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John Newkirk
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John Newkirk was the District 2 representative on the Jeffco Board of Education in Colorado. He was first elected to the board on November 5, 2013, and served until November 19, 2015. He was ousted from office in the recall election on November 3, 2015.[1][2]
At the time of the recall, Newkirk and former board members Julie Williams and Ken Witt were the governing majority on the Jeffco Board of Education. All three were elected to the board in 2013, and all three were recalled on November 3, 2015.[2] During the two years they were members, the board withstood controversy following the implementation of a merit pay plan and a board proposal for a committee to review the content of the AP U.S. History curriculum.
Biography
Newkirk is a product of the Jeffco School System, having attended Wilmot Elementary, Evergreen Middle, and Evergreen High School. In college, Newkirk studied engineering, earning a degree from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York. He and his wife, Melissa, who is also a Jeffco graduate, have three children who were attending Jeffco schools at the time of his candidacy.[3]
Elections
2015
An effort to recall three members of the Jeffco Public Schools Board of Education in Colorado was on the ballot on November 3, 2015.[4] Board members Julie Williams, John Newkirk, and Ken Witt from Districts 1, 2, and 5, respectively, were ousted from office with more than 60 percent of voters in each district casting ballots in favor of recall.[1]
A total of six candidates filed to replace the three incumbents up for recall. Brad Rupert ran for the seat held by Williams. Matt Dhieux and Susan Harmon campaigned for Newkirk's seat, and Regan Benson, Ron Mitchell, and Paula Noonan ran for Witt's seat. Rupert, Harmon, and Mitchell ran together as "The Clean Slate."[2][5] All three slate members were elected to replace Williams, Newkirk, and Witt.[1] They took office on November 19, 2015.[6]
The other two seats on the board—District 3 and District 4—were also on the ballot on November 3, 2015. They were up for general election. Neither incumbent filed to retain her seat in that election, meaning the district welcomed an entirely new board on November 19, 2015.[7]
Results
| John Newkirk, Area 2 Board Member, Jeffco Public Schools | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 Recall | 115080 | 63.63% | ||
| Retain | 65770 | 36.37% | ||
| Election results via: Jefferson County, "Official County Results," November 20, 2015 | ||||
| Successor candidate, Area 2 Board Member, Jeffco Public Schools | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Susan Harmon | 96805 | 82.17% | ||
 Matt Dhieux | 21002 | 17.83% | ||
| Election results via: Jefferson County, "Official County Results," November 20, 2015 | ||||
Funding
Newkirk reported no contributions or expenditures to the Colorado Secretary of State in the election.[8] There were two political action committees, however, that opposed the recall election. The "Kids Are First Jeffco" PAC raised $170,000.00 in contributions and spent $156,512.93 in expenditures, which left its ending balance at $13,487.07 as of the election. The "For Better Public Schools" PAC raised a total of $34,561.51 and spent a total of $34,561.51 in the election, according to the Colorado Secretary of State.[9][10][11]
2013
- See also: Jeffco Public Schools elections (2013)
Newkirk defeated challenger Jeff Lamontagne on November 5, 2013.
Results
| Jeffco Public Schools, District 2 General Election, 4-year term, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  John Newkirk |
54% | 72,769 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jeff Lamontagne | 46% | 62,073 | |
| Total Votes | 134,842 | |||
| Source: Jefferson County Board of Elections, "2013 Coordinated Election," November 27, 2013 | ||||
Funding
Newkirk reported $6,815.00 in contributions and $6,760.00 in expenditures to the Colorado Secretary of State, which left his campaign with $55.00 on hand.[12]
Endorsements
Newkirk was endorsed by the Jefferson County Republican Party, Denver radio host Mike Rosen and the Colorado Women’s Alliance.[13][14][15]
Campaign themes
2015
Response to recall
- See also: Recall target responses
Ballot statement
The following statement appeared on the ballot with the candidate's name:
| “ | My wife and I received an excellent education in the Jefferson County Public Schools. Our three children have also learned and grown here, and together we now have over 30 combined years in Jeffco classrooms.
