Colin Farnsworth
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Colin Farnsworth was a candidate for Position 7 representative on the Eugene School Board in Oregon. He lost in the general election on May 19, 2015.
Biography
Farnsworth is currently a substitute teacher and has certifications to teach at both the middle and high school levels. Prior to that, he was an assistant manager and education coordinator for a grant funded by the Worker Investment Act. Farnsworth is also a community organizer and civil rights supporter.[1]
Elections
2015
- See also: Eugene School District elections (2015)
Opposition
Four seats of the seven seats on the Eugene School District Board of Directors were up for election on May 19, 2015. Position 1 incumbent Alicia Hays, Position 4 incumbent Craig Smith, Position 5 incumbent Jim Torrey and Position 7 incumbent Mary Walston were up for election.
Smith was the only incumbent who did not file to seek re-election: Eileen Nittler defeated Scott Landgreen in the race for the open seat. Torrey defeated challengers Kevin Cronin and David Nickles, while Walston triumphed over Colin Farnsworth in her re-election bid. Hays won re-election over write-in candidate Lisa Christon.
Results
Eugene School District,
Position 7 General Election, 4-year term, 2015 |
| Party |
Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
| |
Nonpartisan |
 Mary Walston Incumbent |
55.4% |
12,366 |
| |
Nonpartisan |
Colin Farnsworth |
43.7% |
9,753 |
| |
Nonpartisan |
Write-in votes |
0.8% |
184 |
| Total Votes |
22,303 |
| Source: Lane County, Oregon, "Official Final Results Special District Election, May 19, 2015," accessed June 9, 2015 |
Funding
Farnsworth reported no contributions or expenditures to the Oregon Secretary of State in this election.[2]
Endorsements
Farnsworth received no official endorsements as of April 1, 2015.
2015
Farnsworth provided the following campaign themes on his website:
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The 4J School Board currently has no board member who works regularly in our K-12 public school classrooms. The citizens of the 4J School District need someone who not only has an in-class perspective, but also has training in the current "best practices" of teaching. My experience assures that school board decisions will maximize the quality of education in our schools. I can help bridge the gap between our budget and policy decisions to work for students and staff who are directly impacted. As a school board member, I will offer real solutions that:
- Massively lower class sizes and student-teacher ratios
- Vocalize the professional opinions of our school staff
- Respect the educational needs and outcomes of our community and our taxpayers
- Generate new ideas with local school boards to influence state policy
The systemic effects of smaller classes:
Small class sizes are critically important for the success of any education system. They provide teachers the time and ability to actually develop connections with every student. These personal connections allow teachers to better understand the academic needs and learning styles of each student while creating a learning environment where students feel their success matters. Smaller class sizes provide the time and space to build these types of connections which foster more accountability, and academic "buy-in" for both students and teachers. This is partly why numerous class size studies have shown that lowering the number of students per teacher result in:
- Improvements in test scores
- Increased student engagement
- Better attendance
- Lowers drop-out rates
- More equitable learning environments
- Narrowing the achievement gap between students
- Increases in overall college attendance rates
Teachers voices matters! It's time to emphasize the opinions of our professional educators & administrators!
For the past four years I've worked in the public schools around Lane County and have had many candid conversations with school staff at every level of our education system. I understand their frustrations and have listened to their great ideas on how to improve schools in District 4J. I've been so impressed with the sacrifice, flexibility, and ingenuity teachers and school staff consistently show to troubleshoot problems and financial short falls experienced during our most recent economic recession. District 4J has attracted many well qualified, caring, and smart people to work in our local schools. The School Board not only needs to listen our teachers, administrators and counselors but thoughtfully seek out their perspectives. This can help form board members policy by:
- Using technology to conduct simple polling and surveys of school staff for key policy changes
- Understanding pros and cons of schedule changes before they're implemented
- Investigating real needs and real solutions for classrooms and schools
- Identifying useful, practical assessments tools supported by teachers and parents
- Identifying relevant concerns over new curriculums and academic priorities
- Exploring options that protect the academic interests of the less privileged students in our community
The school board needs to be the voice of the people in the community:
Our community should feel that the school board is truly representing them. In a time when every dollar must be used in the most effective way possible, transparency among school board members is critical. Do you believe your current 4J School Board has been transparent enough?
The voters of Eugene have proven time and time again through their extensions and additions of educational tax bonds and tax levies, in supporting a good public education as a high priority. I want to make sure these tax dollars are going directly to areas that will have the most impact on improving the quality of education our communities youth deserve the best. I want to make sure our community knows the school board is;
- Working and fighting for the best use of their tax dollars
- Completely transparent with its financial and policy decisions
- Providing schools with proper resources to fully prepare students for the 21st century workplace
- Giving parents the proper information to make the best choices for their child's education
- Looking for local and state solutions to dramatically lower class sizes
- Making sure standardized testing doesn't dominate schools or teachers priorities
- Protecting the funding of academic subjects not linked to standardized testing
Work with the State of Oregon to identify solutions:
A very influential portion of our school district's revenue is distributed and specifically allocated by the states budgeting process. Realistically, school boards have very few options in the ways they can rearrange and reorganize their budgets to make systemic improvements for their school districts. Although crucial and very influential choices are made by the school boards of every district, the major policy making decisions at the state level truly determine the directives and the resources school boards have to work with. To make sure students, educators, and their communities are getting the most out every tax dollar that is spent on education, it is essential school boards collaborate and engage at the state level. It is imperative that after the school board has done everything it can to maximize their own budget, they need to:
- Identify the remaining academic needs and financial shortfalls identified by school staff and parents.
- Collaborate with other school boards to identify solutions for problems facing their districts
- Make sure state policy makers know the real educational needs of the schools and hold them accountable[3]
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| —Colin Farnsworth's website (2015)[4]
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