Jennifer Crow
Jennifer Crow was a candidate for District 4 representative on the Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors in Washington. Crow was defeated in the by-district primary election on August 1, 2017.
This candidate participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 school board candidate survey. Click here to view her responses.
Biography
Crow has experience teaching English as a second language and working in community outreach for a car sharing company and for health care organizations. She earned a bachelor's in humanities from Seattle University and her associate's in commercial photography from Seattle Central College. Crow graduated from Seattle Preparatory School.[1]
Elections
2017
- See also: Seattle Public Schools elections (2017)
Three of the seven seats on the Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors in Washington were up for at-large general election on November 7, 2017. A primary election for all three seats was held on August 1, 2017, because more than two candidates filed for each seat. Although the general election was held at large, the primary election was held by district.
Eden Mack was the District 4 winner, defeating fellow challenger Herbert Camet Jr. in the general. The two fended off Sean Champagne, Jennifer Crow, Megan Hyska, Lisa Melenyzer, and Darrell Toland in the primary. In District 5, Zachary DeWolf was victorious over Omar Vasquez. They both defeated Alec Cooper, Andre Helmstetter, and Candace Vaivadas in the primary. District 7 board member Betty Patu successfully defended her seat against challenger Chelsea Byers. They both defeated Tony Hemphill in the primary.[2]
Results
| Seattle Public Schools, District 4 Primary Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Eden Mack |
70.47% | 18,954 |
| Herbert Camet Jr. |
7.75% | 2,084 |
| Lisa Melenyzer | 6.11% | 1,643 |
| Jennifer Crow | 4.84% | 1,302 |
| Darrell Toland | 4.65% | 1,250 |
| Megan Hyska | 3.58% | 963 |
| Sean Champagne | 2.14% | 576 |
| Write-in votes | 0.46% | 125 |
| Total Votes | 26,897 | |
| Source: King County, "2017 Results," accessed August 15, 2017 | ||
Funding
Crow opted for mini reporting in this election, according to the Washington Public Disclosure Commission.[3] Candidates who opted for this had to keep a record of their contributors and expenditures, but were not required to report them. If they raised and spent more than $5,000 in aggregate or received more than $500 from any one contributor, including themselves, they would have had to switch their filing status from mini to full reporting.[4]
Campaign themes
2017
Ballotpedia survey responses
Jennifer Crow 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 May 30, 2017:
| “ | I hope to help the board take a fresh look at issues and to work hard to make the Seattle Public School experience a great one.[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 Washington. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| “ | All of the above issues are important. My focus would start with closing the achievement gap. But I am aware of the need for attention to all these issues.[7] | ” |
| —Jennifer Crow (May 30, 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.) |
|---|
| No. Charter schools take focus away from public school improvements. We should focus on providing options within the public school system and improving the quality of public education. Charter schools do not have a history of great education and have less oversight. |
| 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. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. They can be. We need to routinely review the accuracy of standardized tests. They are more a measure what should be focused on for improvement. |
| 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. Those teachers who strive to keep improving throughout their career should receive acknowledgement. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. This takes money away from the public school system. Private schools have options to make their school more affordable to families who need assistance. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Sparingly. Expulsion is currently used at higher rates for students of color, especially African American boys. Expulsion is disruptive to the learning process for kids who are already likely to be performing poorly academically. I would like to look at other options - counseling, alternative education programs, ensuring environment at home is safe, etc. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers All the factors are important. But I have to say teachers are the most important factor as they are the ones working with our students everyday. |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Jennifer Crow for Seattle Public Schools Board Director, "About Me," accessed June 14, 2017
- ↑ King County, "Who Has Filed," accessed May 22, 2017
- ↑ Washington Public Disclosure Commission, "Local Candidates," accessed October 12, 2017
- ↑ Washington State Public Disclosure Commission, "New Candidates," accessed June 22, 2017
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2017, "Jennifer Crow's responses," May 30, 2017
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| Seattle Public Schools elections in 2017 | |
| King County, Washington | |
| Election date: | Primary: August 1, 2017 General: November 7, 2017 |
| Candidates: | District 4: Herbert Camet Jr. • Sean Champagne • Jennifer Crow • Megan Hyska • Eden Mack • Lisa Melenyzer • Darrell Toland District 5: Alec Cooper • Zachary DeWolf • Andre Helmstetter • Candace Vaivadas • Omar Vasquez |
| Important information: | What was at stake? |
