TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS. THE BOARD OF EDUCATION WILL
REVIEW YOUR ANSWERS PRIOR TO THE INTERVIEWS THAT WILL TAKE PLACE ON JULY 17, 2014. ALL
CANDIDATE RESPONSES WILL BE PUBLIC RECORD AND WILL BE PART OF BOARDBOOK FOR THE MEETING

1. What has been your personal involvement with education in our community?
My work for over 30 years has been in Early Education. I have also worked within our
community as a School Board member from 2000-2005. Prior to that time and during my board
tenure, I served on the Education Fund Board as well as the Growth Commission. I have also
served on various school evaluation committees, and strategic planning groups for the SSSD. I
worked at the elementary school as a special education para in the early 80s; and I was a
consumer of Re-2 services as a foster parent for several years.


2. What do you feel is the number one challenge facing our schools today?
The challenge of balancing all of the various external stakeholder demands (READ Act, Educator
Effectiveness legislation, high-stakes testing, etc.) with the daily and long-term needs of the
whole child (academic, cognitive, social, emotional, physical, and familial) in our classrooms.


3. Although the district is Accredited with Distinction from the state for academic achievement,
what are some areas in the school district that you feel can be improved?
I believe in a model of continuous improvement. So there is always room for improvement in
every area. Even when you have achieved excellence, most likely there is still room for further
improvement, or at the very least there needs to be a commitment to maintaining that level of
excellence.


4. The board operates under a board governance model. In other words, the board establishes
policies to provide guidance to the administration in order to operate the district. The board
hires one employee, the superintendent, to lead the district and implement its policies. Do you
know anything about this process? Is this a model in which you can comfortably operate?
We used policy governance when I served on the board previously. I have numerous board
experiences with a variety of governance models, and policy governance is my own preferred
style.


5. Once the board discusses an issue and votes on an item, it is the expectation that the entire
board, including any dissenting members on a topic, will support the decision of the majority.
Can you support this philosophy? How do you typically handle conflict?
This is the only philosophy that allows a governing body to move forward. Rarely does everyone
agree all of the time, so dissent and conflict are bound to occur. A healthy decision can only be
reached if all viewpoints are heard, albeit in a respectful manner.


6. What have been your experiences in preparing budgets and what do you feel are priorities that
the board should consider when preparing the budget?
I only actually prepare budgets for my work. All of the Boards I have served on have staff that do
the preparation of budgets, based on a variety of inputs, including board priorities, for boards to
then review and approve or change as needed. Priorities to consider include the challenging
balancing act as listed in #2 above, as well as community or electorate input. I do have a solid
understanding of school finance in Colorado.


7. How would you determine whether the school board is doing a good job?
By evaluating district results against the Results policies, as well as evaluating board
performance against the rest of the board policies.


8. Board members sometimes have differences of opinions on an issue. Can you describe a
situation that you were involved in where a group with differing opinions and points of view had
to reach a final decision? Please describe the process, what went well, and what you might do
differently in a similar situation in the future.
First, you need to use various tools that are successful;
listen first, talk second,
active listening,
keep people and problems separate,
set out facts,
explore options,
and a host of others.
Selecting the specific tools to use depends on the issue and the personalities around the table.
But perhaps most important, is the rule to make sure good relationships are the first priority. If
you have treated each other calmly and have spent time building mutual respect, it is much
easier to be courteous to each other and remain constructive problem solvers under pressure.
What I always try to do differently in each of these challenges is to remember to breathe
deeply!