Two years ago, my colleagues and I were elected to serve a four-year term on the Board of Education and to bring meaningful improvement to our public schools. Since then, the board’s accomplishments have been numerous. We have increased teacher compensation by $21 million. We are building a new school without debt. We’ve empowered local principals, ensured all students are funded equally, and openly worked with the union to rewrite a contract that’s better able to reward great teachers. And we did all of this while adding money to District reserves. Though some may find such commonsense improvements threatening, I’m proud to be part of a team that’s taking decisive action to move Jeffco schools forward. We’ve also taken bold steps to tackle long-neglected issues, such as the community-led educational initiatives in the struggling Jefferson and Alameda areas. We have made free full-day kindergarten available to all low-income families. We’ve targeted underachievement, established goals for gifted students, revitalized our building trades program, addressed overtesting and data privacy, and enhanced student safety. Graduation rates are up. Dropout rates are down. Teacher turnover is 12% below the state average. And after over a decade of declining enrollment, our student population is growing again. There is, however, still work to be done. As a proud and grateful graduate of the Jeffco schools, I will not be satisfied until Jefferson County leads the nation in public education. Let’s work together to continue our schools’ upward trajectory, keep power in the hands of parents and local staff, and tap into the enormous potential of our students and teachers.[16] |
” |
| —John Newkirk ballot statement (2015)[17] | ||
9News statement
In an interview with 9News in June 2015, Newkirk gave the following statement:
| “ | The Board of Education has accomplished a great deal since we were elected 20 months ago. To cite just a few examples, for the first time in years we've raised teacher salaries, and union negotiations have been open to the public and streamed on the internet. For the first time ever, we've ensured each child will be equitably funded regardless of which public school they choose to attend. We've given our community and our principals greater autonomy within their schools, and academic achievement is improving while remediation rates are decreasing. We've also provided the opportunity for free full-day kindergarten to families who need it most, and have funded the construction of an $18 million K-6 school within our high-growth areas. I'm proud to say we've accomplished all of this without incurring debt to the taxpayer and have actually added money to District reserves.
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” |
| —John Newkirk, 2015[18] | ||
Candidate website
Newkirk highlighted the following issues on his campaign website:
| “ | From building businesses that improve healthcare around the world, to charitable and volunteer work across the country, to working with students here in Colorado, much of my life has been spent bringing people together to help make our world a better place.
I’m running for the Jeffco school board because it’s time we focus our resources on assuring each child has the very best we can offer. Your school board should focus on what it takes to have each child get what they need to succeed. I will work with my fellow board members to ensure that: • Every student has a broad range of educational options, academic and vocational, that meet his or her unique interests and needs. My wife Melissa and I both received excellent public educations here in Jefferson County, and we have chosen to raise our children here (our youngest just started kindergarten). My goal is to assure that decisions made by your school board are not dictates from a central command, but rather inspired by deep community conversations that value all opinions and, above all, focus on what is best for our students.[16] |
” |
| —John Newkirk's campaign website (2015)[19] | ||
2013
Newkirk listed his campaign priorities as the following on his website:
| “ |
Set Goals: After running two successful businesses and serving on several nonprofit boards, I’ve learned to start with the end in mind, brainstorm all possible solutions, hear from all stakeholders, and then act on a well-defined plan that ultimately yields the best results. Our Jeffco community deserves to know which specific educational milestones we intend to improve upon, and how our resources will be allocated to help us achieve peak performance. Listen, Listen, Listen, Decide: The school board needs to listen to parents, students, teachers, bus drivers, secretaries, maintenance staff, custodians, administrators, faith leaders, employers, and others to get firsthand knowledge of the solutions proposed for the complex issues we face in our public schools. A dictated, top down, one-size-fits-all strategy is not appropriate. The board must listen to all stakeholders; we need to make board meetings more accessible and use new technologies to reach our communities. Once this input has been gathered, the board needs to set goals and policies, and then allow the experts to carry them out. Direct Decisions and Resources Closer to Classrooms: Jeffco is a large district with diverse needs. Flexibility at a local level, where decision makers are closest to the students, leads to more achievement. We need to assure that our principals have the skills to manage