Ivy Liu

Ivy Liu

Nonpartisan

Candidate, School District 49 school board, District 1

Prior offices

School District 49 school board, District 4

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School District 49 school board, District 1

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Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Next election

November 4, 2025

Education

Bachelor's

University of San Francisco, 1979

Graduate

University of California, Davis, 1982

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Navy

Years of service

1983 - 1989

Personal

Religion

Christian

Profession

Property manager, volleyball official

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Ivy Liu is running for election to the Falcon School District 49 school board to represent District 1 in Colorado. She is on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025.^[source]

Liu was a member of the Falcon School District 49 school board in Colorado, representing District 1. She assumed office on February 22, 2023. She left office on September 8, 2023.

Biography

Ivy Liu was born in Kowloon, Hong Kong. Prior to joining the school board, Liu served in the United States Navy, has owned a business, and worked in youth ministry.

Liu earned a B.S. in biological sciences from the University of San Francisco and an M.S. in agronomy from the University of California, Davis. She has been affiliated with the following organizations: El Paso County Republican Women and Sunrise Republican Women.

Elections

2025

See also: School District 49, Colorado, elections (2025)

General election

The general election will occur on November 4, 2025.

General election for School District 49 school board, District 1

Incumbent Jamilynn D'Avola, Ivy Liu, and Holly Withers are running in the general election for School District 49 school board, District 1 on November 4, 2025.

		Candidate
		Jamilynn D'Avola (Nonpartisan)
		Ivy Liu (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Holly Withers (Nonpartisan)

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
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Endorsements

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2021

See also: Falcon School District 49, Colorado, elections (2021)

General election

Special general election for School District 49 school board, District 4

Incumbent Ivy Liu defeated Tammy Harold in the special general election for School District 49 school board, District 4 on November 2, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ivy Liu (Nonpartisan)	64.5	2,129
		Tammy Harold (Nonpartisan)	35.5	1,174

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,303
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Endorsements

To view Liu's endorsements in the 2021 election, please click here.

Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

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2021

Ivy Liu completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Liu's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My kids are grown but I feel called to invest my talents, time and energy into children who will be the future leaders of our country. Education is the foundation that must be built solidly and based on the principles upon which this country was founded.

I am a first-generation American. I worked hard past a language barrier to earn college admission with full tuition to complete my Bachelors in biology, followed by a Masters in Agronomy. America is one of the few countries in the world that afford unique opportunities for all to succeed regardless of color, race, creed, gender, socio-economic status, and any other circumstances. Hard work and perseverance are keys to success. Very few factors can stop someone from succeeding if the desire and work ethics exist.

I received my commission in the US Navy and proudly served my country for seven years as a Naval Officer. Then I continued to serve my country as the spouse of a Naval Officer for the next 20 years. All my girls are living successful lives with great professions. Now I want to help raise as many kids as possible to achieve each’s maximum potential.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Motto: “EMPOWER and EQUIP our children with a rock-solid academic foundation, fortified by a strong sense of self-advocacy, self-confidence, and honorable character traits to lead successful lives.” Educators have unique opportunities to feed into our youth and steer them towards successful life habits, attitudes, and mindset while building the academic foundation needed for college or technical trades.
• Education should consist of academic skills such as math, reading, and writing, along with science and history. Every child should learn the founding principles, Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution. Education should also include art, music, PE, and other fun topics. All education should be free from infusion of toxic ideologies such as Critical Race Theory and age-inappropriate sex education.
• Neither government nor schools should infringe upon the parents’ rights and authority over their children’s education or medical freedoms.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Adherence requirements from federal or state funding should not cause our district to deviate from its mission and vision and at the expense of the children. School Board policies must be developed in accordance with the desires of the majority of the stakeholders. The administration will then operate the district accordingly.

