Kim Johnson (Colorado)
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Kim Johnson was a candidate for District 3 representative on the Jeffco Board of Education in Colorado. The general election was held on November 3, 2015.[1] It was her first time running for office.[2] She lost the election.[3]
This election provided the district with an entirely new board, something that had never happened before. Neither incumbent filed to run in the general election to retain their seats. In addition to those two seats, a recall election was held on November 3, 2015, for the other three incumbents on the board.[4]
Johnson participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. To read her responses, check out her 2015 campaign themes.
Biography
Johnson worked in commercial real estate management prior to having children. She worked for Wilkins Randles Associates from 1995 to 1998, and she worked for Insignia/ESG Inc. from 1998 to 2003. Johnson is a member of the executive board for the PTSA and a member of the School Accountability Committee. She previously served on the Citizens Budget Academy and the Jeffco 2020 Vision Workgroup. She also has experience volunteering with MOMS Club International, Girls Scouts and as a member of the board for her children's swim team. Johnson earned a bachelor's degree from the University of California at Riverside. She and her husband have two children who attend Jeffco Public Schools.[2][5][6]
Elections
2015
- See also: Jeffco Public Schools elections (2015)
Two of the five seats on the Jeffco Public Schools Board of Education were up for general election on November 3, 2015. The election was held by district.
The seats of District 3 incumbent Jill Fellman and District 4 incumbent Lesley Dahlkemper were up for regular election.[7][8] Neither incumbent filed to run for re-election, which guaranteed two newcomers would join the board. Candidates Kim Johnson and Ali Lasell ran for the District 3 seat. The District 4 race included candidates Tori Merritts and Amanda Stevens.[1] Lasell and Stevens, both members of the "Clean Slate," won the election.[3]
A recall election was also on the ballot on November 3, 2015. The other three members on the board—Julie Williams, Ken Witt, and John Newkirk—were accused of wasting taxpayer money, violating open meeting laws, limiting public comments at board meetings, bullying parents and students, and trying to censor U.S. history classes.[9] Lasell and Stevens came out in support of the recall. They ran with a slate of candidates seeking to oust the targeted board members in the recall election. Johnson and Merritts said they did not support the recall.[10]
Results
| Jeffco Public Schools, District 3, General Election, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Ali Lasell |
57.7% | 89,726 |
| Kim Johnson | 42.3% | 65,753 |
| Total Votes | 155,479 | |
| Source: Jefferson County, "Official County Results," November 20, 2015 | ||
Funding
Johnson reported $12,389.99 in contributions and $12,389.99 in expenditures to the Colorado Secretary of State, which left her campaign with $0.00 on hand as of the election.[11]
Jeffco school board candidates had to file a total of three campaign finance reports. The first was due October 13, 2015. The second was due October 30, 2015, and the final report had to be filed by December 3, 2015.[12]
Endorsements
Johnson received endorsements from State Rep. Lang Sias (R) and Jefferson County Commissioner Libby Szabo. She also received endorsements from a number of local officials and community members.[13] A full list of her endorsements can be found here.
Campaign themes
2015
Ballotpedia survey responses
Johnson participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display her responses to the survey questions. When asked what her top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | We must change the tone of the discussion about our schools. We can allow disagreement and still work together to make our schools the best they can be. We can treat educators like the professionals they are and set expectations everyone can agree on. We can include all community stakeholders in a meaningful, respectful dialog that doesn’t boil down to “which side are you on” as if that defines the totality of any person’s opinion about our schools. Jeffco must raise the level of respect that the board table. Reasonable people can disagree, engage in respective conversation, find common ground, and come to common sense solutions.[14] | ” |
| —Kim Johnson (2015)[15] | ||
Ranking the issues
Johnson was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the school district, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important:
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Colorado. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Expanding career-technical education | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Improving college readiness | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| Expanding arts education | |
Positions on the issues
Johnson was asked to answer 10 questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are in the left column, and the candidate's responses are in the right column of the following table:
| Question | Response |
|---|---|
| "Colorado has adopted the Colorado Academic Standards, which provide mastery targets for Colorado students in 11 content areas. These standards reflect Colorado's priorities of educating the whole child and preparing our students to be postsecondary and workforce ready. These standards exceed Common Core standards in expectations, interdisciplinary relationships, and variety of content area. Jeffco, like all Colorado districts, maintains autonomy over curriculum and may set higher standards as needed." | |
| "Charter schools provide a tremendous opportunity to supplement a quality public school system. Having charter schools, traditional district-run schools, and option schools available in Jeffco allows parents the opportunity to find the right educational fit for their children. Jeffco should carefully review new charter school applications as well as renewals and approve quality charter school programs that are serving a need in Jeffco." | |
| "No" | |
| "Multiple and varied measurers, not a single exam, are the best metric of student achievement. Assessments are needed to provide teachers with the feedback they need to make adjustments in their teaching, work dynamically with their team, and respond to the needs of their students. They are also valuable so that parents, students, and community can determine if we are providing our students with an excellent education. Student growth should be the focus of assessment data, but notable benchmarks are important because once a student has fallen behind, it is exponentially harder to catch them up. We must find balance in the time allocated to assessments in order to allow our educators the time and flexibility to teach and inspire our students." | |
| "All students can learn and achieve. Jeffco's mission is "to provide a quality education that prepares all children for a successful future" and we must never lose sight of that. Providing school leaders and educators the flexibility and defined autonomy to respond to the needs of their individual students and school community will allow them to uniquely serve their students. I am encouraged by the enthusiasm shared by school leadership regarding the changes being implemented at Jefferson High, which were changes developed from the school level. Jeffco is on a path to move from a position of providing direction to schools, to one of supporting school and student needs, as evidenced by the adoption of Student Based Budgeting and embracing changes in the Jefferson and Alameda articulation areas. This direction, along with continued choices through programs, option schools, traditional schools, and charter schools, provides the best future for equal opportunities for all students." | |
