John Graham (Colorado)
John Graham was a member of the Falcon School District 49 school board in Colorado, representing District 3. He assumed office in 2016. He left office on December 6, 2023.
Graham ran for election to the Falcon School District 49 school board to represent District 3 in Colorado. He won in the general election on November 5, 2019.
Graham completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.
Graham ran unopposed and won in the general election for an at-large seat on November 3, 2015.
Graham was a candidate for an at-large seat on the Falcon School District 49 Board of Education in Colorado in 2013. He lost election against five other candidates for three available seats on November 5, 2013.
Biography
Graham holds an A.S. in engineering science, B.S. in general studies and M.S. in management. Graham's career experience includes working as a defense contractor and real estate agent. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1985 to 2008.[1] Graham has five children who have attended or are attending district schools.[2]
Elections
2019
See also: Falcon School District 49, Colorado, elections (2019)
General election
General election for School District 49 school board, District 3
John Graham defeated Cassandra Berry in the general election for School District 49 school board, District 3 on November 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | John Graham (Nonpartisan)  | 99.7 | 4,547 |
| Cassandra Berry (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) | 0.3 | 12 | ||
| Total votes: 4,559 | |||
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2015
Two of the five seats on the Falcon School District 49 Board of Education were up for at-large general election on November 3, 2015. The seats of incumbents Chuck Irons and Marie LaVere-Wright were on the ballot.[3][4] Irons did not file to run for re-election, which guaranteed a newcomer would join the board. LaVere-Wright and challenger John Graham ran unopposed and won the two seats on the board. The election was still held due to the district also putting a question on the ballot.[5]
Results
| Falcon School District 49, At-large, General Election, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 John Graham (Colorado) |
53.3% | 7,872 |
| Marie LaVere-Wright Incumbent |
46.7% | 6,906 |
| Total Votes | 14,778 | |
| Source: El Paso County, Colorado, "2015 Coordinated Election Results," accessed December 21, 2015 | ||
Funding
Graham reported no contributions or expenditures to the Colorado Secretary of State as of October 30, 2015.[6]
2013
Graham sought election to the board against incumbents Henry D. Allen, Jr. and Tammy Harold as well as fellow challengers Chris Bombria, Kevin Butcher and David H. Moore.
Election results
| Falcon School District 49, At-large General Election, 4-year term, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Tammy Harold Incumbent |
25.6% | 7,331 | |
| Nonpartisan | Kevin Butcher |
18.4% | 5,261 | |
| Nonpartisan | David H. Moore |
17.2% | 4,927 | |
| Nonpartisan | John Graham | 15% | 4,304 | |
| Nonpartisan | Chris Bombria | 13.3% | 3,816 | |
| Nonpartisan | Henry D. Allen, Jr. Incumbent | 10.6% | 3,025 | |
| Total Votes | 28,664 | |||
| Source: El Paso County, Colorado, "2013 Coordinated Election," November 14, 2013 | ||||
Funding
Graham reported $1,282.72 in contributions and $1,282.72 in expenditures to the Colorado Secretary of State, which left his campaign with no cash on hand.[7]
Endorsements
Graham received the endorsement of the Falcon Teachers Education Association (FTEA) during the 2013 campaign.[8]
Campaign themes
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
John Graham completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Graham's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
- Community Involvement, Local Solutions
- Individual Pathways for students and empowerment in the classroom for Teachers
- Lead by example
The stakeholders are diverse. They are parents, business owners, homeowners, students, teachers and staff.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
2013
Graham explained his views on the major issues facing the district for the Gazette Voter Guide:[9]
Pressing issues for the district
|
"I believe the School Board should represent the educational needs and values of our community. I want to empower our teachers, parents, and community to reach positive and innovative local solutions. The Board needs to focus on goals and policies that provide all our children a safe, encouraging, and positive learning environment while performing in a transparent, inclusive, and civil manner. I believe I have the leadership skills to encourage the Board to work in a cohesive manner. I will work to encourage involvement from our stakeholders and be the crucial link between the public and schools. The District is also faced with an increasing student population and limited facilities/resources that we can address together as a team." |
Areas of emphasis
|
"I believe the School Board needs to provide the resources required by teachers and staff to achieve the highest quality education for our students while also being good stewards of the community’s tax dollars. We need to focus on the strategic vision and priorities developed by D49 stakeholders, engage stakeholders to better determine programs and policies that support these priorities, promote empowerment and innovation, and keep in mind the taxpayer “foots” the bills. Areas we should focus on are the educational needs of students, facilities, training (especially in the area of special education), and competitive compensation to retain the best qualified teachers and staff." |
Amendment 66
|
"I do not support Amendment 66. This ballot measure will effectively take more tax payer money out of D49 to be redistributed to other districts then we will get back. The ballot measure is not a local solution and I do not believe it is by D49 voters. If the ballot does pass, I will engage the public and other District stakeholders to discuss the best way to allocate the resources and come up with a team solution." |
Academic performance
|
"This is a very complex question. There are many metrics that affect student achievement. It boils down to if we are and how we are addressing the educational needs of each student. If 70 percent of the children are proficient, this means that 30 percent are not. Those who are not proficient need more individual attention, educator time, and resources to lift their achievement levels. The Board can work with the community, teachers, students, and staff to set policies in place and attitudes that can positively affect this achievement." |
See also
2019 Elections
- Falcon School District 49, Colorado
- Falcon School District 49 elections (2015)
- Falcon School District 49 elections (2013)
- Colorado
- Incumbency no guarantee of success in Nov. 3 school board elections (November 6, 2015)
- What happened in Nov.'s top board elections? (November 4, 2015)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 27, 2019
- ↑ Falcon School District 49, "BOE Elections Information," accessed October 28, 2013 (dead link)
- ↑ Falcon School District 49, "Board of Education," accessed January 27, 2015
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "Colorado elections & campaign finance calendar," accessed January 27, 2015
- ↑ Abbey Smith, Email communication with Donna Richer, Executive Assistant to the Board of Education," September 1, 2015
- ↑ Tracer, "Candidate Search", accessed October 30, 2015
- ↑ Colorado TRACER, "Candidate Detail," accessed December 19, 2013
- ↑ John Graham for Falcon School District 49 School Board, "Endorsements," accessed October 28, 2013
- ↑ Gazette Voter Guide, "John Graham," accessed October 28, 2013
| 2015 Falcon School District 49 Elections | |
| El Paso County, Colorado | |
| Election date: | November 3, 2015 |
| Candidates: | At-large • Incumbent, Marie LaVere-Wright • John Graham |
| Important information: | Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
| ||||||||||
