Blake Burley
Blake Burley was a candidate for the Seat D seat on the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District school board in Alaska. Burley was defeated in the by-district general election on October 4, 2016.
Burley participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 school board candidate survey. Click here to read his responses.
Elections
2016
Three of the seven seats on the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District school board were up for general election on October 4, 2016. Incumbent Tom Bartels defeated newcomer Ashley Strauch for Seat A. The seat was left vacant in June 2016, when Lisa Gentry resigned as a result of an out-of-state move. Bartels was selected to fill the seat until the October election. Bartels and Strauch competed for the seat for the remainder of Gentry's term, which ends in 2018.[1] Candidates Larry Morris, Jodi Rhoades, and Sharon McConnell competed for Seat C. McConnell won the seat. Seat D incumbent Allyson Lambert faced Blake Burley and won re-election to her seat.[2]
Results
| Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, Seat D General Election, 3-year term, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Allyson Lambert Incumbent |
65.14% | 6,317 |
| Blake Burley | 33.25% | 3,224 |
| Write-in votes | 1.61% | 156 |
| Total Votes | 9,697 | |
| Source: Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, "Election Summary Report," accessed August 5, 2017 | ||
Funding
Burley reported no contributions or expenditures to the Alaska Public Office Commission in the election.[3]
Endorsements
Burley did not received any official endorsements for his campaign during the election.
Campaign themes
2016
Ballotpedia survey responses
Blake Burley participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of school board candidates. In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on September 19, 2016:
| “ | I want to ensure student safety by making certain bathrooms are used appropriately (in accordance with the students sex) and allowing teachers to carry firearms. I want a valuable education experience that trains students to become responsible community members, not just one that prepares them for college. I want to see a balanced budget that doesn't rely on funding from the federal government.[4][5] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Alaska. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| “ | Safety, a valuable education, and balanced budget.[5] | ” |
| —Blake Burley (September 19, 2016) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer nine questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.
| Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.) |
|---|
| No. This is not a viable option for our district at this time. |
| Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| The state should only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. This seems so obvious it's harly [sic] worth being asked. |
| What is your stance on the Common Core State Standards Initiative? |
| I have used Common Core materials in the classroom. I think it's is a fairly useful tool, but I am against a federal mandate that takes a decision from the school districts that would be best made at the local level. |
| How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district? |
| Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students. Offer additional training options. Put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve. Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. All of these are viable options depending on circumstances. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| Yes. Merit pay should not be based on results of standardized tests. Should be determined at the school level. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| Yes. If private schools can provide a service that parents find superior or comparable to a public school, that option should be pursued. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| As necessary with extreme caution. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| School administration. Hands down, parent involvement is king when it come to student success. |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Blake Burley Fairbanks North Star Borough School District. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, Alaska
- Fairbanks North Star Borough School District elections (2016)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ News Miner, "School board appoints new member to open seat," June 1, 2016
- ↑ Fairbanks North Star Borough, "Official Candidate List," accessed September 6, 2016
- ↑ Alaska Public Office Commission, "Campaign Disclosure:Forms," accessed September 8, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2016, "Blake Burley's responses," September 19, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| 2016 Fairbanks North Star Borough School District Elections | |
| Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska | |
| Election date: | October 4, 2016 |
| Candidates: | Seat A: Incumbent, Tom Bartels • Ashley Strauch Seat C: Larry Morris • Jodi Rhoades • Sharon McConnell |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional measures on the ballot |
