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Gay Lynn Jameson
Gay Lynn Jameson was a candidate for at-large representative on the Westminster Public Schools school board in Colorado. Jameson was defeated in the at-large general election on November 7, 2017.
Jameson participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 school board candidate survey. Click here to read her responses.
Elections
2017
Two of the five seats on the Westminster Public Schools Board of Education in Colorado were up for nonpartisan general election on November 7, 2017. In their bids for re-election, incumbents Joe Davidek and Ryan McCoy defeated challenger Gay Lynn Jameson.[1][2]
The school district was previously called Adams County School District 50. The board of education voted to change the name in February 2016.[3]
Results
| Westminster Public Schools, At-large General Election, 4-year terms, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Ryan McCoy Incumbent |
40.54% | 5,410 |
| Joe Davidek Incumbent |
30.51% | 4,071 |
| Gay Lynn Jameson | 28.95% | 3,863 |
| Total Votes | 13,344 | |
| Source: Adams County Election Results, "Official Results," accessed November 27, 2017 | ||
Funding
Jameson reported no contributions but $431.60 in expenditures to the Colorado Secretary of State, which left her campaign with $431.60 in debt in the election.[4]
Endorsements
Jameson was endorsed by members of the community. Click here for a list of her supporters.
Campaign themes
2017
Ballotpedia survey responses
Gaylynn Jameson participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates.[5] In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on September 28, 2017:
| “ | As a former teacher and parent of two students now adults, I hope to oversee the moulding of knowledgable citizens that are prepared to enter the workforce, higher education. Prepared for good paying jobs, able to handle adult situations, manage their money well and make us all proud![6][7] | ” |
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 |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| “ | We should be able to do more than your rating allows. Pitting special needs against other priorities is unfair. We need to do better.[7] | ” |
| —Gaylynn Jameson (September 28, 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. When the waiting lists are long at current charters and demand is high then yes. If public schools continue to improve their quality the demand for alternatives will decrease. |
| 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. Too many factors enter the equation that on a particular day once a year test scores with be accurate. Measurement over time is more accurate |
| 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? |
| Put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| Yes. There are many activities and responsibilities in a school besides classroom instruction. When teachers go the extra mile, yes reward them. If they improve their students scores across the board then yes, great jobs should result in higher pay. Merely having been in attendance for another year should not merit a reward. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| Yes. I believe the Supreme Court has ruled on this in Missouri case. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| There should be a policy and set of procedures in place to deal with students who must be removed from the school. It should be fair and equitable but in cases of violent behavior a no nonsense response is critical. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Student-teacher ratio. Parent involvement is just as critical! Encouragement, adequate meals, sleep, homework support/monitoring and good choices with free time all help students have success. |
Candidate website
Jameson highlighted the following issues on her campaign website:
| “ | Religion My favorite bumper sticker is 'As long as there are tests, there will be prayer in schools' Until the Supreme Court overturns the current laws, public schools must follow it, or lose funding. The first amendment states that Congress shall make no law establishing a state religion NOR prohibit the free exercise thereof. I stand on the side of “free exercise of religion. Christmas is Christmas (not Winter Festival) , and Christmas Concerts should contain carols as far as I am concerned. I had a Bible on my desk in my office and had several Bibles in the library (donated)as well as a reference book of world religions. Many picture books are awards winners with Bible stories as the subject: Noah’s Ark-Caldecott Medal Winner. Animals of the Bible was another.
Charter Schools: Are you for or against them? Why? Trade Schools: I am enthusiastically for CTE, and WPS should work with tradesmen to provide entrance to trades through apprentice type co-op training programs. WPS can screen and provide guidelines to provide a successful work experience for students in the workplace. Employers get help and take down those 'help wanted' signs, There is much work to be done to make this successful. Students still need the basic skills to give them flexibility later as job requirements continue to change. I believe a good work ethic is missing in many students today . The value of work for the pay you earn can be instilled at an early age. We once had my son at maybe six years old, earn money a penny at a time, loading bricks into a red wagon. It took hard work to get enough bricks to buy a matchbox car. 😊 Applying the principle (not the bricks and red wagon) can help students today learn the value of dependable quality work habits and maybe a real car). Do we need more lawyers😊 Not everyone can be a Star quarterback. What a waste, to send a kid to a liberal college when he has no idea what he wants to do, and ends up thousands of dollars in debt and no job prospects when he graduates. Middle and High school can be the place you can try out different trades to find your niche and learn basic skills free! A mind is a terrible thing to waste. It takes parents, teachers and school staff to go the extra mile. I would like to see a teacher visit the student at home before absences persist or conferences are missed. I would like to see better attendance at parent/teacher conferences. I have talked at PTA meetings about Dr. Ben Carson and how his poor uneducated mother set standards for her boys that molded their future success. Limited TV, monitored homework, regular bedtimes, and required reading and book reports shown to her or else! Jamie Escalante was a dedicated teacher who made a difference with ghetto kids studying calculus. One of his quotes I love is 'the day someone quits school he is condemning himself to a future of poverty'. I haven’t met a parent yet that wants that for their child. Sometimes enlightenment is needed to change the mindset and give hope.[7] |
” |
| —Gay Lynn Jameson (2017)[8] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Gay Lynn Jameson Westminster Public Schools school board. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Westminster Public Schools, "School Board Election," accessed September 7, 2017
- ↑ Adams County Election Results, "Unofficial Results," accessed November 7, 2017 These election results are unofficial and will be updated after official vote totals are made available.
- ↑ Denver Post, "Adams 50 school district now Westminster Public Schools," February 24, 2016
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "TRACER: Candidate Search," accessed December 11, 2017
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2017, "Gaylynn Jameson's responses," September 28, 2017
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Jameson for Kids, "Issues for Today-Thoughts," accessed November 2, 2017
| Westminster Public Schools elections in 2017 | |
| Adams County, Colorado | |
| Election date: | November 7, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Joe Davidek • Incumbent, Ryan McCoy • Gay Lynn Jameson |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
