Jennifer Venerable
Jennifer Venerable was the District 6 representative on the School District 27J school board in Colorado. First appointed in October 2016, Venerable left office in 2019.
Venerable participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 school board candidate survey. Click here to read her responses.
Elections
2017
- See also: School District 27J elections (2017)
Four of the seven seats on the School District 27J Board of Education in Colorado were up for election on November 7, 2017. The District 2, 4, and 5 seats were up for general election to regular four-year terms, and the District 6 seat was up for special election to a two-year term.[1] Kevin Robert Kerber defeated Gary Mikes in the race for the open District 2 seat. In his bid for re-election to the District 4 seat, incumbent Blaine Nickeson defeated Greg Lee. Mandy Thomas defeated Kerrie Gutierrez for the open District 5 seat. District 6 incumbent Jennifer Venerable defeated Stanley Hiller.[2][3]
Results
| School District 27J, District 6 General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Jennifer Venerable Incumbent |
71.78% | 10,413 |
| Stanley Hiller | 28.22% | 4,093 |
| Total Votes | 14,506 | |
| Source: Adams County Elections Office, "Official Results," accessed November 27, 2017 and Weld County Elections Office, "Election Summary Report: Final Official Results," accessed November 27, 2017 | ||
Funding
Venerable reported $555.00 in contributions and $553.47 in expenditures to the Colorado Secretary of State, which left her campaign with $1.53 on hand in the election.[4]
Campaign themes
2017
Ballotpedia survey responses
Jennifer Venerable 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 29, 2017:
| “ | I would like to continue supporting the great work our district is doing. I hope to continue increasing community involvement and communication, and encourage opportunities for kids to explore career and technical pathways. Anything I can do to support the district's work in motivating students to love learning - I am in![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 | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| “ | We need to make sure our kids are ready for college and careers. We need to make sure our kids are excited about learning - and that comes from great teachers. We need to make sure the entire community supports our kids growth, by being informed and enthusiastic about their local schools.[7] | ” |
| —Jennifer Venerable (September 29, 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. I would actually say, It Depends. If the charter school fills a need that is not already met by existing schools, I would encourage us to consider it. However, we would need to make sure it is held to the same, high standards of our other district-managed and charter schools. |
| 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? |
| Yes. Not all standardized tests are created equal. There needs to be a way to measure growth, quantitatively and qualitatively. Teachers and administrators should be a part of the process. |
| 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. Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| Yes. It depends on what is defined as "merit." Teachers who go above and beyond, and their students benefit - they should be rewarded. I believe it is up to the administrators and teachers to determine this definition. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. Private schools are not held accountable to the same standards, and therefore taxpayer dollars should not be diverted away from their community - which they have invested in - and taken elsewhere. I do not see a benefit from taking away from the public schools. Charters and district-managed schools give students plenty of options through choice. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Expulsion should be the last resort. There are so many ways to keep kids in school. School is often the safest and most positive place a child goes in a day. Counselors play an integral role in this. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers. I would prefer to choose two: Teachers and Parent Involvement. Though I certainly think all of these factors are very important! |
Local Color survey
Venerable participated in the following survey conducted by Local Color. The survey questions appear bolded, and Venerable's responses follow below.
Why are you running?
| “ | I am running for all of our kids, and I am running for our community. I love what our district and our schools are doing, and I want to continue to support them. I want to tell the stories of all of the great things that are happening. I also want to hold us accountable, ask questions and do my research to ensure all of these great things continue.[7] | ” |
| —Jennifer Venerable (2017)[8] | ||
What do you bring to the table?
| “ | Being a parent, I am devoted to our kids’ education. I am passionate, positive and enjoy working with others to accomplish a common goal. I understand the needs of students, teachers, administrators, parents and community members, as I have worked with, talked to and listened to so many.[7] | ” |
| —Jennifer Venerable (2017)[8] | ||
Summarize the key issues you perceive (how you will address them):
| “ | Our two biggest challenges are funding, and communication with our community. I will continue looking for ways to further engage the community as well as opportunities for funding.[7] | ” |
| —Jennifer Venerable (2017)[8] | ||
What are the challenges/opportunities of the office you seek?
| “ | As I currently serve on the board, I know the biggest challenge is the initial learning curve, as there is much that the board members need to know about. There are opportunities, however, to continue enrichment for board members as the current structure has allowed.[7] | ” |
| —Jennifer Venerable (2017)[8] | ||
Why should people vote for you?
| “ | I love my 'day job' and I am not seeking a career in politics. My reasons for running are purely for kids, and I have no other agenda than to continue supporting the great work being done by district and school staff. I am open to listening and helping, and I truly want to help.[7] | ” |
| —Jennifer Venerable (2017)[8] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Jennifer Venerable School District 27J school board. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ School District 27J, "Board Members," accessed February 24, 2017
- ↑ School District 27J, "2017 School District 27J Board of Education Candidate Information," accessed September 2, 2017
- ↑ State of Colorado, "Adams County Election Results," accessed November 8, 2017 These election results are unofficial and will be updated after official vote totals are made available.
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "TRACER: Candidate Search," accessed December 18, 2017
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2017, "Jennifer Venerable's responses," September 29, 2017
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Local Color, "Meet the 27J School Board candidates," accessed November 2, 2017
| School District 27J elections in 2017 | |
| Adams County, Colorado | |
| Election date: | November 7, 2017 |
| Candidates: | District 2: • Kevin Robert Kerber • Gary Mikes • Gregory Martin (write-in candidate) District 4: • Incumbent, Blaine Nickeson • Greg Lee District 5: • Kerrie Gutierrez • Mandy Thomas District 6: • Incumbent, Jennifer Venerable • Stanley Hiller |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
