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Andrea Van Nort
Andrea Van Nort was a candidate for an at-large seat on the Academy School District 20 Board of Education in Colorado. She lost election to the board on November 5, 2013.
Biography
Van Nort has more than twenty years of teaching experience and fifteen years of international experience. She received a Ph.D. in English from Blaise Pascal University in France and was employed at the U.S. Air Force Academy as an associate professor at the time of her candidacy.[1]
Elections
2013
Van Nort and Shannon Mendes lost to Linda Van Matre, Catherine Bullock and Larry Norman Borland in their attempt to win one of three at-large seats in the general election on November 5, 2013.
Results
| Academy School District 20, At-large General Election, 4-year term, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Catherine Bullock Incumbent |
24% | 12,019 | |
| Nonpartisan | Linda Van Matre Incumbent |
23.2% | 11,642 | |
| Nonpartisan | Larry Norman Borland |
23.1% | 11,576 | |
| Nonpartisan | Andrea Van Nort | 18.6% | 9,305 | |
| Nonpartisan | Shannon Mendes | 11.2% | 5,604 | |
| Total Votes | 50,146 | |||
| Source: El Paso County, Colorado, "2013 Coordinated Election," November 14, 2013 | ||||
Funding
Van Nort reported $0.00 in contributions and $2,800.85 in expenditures to the Colorado Secretary of State, which left her campaign with $2,800.85 in debt.[2]
Endorsements
Van Nort is a federal employee and could not accept endorsements for her campaign.
Campaign themes
Van Nort's campaign website listed the following campaign themes for 2013:[3]
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"We must pursue our efforts toward innovation and efficiency and do everything possible to provide our children the best educative environment we can, promoting success and personnal growth among all our District 20 students, regardless of their entry skills and capacities. Education is a perpetual work in progress requiring continuous adjustments. As educators and administrators, we must adapt effictively to our incessantly changing world and to our students' evolving needs. My experience in education and academics would be very useful to our district and community, especially as we face more imposing federal mandates regarding the core curriculum. I am also extremely concerned about school security; we are living in an increasingly dangerous world, and every precaution must be taken in order to protect young lives. Managing our resources in a sustainable way is very important to me, as well as overseeing proper allocation of those funds. I am familiar with other nations' school systems, and I know that more spending can be but is not always the answer to perceived shortcomings. Finally, I would like to see more partnerships developed with local businesses, providing students interested in internships with the possibility to explore different professions in a responsible manner." |
Note: The above quote is from the candidate's website, which may include some typographical or spelling errors.
In an op-ed published in The Gazette, Van Nort publicized her support of school choice policies:[4]
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"School vouchers generate better education for all, whether in public or private schools. On one hand, personal commitment to the choices one makes is one result of freedom. On the other, because of the intrinsic incentive for excellence within the very idea of school vouchers, where different schools compete for the privilege of teaching a child, even public school systems benefit. [...] Perhaps not all families can benefit from vouchers, due to special circumstances. Yet, why limit access to, in many cases, a better education simply because some cannot take advantage of that possibility? The fact is that school voucher programs open up access to a private education, when many families wouldn't otherwise have that opportunity. Decidedly, those who do make the most of school vouchers for their children, particularly those from minority or low-income families, enter an environment where academics are central and the prospect of success more promising." |
In a separate op-ed published in The Gazette, Van Nort explained her opposition to Amendment 66:[5]
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"No one believes more wholeheartedly than I in the need for the promises of Amendment 66 - smaller class sizes, more attention to students, supposed "fairness in the distribution of education dollars." Yet, Amendment 66 doesn't get us there. Most informed Coloradans know that PERA - Colorado's state employee retirement fund - is running woefully short of funds for retiring employees, including teachers. Clearly, we must have a debate on ways to shore up that critical fund. However, legislators in Denver intend to use Amendment 66 to fix the fund under the guise of education reform. The governor is on record confirming that, once the school districts receive these monies, under SB1, they will most likely be apportioned to PERA before other education initiatives. [...] This is the largest and most radical progressive tax increase in Colorado history. It will hit business owners hard and discourage companies from moving here. That is not what we need to restore prosperity to the people of Colorado. This is neither the right time to tax nor the right legislation, and there are no built-in mechanisms or assessments to evaluate 66's results." |
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Andrea + Van + Nort + Academy + School + District"
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through email from Andrea Van Nort on October 18, 2013
- ↑ Colorado TRACER, "Candidate and Candidate Committee Detail," accessed December 19, 2013
- ↑ Andrea Van Nort, PhD, "My vision of Education," accessed October 20, 2013
- ↑ Andrea Van Nort, The Gazette, "Evidence confirms the positive effects of school choice learning," October 20, 2013
- ↑ Andrea Van Nort, The Gazette, "This is not the right time, not the right piece of legislation," November 3, 2013
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