In August 2021, D49 became the first and only school district in the state of Colorado to ban CRT. Now we can truly focus without major distractions on the motto of “EMPOWER and EQUIP our children with a rock-solid academic foundation, fortified by a strong sense of self-advocacy, self-confidence, and honorable character traits to lead successful lives.”

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Throughout my life, I have looked up to various men and women of strength who persevered through sometimes inconceivable hardships to achieve their dreams and success in life. I strive to adopt many of the admirable character traits. Over time, I have gradually redefined “success.” Success is now defined by one’s kindness, humility, and desire to serve humanity, raise others up and give back to society what I so blessedly received in my lifetime. This “mentor” consists of qualities from several of my earthly heroes, and I aspire to be that “person” as much as humanly possible. That list is a private list.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Integrity, honesty, and wholesome character.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Leadership skills gained from actual work experience while serving in the Navy, as well as leadership courses I took on my own outside of military requirements.

My talents and acquired skills specialize in the area of organizational effectiveness and management. I believe I have great insights on what can enhance the effectiveness of a large district such as D49.

I am a people person and can relate to all levels of leadership within the district. I have proven skills from my Navy days as a division officer over numerous personnel.

I genuinely want to make a difference in the lives of young children, especially those who may not be receiving such mentorship at home. This has evolved into my mission statement: “EMPOWER and EQUIP our children with a rock-solid academic foundation, fortified by a strong sense of self-advocacy, self-confidence, and honorable character traits to lead successful lives.”

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Listen to staff, faculty, and leaders. Listen to students. Listen to constituents. Do diligent research before forming a conclusion. Then once a decision is made, stand firmly and vote accordingly. Don’t make decisions based on personal insecurities- we are not there to be liked or reverenced. We are there to do the best we can for the good of the majority of the district.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Improvement of academic scores. Enhanced/improved atmosphere in the work force and inside the classroom and each building. A synergistic working relationship between Board and Administration.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The moon landing by Neil Armstrong. I was eleven as a brand new immigrant in the United States.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I was a courtesy clerk for a grocery chain as a senior in high school. I continued to work through college as a cashier at a grocery chain. It paid all the bills that weren’t covered by college scholarships and financial assistance.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Genie in Aladdin. Then I can make the world a better place with all my wishes.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

"Because He Lives"

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Trying to fix EVERYthing that is broken in life and society, in self and others. I cannot do it all.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

To dictate policies that are in accordance with the district's established vision and mission, and MOST IMPORTANTLY in the best interest of the children, and in accordance with the majority of the stakeholders.

Who are your constituents?

We range from Title IX families to upper middle class working families. Our demographics is approximately 73.2% whites, 13.4% Hispanics, 5.4 Blacks, and 3.3% Asians. Our district is considered a racially and culturally diverse community. In D49, we have a majority of conservatives. A decent number of families do homeschooling, private schools or choice out to other districts. It is my goal to grow D49 into one of the top school choices for families.

How would you support the diverse needs of your district’s students, faculty, staff, and community?

I believe D49’s current Cultural Compass has served the district well. However, I definitely would want to explore better ways of increasing cultural awareness and understanding, with emphasis on commonalities rather than divisive differences. I believe tapping into the knowledge of teachers and principals who work the closest with the student body is the best way to start. As far as unique needs of students, we can always continue to seek improvement on how to better serve all students who may find themselves in unique circumstances. D49 is well-equipped with qualified staff to deal with special situations.

As far as faculty and staff, conversations can start if it hasn't already on this topic. Any individual can start such a conversation in a work place. It should always be about mutual respect, treating others the way we want to be treated, and grace for one another.

How will you build relationships with members of the broader community? Which groups, organizations, stakeholders will you specifically target?

I would imagine building a solid relationship with the local Home Builders Association, realtor and construction groups would give us direct access to local developments. We can increase community involvement by having community events sponsored by businesses that would benefit the community. Events sponsored by cultural related groups may be a pleasant addition to events that increase cultural awareness. I’ve seen various cultural groups perform at venues that we can contact. I am aware of other groups that helps students explore various career possibilities, such as Derrick Wilburrn’s www.blackandconservative.com.

