Alex Medler (Boulder Valley School District Board of Education District C, Colorado, candidate 2023)

Alex Medler

---

Nonpartisan

Education

High school

South Eugene High School

Ph.D

University of Colorado Boulder, 2008

Personal

Birthplace

Eugene, Ore.

Profession

Education consultant

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Twitter

Alex Medler ran for election to the Boulder Valley School District Board of Education District C in Colorado. He won in the general election on November 7, 2023.

Medler completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. Click here to read the survey answers.

Elections

General election

General election for Boulder Valley School District Board of Education District C

Alex Medler defeated Cynthia Nevison and Andrew Steffl in the general election for Boulder Valley School District Board of Education District C on November 7, 2023.

		Candidate
✔	Submit photo	Alex Medler (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Cynthia Nevison (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Andrew Steffl (Nonpartisan)

---

	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Endorsements

Medler received the following endorsements. To view a full list of Medler's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here.

• Gov. Jared Polis (D)
• State Rep. Judy Amabile (D)
• State Rep. Kyle Brown (D)
• State Rep. Matt Jones (D)
• State Rep. Junie Joseph (D)
• Boulder Mayor Aaron Brockett
• Boulder Valley Sch. Brd. Memb. Laurie Albright
• Boulder Valley Sch. Brd. Memb. Richard Garcia
• Boulder Valley Sch. Brd. Memb. Kathy Gebhardt (D)
• Colo. State Board of Education Memb. Rebecca McClellan (D)
• State Board of Ed. Memb. Angelika Schroeder (D)
• State Board of Regents Memb. Lesley Smith (D)
• Frmr. state Rep. Terrance Carroll (D)
• Frmr. State Sen. Peter Groff (D)
• Frmr. State Board of Regents Memb. Linda Shoemaker (D)
• Broomfield County, Colo., Democratic Party
• Colorado Education Association
• Boulder Elevated
• Boulder Progressives
• Boulder Weekly
• Everytown for Gun Safety
• Safe Communities Coalition
• Yellow Scene Magazine

Pledges

Medler signed the following pledges.

• Everytown for Gun Safety

Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Alex Medler completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Medler's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I want to continue recent BVSD equity-oriented initiatives directing resources to our schools with higher proportions of students from low-income families, students of color, and multi-language learners. These efforts are showing strong initial results, and we will need to dedicate new resources to this work as federal funding related to COVID runs out.

I will prioritize student mental health, well-being, and sense of belonging, including addressing bullying and working to ensure our LGBTQ students feel safe and included in our schools. Student safety and sense of belonging is a complex issue. No single program or policy can achieve this, but the district can support school efforts that are based on research and evidence that help educators and families build schools that are more oriented toward students’ needs.

I want to engage all of our high school students by providing additional access to challenging content, Career and Technical Education, and post-secondary options. This includes students that are not oriented toward selective colleges. Students should feel engaged and excited that their time in high school is preparing them for whatever they choose to do after graduation.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Too many students are struggling. We must make student well-being, mental heath, and their sense of belonging and safety a priority.
• We must continue to address opportuity and achievement gaps. The district has made progress in recent years by supporting schools with historically underserved populations. As our COVID-related funding expires, we need to find new ways to support these initiatives.
• Alll our high school students deserve a challeging and engaging experience that prepares them for whatever it is they plan to do after graduating. We can expand the options and increase engagement so that all high school students are excited about and prepared to succeed after they leave our schools. their

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about the promise of public education, and I believe we can celebrate what is working while continuing to improve what should be better.

I believe all students deserve a great experience in our schools, and that when we prioritize the needs of historically underserved students and students who may struggle, our schools become better for everyone.

Schools should be connected to communities and families and our district should seek out and build strong relationships with our local cities and other partners that share our commitment to young people.

I have worked extensively in my professional life on improving access, services, and outcomes for students with disabilities. This is an area where we can do better as a district.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I am inspired by my twin sister, who currently leads the University of Oregon's child care center. She has had an impressive career in Oregon at various positions leading early care centers, including for Eugene's little kids at risk of abuse and neglect. Her steady focus on the well-being and love that every child feels in their life regularly recenters me about what truly matters in education.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am experienced and very good at helping diverse groups of people and organizations come together to advance a policy or programatic goal. I believe that our solutions to the trickiest challenge are better when we help more of the people involved in the issue participate in the process, and help people understand and appreciate their collaborators' perspectives as we work together.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

A friend authored a science fiction/fantasy series that included a minor character based on me. My sister is more the inspiratio for the herroine. In each book, her lame twin brother (me) gets lost or hurt early in the book, and reemerges at the end after having some less important adventure that advances the back story.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

To provide policy guidance to the district as it pursues the education, wellbeing, and life-outcomes of all its students.

Who are your constituents?

Students are the primary constitutents of a school board member, while the full set of constituents includes parents and famiies, community members, and local partners.

How will you build relationships with members of the broader community? Which groups, organizations, stakeholders will you specifically target?

I hope to make BVSD a strong partner to local governments, community groups and other partners. I want to ensure our district is taking all steps to protect the safety of our students, and I hope we can expand our capacity to address issues relted to mental health, well-being, and students' sense of belonging.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Current and Former Elected Leaders

The Honorable Jared Polis
Kathy Gebhardt, Current President, BVSD Board of Directors, Member District C
Laurie Albright, Former President, BVSD Board of Directors
Lesley Smith, CU Regent and Former BVSD Board Member
Angelika Schroeder, Former Chair, Colorado State Board of Education, Member
Rebecca McClellan, Chair, Colorado State Board of Education
Aaron Brockett, Mayor, City of Boulder
Judy Amabile, State Representative, Colorado House fo Representatives
Terrance D. Carroll, Former Speaker, Colorado House of Representatives
Peter Groff, Former President, Colorado Senate
Matt Jones, Former Boulder County Commissioner, State Senator, and State Representative

Organizations
Boulder Progressives
Boulder Valley Education Association
Colorado Education Association
SAFE Communities Coalition

Community Members
Kirk Quitter
Franziska Zenhausern
Kara Mertz
Steve Mertz
Jeff Yegian
Jenny Duvaud
Pat Minniear
Noel Yegian
Nina Lopez
Jim Voss
Josh Robinson
Andrew Brodsky
Laima Haley
Robby Loeb
Brian Blaser
David Ensign
Mackenzie Khan
Drew Pelton
Thomas M. Garbriel
Carl Streeter
Brian Blaser
Julie Voss
Daniel Schaffer
Charles Bardeen
Vickki Seymour-Dial
Phil Von Hake
James Pinto
Tammy Weckwerth
Ross Schubert
Sam Fitch

Susan Clark

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Other survey responses

Ballotpedia identified the following surveys, interviews, and questionnaires Medler completed for other organizations. If you are aware of a link that should be added, email us.

• League of Women Voters
• Out Boulder County

See also

2023 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel Union Station

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

Boulder Valley School District Board of Education District C

Website

Twitter