Donna Miers
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Donna Miers is the District E representative on the Boulder Valley School District school board in Colorado. Miers won a first term in the at-large general election on November 7, 2017.
Miers participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 school board candidate survey. Click here to read her responses.
Biography
Miers earned a bachelor's degree in education from Texas Wesleyan College and a master's degree in education from the University of Illinois. She also earned licenses and endorsements to teach special education, English, and social studies as well as to work with students with severe affective needs and linguistically diverse students. She worked as a teacher and administrator in the Boulder Valley School District until her retirement in May 2017. Miers also worked as a special education director for Dakota Ridge School and Boulder Community Hospital. She has served on the board of directors of the Boulder Potters Guild.[1]
Elections
2017
Three of the seven seats on the Boulder Valley School District Board of Education in Colorado were up for nonpartisan general election on November 7, 2017. In her bid for re-election, incumbent Tina Marquis ran unopposed and won re-election to the District B seat. Donna Miers, Raj Rawat, and Dean Vlachos ran for the open District E seat, and Alexandra Eddy and Kitty Sargent ran for the open District F seat. Miers and Sargent won election to the board.[2][3] Andrew Hendrickson initially filed to run for the District F seat, but he withdrew from the race.[4]
Results
| Boulder Valley School District, District E General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Donna Miers |
47.17% | 19,893 |
| Dean Vlachos | 35.58% | 15,005 |
| Raj Rawat | 17.24% | 7,272 |
| Total Votes | 42,170 | |
| Source: Boulder County Elections, "2017 Coordinated Election November 7, 2017 Official Results," accessed November 27, 2017 | ||
Funding
Miers reported $4,430.00 in contributions and $4,430.00 in expenditures to the Colorado Secretary of State, which left her campaign with a $0.00 balance in the election.[5]
Endorsements
Miers was endorsed by the Daily Camera.[6]
Campaign themes
2017
Ballotpedia survey responses
Donna Miers participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates.[7] In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on October 12, 2017:
| “ | My priorities are: • Equity for our students, teachers, and parents including the correct targeted interventions and support systems • Quality instruction and learning environment, also with providing needed resources and support • Teacher retention, especially in this time of a shrinking pool of qualified candidates • Assure that our school district’s money is spent wisely and our budget is sustainable • Seek and develop common assessments so our district’s progress can be reliably monitored and measured • Providing the best professional development and new teacher training possible I believe that these are the things that move our students to academic proficiency. Two Years: In the next 2 years we must hire a new superintendent. We must look for the best qualified candidate that can lead us, encourage us, develop and implement plans that match our mission and vision and goals. Then, finally progress monitor these plans so that we can be assured we are moving our students to successful outcomes. I would support a superintendent candidate that agrees with my priorities and one who is not only capable of moving these forward, but shares my excitement and urgency. Five Years: In the next 5 years we must continue our bond work. We must create and manage a budget that is sustainable. We must hire and retain high quality teachers. We must narrow the achievement gap so that all students are moving toward successful outcomes. We must also provide growth opportunities for all of our students, not just the ones that struggle. Again, I believe that by embedding these priorities into our culture and practices, we can meet the instructional needs of all students.[8][9] | ” |
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 Colorado. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| “ | We must narrow the achievement gap that is so prevalent in our English Language Learners and our students of low income. We cannot wait until a student is below the 12th percentile and failing before we intervene. There are assessments such as AIMsweb and STAR. These are quick, painless assessments that students actually enjoy. We can get regular (weekly or monthly) data that allows us to know if a student is improving academically. If we assess student several times a month then we can determine whether or not we need to change the instructional intervention or not. When a student begins to see his/her own growth on data charts then the student begins to have a feeling of success and desires to continue on that trajectory of success. I have used these assessments and have had great results with my students. If we had such core assessments district-wide and obtained and used the results regularly to drive instruction, then we would begin to see a narrowing of the achievement gap.[9] | ” |
| —Donna Miers (October 12, 2017) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer eight 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.) |
|---|
| Yes. Charter schools offer an alternative choice for parents and students. We have both charter and focus schools that give parents and students a choice in academic programming. Choices are always good to have and our charter and focus schools have proven to fulfill needs within our district. |