Do you believe it is important to intentionally recruit with the aim of diversifying the district’s faculty, staff, and administration? If so, what would be your policy to achieve this?

It’s always a good idea to increase diversity in an organization but not to the point of unfairly discriminating or excluding otherwise highly qualified candidates. Common sense needs to prevail. That would be my policy: common sense with an extra ounce of diversity awareness based on the demographics of the district.

What issues get in the way of quality education? How would you address these obstacles?

In the recent past, the issues for some districts have been related to Critical Race Theory and age-inappropriate sex education. Research into these two areas have shown that they are detrimental to the emotional and mental well-being of students, and need to be banned from the schools. I a proud to be a member of the D49 Board that took action to ban CRT in D49, to the approval of the majority of the stakeholders. Sex education will be addressed next if we discover evidence that it is being taught by individual educators. Much more work needs to be focused on improving the academic achievement of all students in reading, writing, and math, although NOT to the exclusion of science, history, and other fun subjects such as art, music, etc.

What constitutes good teaching? How will you measure this? How will you support advanced teaching approaches?

As much as possible, a personalized approach to teaching is optimal. However, this maybe difficult if the class size is large. A teacher offering open office hours will be able to help those students who maybe struggling, and/or requires a different learning style. An advanced student may also receive extra instruction. I understand time is limited in a day. But working towards being available for kids with extra needs is always a positive for the students.

If students become more engaged and excited about learning because of the extra assistance or attention they are receiving, then we have accomplished one of the more important goals. If grades go up, and class discussions become more lively by more students, then the educators can be assured that he/she is doing the right things.

I will support all traditional and non-traditional teaching approaches if we can increase the students’ love of learning!

In what areas would you like to expand curriculum? For example, do you see a need for advanced technical training or apprenticeships? What sort of innovative programming would you advance if given the opportunity?

I think we need to make available more training courses in skilled or technical trades. We have a shortage of workers in such professions. Plus the availability of such courses may encourage more kids to stay for the long haul.

What strategies or plans would you advance to ensure the schools are properly funded?

I am working on this area. Trying to learn the legislative processes as well as district budgeting.

What principles drive your policies for safety in schools?

We need to ensure we hire properly trained security personnel. The administration can intentionally increase awareness of the faculty, staff, and student body by implementing regular drills and maybe even sponsor discussions and lesson learned from school violence.

How might you support the mental health needs of students/faculty/staff?

Mental health of students/faculty/staff should be as high a priority as academic pursuits. There are many ways of addressing this topic but making people feel they are cared for and appreciated are great places to start. Intentional staff recognition, words of encouragement and praise are awesome tools. Getting the staff to BUY IN creates ownership and loyalty that would be hard to beat.

What role do you imagine technology playing in (and outside) the classroom in the future? How would you prepare the district for this?

Technology will play a bigger role than ever as we move into an ever increasingly technological society. However, there are areas of education that cannot be replaced by technology. A district will decide with appropriate feedback from the building principals and teachers what the balance of human interaction and technology should look like. The human interaction and personal touches are priceless and irreplaceable.

What are your views on how to address schooling during pandemic times?

Don't ever repeat the shutdowns of Covid months. The devastating effects of shut downs and quarantines on the children are still being discovered and measured. A huge price was paid in academic, emotional, mental, and social wellness.

What will you do to build a relationship with parents in the district? What plans do you have to be inclusive of parental involvement?

Hopefully we can meet more parents in events proposed in the last question. Open houses and other special district events including sports events would provide great opportunities to network with parents. This would require coordination between administration and the Board. I attended nine graduations shortly after I was appointed on the Board in May 2021 and I met many wonderful staff and some families. Meeting families need to be intentional and proactive. I have been beefing up my Spanish for my travels, of which I can take advantage in regular conversations.

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