this process. We need to encourage parents to be active in our schools and assure their voices, as well as those of the staff, are involved in what is best for their students. The board should design processes that focus on the needs of each student in each classroom and assure that the resources are in the schools to accomplish the goals set at the school level. Let’s Raise the Ceiling and the Floor: Many Jeffco students are capable of absorbing more than one year’s worth of information each school year. These students must have the resources and support they need to be challenged during their years in the Jeffco schools. Each student should have academic options that challenge them and be given the opportunity to excel at a pace that matches their abilities. Likewise, some students need more than one year’s worth of learning to catch up. We need to assure those resources are in place as well. Provide Enough Slots for the Programs Parents Want: Many of our option programs, neighborhood programs, and charter programs have long waitlists; so many students don’t have access to the programs most desirable to their family. The board needs to evaluate waitlists and geographic distribution of programs to assure that zip codes do not dictate a Jeffco student’s education. Use Technology to Support Better Education: We need to assure that technology is used primarily to enhance learning, and it must be done in a way that keeps everyone’s data safe. Education Options: As the father of three beautiful daughters I know that each child is unique and their needs can be very different. I totally support Jeffco having many choice options available. These should include charters, home school options as well as alternative programs and programs for gifted students and students with special needs. In fact this year my oldest daughter is enrolled in the Jeffco virtual academy, this is the best option for her and we are grateful it is available. Unfortunately in Jeffco many of our charter and options schools as well as choice programs have wait lists meaning families are not getting the educational choices they prefer. This needs to change so that whether you want your child in a neighborhood school, or a choice school or program that should be possible.[16] |
” |
| —John Newkirk campaign website, (2013)[20] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms ”John Newkirk” ”Jeffco Public Schools”. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Jeffco Public Schools, Colorado
- Jeffco Public Schools recall, Colorado (2015)
- Jeffco Public Schools elections (2013)
- Analysis of incumbency advantage in the 2014 school board elections
- 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
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Jefferson County, "Unofficial County Results," November 3, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Chalkbeat Colorado, "6 candidates, including longtime critic, in running to replace Jeffco school board recall targets," September 28, 2015
- ↑ John Newkirk for Jeffco School Board, "About John," accessed November 3, 2013
- ↑ Chalkbeat Colorado, "Clerk: Jeffco school board recall will be on November ballot," September 3, 2015
- ↑ Colorado Independent, "Recall-backed Jeffco school board candidates skip conservative forum," September 1, 2015
- ↑ FOX 31 Denver, "Ousted Jefferson County school board members attend final meeting," November 5, 2015
- ↑ Jeffco Public Schools, "Board of Education Election 2015," accessed August 31, 2015
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "TRACER: Search The Campaign Finance Database," accessed December 7, 2015
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "TRACER: Committee Information: KIDS ARE FIRST JEFFCO," accessed December 7, 2015
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "TRACER: Committee Information: FOR BETTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS," accessed December 7, 2015
- ↑ Chalkbeat Colorado, "Libertarian think tank leads donations in Jefferson County school board recall, election," December 4, 2015
- ↑ Colorado TRACER, "Candidate Detail," accessed December 20, 2013
- ↑ Jeffco GOP, "Jeffco GOP Approved School Board Candidates," accessed November 3, 2013
- ↑ Facebook, "Mike Rosen," accessed November 3, 2013
- ↑ My Colorado View, "Colorado Women’s Alliance Announces their Endorsements in JeffCo School Board Elections," October 17, 2013
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Chalkbeat Colorado, "Newkirk’s Ballot Statement – 9/16/2015 – 298 words," accessed September 21, 2015
- ↑ 9 News, "JeffCo recall effort gets underway," July 9, 2015
- ↑ John Newkirk for Jeffco School Board, "Home," accessed October 14, 2015
- ↑ John Newkirk for Jeffco School Board, "Issues," accessed November 3, 2013
| 2015 Jeffco Public Schools General Election and Recall Election | |
| Jefferson County, Colorado | |
| Election date: | November 3, 2015 |
| Candidates: | General Election Candidates District 3: • Kim Johnson • Ali Lasell District 4: • Tori Merritts • Amanda Stevens Recall Election Candidates District 1: • Incumbent, Julie Williams • Brad Rupert District 2: • Incumbent, John Newkirk • Matt Dhieux • Susan Harmon District 5: • Incumbent, Ken Witt • Regan Benson • Ron Mitchell • Paula Noonan |
| Important information: | Issues in the general election • Recall supporters • Recall opponents • Key general election deadlines • Recall path to the ballot |
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