| 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 defer to school board decisions in most cases. I believe in local control of our school district. We need leadership for standards of education and graduation from the state. However, the local boards best understand the needs of our students and communities. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| Yes. I think our standardized testing does need to change. Currently, our testing has become extremely grueling for students and staff. Testing chews up valuable instruction time each year. For the past several years we have gone from one test to another (CSAP, TCAP, PARCC and CMAS) so that we cannot obtain reliable comparisons and growth information from year to year due to ever-changing norms on the tests. I believe we can find a way to shorten the testing and still get reliable data. We must work together to find a better way for students to demonstrate proficiency in math, reading, and science. Additionally, it is not fair to have our English Language Learners take these tests when they do not have the language skills nor the background knowledge necessary for the tests. Currently, the tests are too long and grueling and cause stress and resentment from students, parents, and staff. I know there is a better way to assess our students and or progress as a district. I propose a set of district wide "Common Assessments" that can be integrated into our formative and summative instructional testing. These then would provide routine and individualized guidance for the appropriate interventions to meet our student needs. |
| 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? |
| Offer additional training options. 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. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| Yes. Yes, but in order to effectively and economically institute such a system, the current labor union controls and contracts must be changed to allow this approach to be successful. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. Public schools were created to benefit all students using taxpayer money. Some school districts have been unable to meet the academic challenges of students causing parents to look elsewhere for services and thus request money to send their students to a private school that can provide a specific service. I believe school districts have tried very hard to meet all student needs. School districts now have not only on-line education but also charter schools, STEM and STEAM schools, IB and AP classes, great transition programs for special needs students, etc. I believe that school districts need to carefully consider the needs of all students and budget the resources necessary to meet those needs so that those students can grow academically, socially, emotionally and physically. Districts must find the money for needed resources for these students so that the students can move toward their dreams and goals as a contributing member of our society. With districts supplying these needs, parents will not have to advocate for money to pay for private education. Public education should be Free and Appropriate for all students (FAPE). |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| As a last resort! The district also has firm policies around expulsion and zero tolerance behaviors. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers. Quality teaching is the most important factor in achieving positive student outcomes. However, even the best teacher is hampered by large class sizes and students suffer because the teacher is overwhelmed by administrative and behavioral responsibilities and can't effectively spend the needed time assessing student needs and applying the appropriate and individualized interventions needed for student success. There has been excellent research done on the effectiveness of class size reductions (for example see reviews by The National Education Policy Center - http://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/research-based-options). Unfortunately, this research is often refuted by administrators worried about the budget impacts. |
Candidate website
Miers highlighted the following issues on her campaign website:
| “ | Educational Priorities:
will work for you in the following ways:
|
” |
| —Donna Miers (2017)[10] | ||
Political philosophy
Miers submitted the following political philosophy to Ballotpedia:
| “ | I have a passion for education and our students. I have worked as a classroom teacher, an administrator and most recently as an instructional and transition specialist for Boulder Valley Schools where I assisted teachers in grades 8 – 12 in developing successful Individual Education Plans (IEPs) that met state and federal compliance regulations. I helped move many students toward their goals as an adult.
When I recently retired from the teaching profession (May 2017) I wanted to continue to provide the knowledge and experience I have gained as an educator to our education community. I know state and federal education policy and I also have the expertise and experience to understand the financial and instructional needs of our district. I now have the time, experience and dedication it takes to serve you well.[9] |
” |
| —Donna Miers (2017)[1] | ||
She also added:
| “ | I have been an educator for over 3 decades. I have lived in Boulder Valley School District for nearly 34 years and sent my 3 sons through the Boulder Valley Schools. My sons are all successful graduates of Boulder Valley School District[9] | ” |
| —Donna Miers (2017)[1] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Donna Miers Boulder Valley School District school board. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Information submitted on Ballotpedia's biographical information submission form on September 7, 2017
- ↑ Boulder Valley School District, "BVSD BOE Candidate Information," accessed September 5, 2017
- ↑ Boulder County Elections, "2017 Coordinated Election November 7, 2017 Unofficial Results," accessed November 8, 2017
- ↑ Boulder County Elections, "2017 Candidates and Ballot Issues," accessed November 8, 2017
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "TRACER: Candidate Search," accessed December 11, 2017
- ↑ Daily Camera, "Editorial: For Boulder Valley School Board," October 10, 2017
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2017, "Donna Miers's responses," October 12, 2017
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Donna Miers for BVSD School Board, "Issues," accessed October 30, 2017
| Boulder Valley School District elections in 2017 | |
| Boulder County, Colorado | |
| Election date: | November 7, 2017 |
| Candidates: | District B: • Incumbent, Tina Marquis District E: • Donna Miers • Raj Rawat • Dean Vlachos District F: • Alexandra Eddy • Kitty Sargent |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
