Bryce Carlson
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Bryce Carlson was the District B representative on the Thompson Board of Education in Colorado. He won election to the board on November 5, 2013, and he served until December 2017 as he did not file to run for another term in the general election on November 7, 2017.
Biography
Carlson earned an undergraduate degree in political science from North Park University. He founded and went on to serve as the pastor at Foundations Church. Carlson and his wife have two children.[1]
Elections
2013
Carlson sought election to the board against incumbent Janice Marchman on November 5, 2013.
Election results
| Thompson Board of Education, District B General Election, 4-year term, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Bryce Carlson |
50.4% | 15,075 | |
| Nonpartisan | Janice Marchman Incumbent | 49.6% | 14,852 | |
| Total Votes | 29,927 | |||
| Source: Larimer County, Colorado, "Election Summary Report," November 19, 2013 (dead link) | ||||
Funding
Carlson reported $12,000.00 in contributions and $12,000.00 in expenditures to the Colorado Secretary of State, which left his campaign with no cash on hand.[2]
Endorsements
Carlson earned the endorsement of Liberty Watch Colorado in the 2013 election.[3]
Campaign themes
2013
Carlson's campaign website listed the following issues for 2013:[4]
Student achievement
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"My number one focus on the Thompson School Board will be to maximize student achievement in the district. There is nothing more important than our kids. We need to come together to develop innovative approaches that will get our students excited to learn. There is much to celebrate in our district as we are above the state average in most academic categories, but there is much that needs to be improved. The district states in its budget goals for 2013-2014 that Thompson will be “the preferred choice for all.” Sadly though, we are falling behind many of our neighboring communities in several key academic categories including TCAP scores, ACT scores, graduation rates as well as the number of our students who require remedial coursework to be prepared for college level learning. This is something that needs to get turned around if Thompson is truly going to be the preferred choice for students and families in northern Colorado. I am confident that we can get it done. I will be the first to admit that I don’t have all the answers. First and foremost I am a parent who loves my kids and loves this community. I do know that we have incredible teachers in this district. I know many of them personally, and they have a very difficult job. They are too many times held solely accountable for students’ performances when there are so many factors that are out of their control. There is no one who understands the challenges we face in educating our kids more than our teachers. One of the first things I would do as a School Board Director would be to sit down with our teachers to understand the challenges they face and gain their wisdom in how to solve them." |
Fiscal responsibility
|
"Just like with any area of our lives, usually when we spend more money than we are taking in we are asking for trouble down the road. That is true of our budgets at home, in our businesses, in our country and in our school districts. Sure, there are many things that we’d like to do in all of the aforementioned areas of life, and most of them are probably very good things. But if we do not learn to live within our means then we will be seriously jeopardizing the future. We need to give our educators the tools they need to do their jobs well, but we need to do it in a responsible way. The answer to the challenges facing our district is not necessarily more money. In 2012-2013 the district expected $110,723,352 in total revenues, yet it budgeted $113,995,621. And the spending continues to rise. The 2013-2014 budget projects revenues of $115,739,243 and total expenditures of $121,187,216. With performance in the district remaining largely flat, it is clear that more spending is not the answer. We need to look at maximizing the impact of each dollar spent rather than the amount of dollars spent. We must make fiscal responsibility a priority to ensure the long term success of our district." |
Prepared to launch
|
"The best part of my education experience in the public school system was not the achievement of a standardized test score or even any specific subject studied. The best part of my experience was the preparation it offered me for life by teaching me to use my mind. The only purpose of education is to teach a student how to live his life—by developing his mind and equipping him to deal with reality. The training he needs is theoretical, i.e., conceptual. He has to be taught to think, to understand, to integrate, to prove. He has to be taught the essentials of the knowledge discovered in the past—and he has to be equipped to acquire further knowledge by his own effort. ~Ayn Rand Standardized tests seem to be the rule of the day in terms of how to judge the effectiveness of teachers and school districts. Standardized tests are important, but they in and of themselves should not be the goal. My hope is that Thompson School District is unleashing kids on the world who are prepared for life whatever they decide to do after receiving their diploma. |
Note: The above quote is from the candidate's website, which may include some typographical or spelling errors.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Bryce + Carlson + Thompson + School + District"
See also
External links
Footnotes
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