| "Expulsion cases must be viewed on a case-by-case basis rather than the district having an overarching policy." | |
| "The board should ask the school leaders and community what they need to improve performance, work to provide that, and set a timeline for accountable improvement. The school leaders, educators in the classrooms, and the school community know their students best - and are in the best position to set the school on a new course. The changes that Jeffco made to the Jefferson articulation area are a terrific example. These changes were at the suggestion of those schools following input by those educators and communities. The district central office has the very important role of supporting this area in their plan for improvement student success. Having strong school leadership is one critical element of this support. Jeffco needs to ensure that we are attracting, developing, and retaining quality principals. School level collaboration is an important step in allowing schools the opportunity to respond to the individual needs of their students and communities and effective collaboration requires great leaders." | |
| "Attracting, retaining, developing, and rewarding great teachers is critical for student achievement. I support compensation methods that are reflective of performance. The performance evaluation system should be a collaboration between district leaders, administrators and educators. It must be fair and consistent, while at the same time allowing for revision by the collaborative team." | |
| "Put underperforming teachers on a probationary period while they seek to improve." | |
| "Throughout my professional and volunteer careers, I have experience working with a wide variety of people and balancing input from multiple stakeholder perspectives. I am committed to continuing to work in this manner and will behave with integrity, respect, and professionalism at the board table and beyond. I am an independent voice that will focus on rational discussions, asking questions, finding common ground, and making decisions with a focus on what is best for Jeffco students. I have made commitments to the Jeffco community that can be seen on my website at www.kimforjeffcoschools.com/commitments. I recently held a series of community Meet & Greets open to the public throughout Jefferson County, visiting north, south, central, and mountain areas and I plan to continue regular community town hall events. Connecting with the community and building bridges are priorities for me." | |
| "I encourage voters to learn more about my thoughts on Student Based Budgeting at http://www.kimforjeffcoschools.com/student_based_budgeting_sbb, Facilities at http://www.kimforjeffcoschools.com/_jeffcos_capital_future, other topics at http://www.kimforjeffcoschools.com/blog, and my vision for Jeffco Schools at http://www.kimforjeffcoschools.com/vision." |
Candidate website
Johnson highlighted the following vision on her campaign website:
| “ | Jeffco Students – our priority, future & purpose An active community volunteer, Kim dedicates countless hours to Jeffco Schools through PTA, district committees, the neighborhood School Accountability Committee, and in classrooms. As the mother of two Jeffco students, she knows that every student has a different learning path. She is experiencing this firsthand, as choices and advocacy for her daughter do not always look like those that are best for her son. Allowing each school the ability to respond to the needs of their individual communities and students is necessary for student achievement. She believes in keeping all Jeffco students’ success a priority. Educators - value, support & respect our professionals Community – home, school, & community connection Kim's family has been involved in education for several generations. It has made her understand how important schools are to the success and quality of every community. Living in Northwest Arvada, Kim is keenly aware of the need for additional facilities to accommodate current and projected student population growth. She values the need for new facilities in growth areas and the best utilization of existing facilities through the District so that all Jeffco students have a safe and suitable place to learn. Jeffco also needs to partner with municipalities, Jefferson County government, and local businesses to make sure schools are adequately funded and considered in development decisions. Understanding community growth and facility utilization is essential for making district decisions.[14] |
” |
| —Kim Johnson's campaign website (2015)[16] | ||
Political philosophy
When asked to describe her political philosophy, Johnson stated:
| “ | I am the mother of two Jeffco students, a businesswoman, an active parent volunteer, and involved across the community. I have been dedicated to education my entire life and am running for Jeffco School Board to support Jeffco students, educators, and the community.
I was raised to value excellence in public education by my mom and dad, both of whom are teachers. Running for Jeffco School Board is an extension of my commitment to our community and an act of civic responsibility. With my service on our School Accountability Committee, on PTSA Executive Board, in classrooms, and on district committees, I have seen the importance of the community as a partner in the education of Jeffco students. I will focus on rational discussions, asking questions, finding common ground, and making decisions with a focus on what is best for Jeffco students. I will combine my perspective as a parent, passion for education, success in helping run a business, and community service to lead Jeffco Schools. I am eager to use these strengths to support Jeffco students, educators, and community. My top 3 priorities for Jeffco Schools are: |
” |
| —Kim Johnson (2015)[2] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Kim Johnson' '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 elections (2015)
- 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 Jeffco Public Schools, "Board of Education Election 2015," accessed August 31, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Biographical submission form for Ballotpedia, "Kim Johnson responses," October 11, 2015]
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Jefferson County, "Unofficial County Results," November 3, 2015
- ↑ Lakewood Sentinel, "Jefferson County School Board elections could force imminent change," October 6, 2015
- ↑ Kim Johnson for Jeffco Schools, "Meet Kim," accessed October 7, 2015
- ↑ Kim Johnson for Jeffco Schools, "Kim for Jeffco Schools," accessed October 7, 2015
- ↑ Jeffco Public Schools, "Board Members," accessed January 27, 2015
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "Colorado elections & campaign finance calendar," accessed January 27, 2015
- ↑ Jefferson County Elections, "Election Information - What's on the 2015 Coordinated Election Ballot?" accessed October 9, 2015
- ↑ Colorado Public Radio, "In JeffCo, Recall Vote Brings Years Of Turmoil To A Head," October 19, 2015
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "Candidate Information - Election Year 2015: Kim Johnson for Jeffco Schools," accessed December 7, 2015
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "2015 Jefferson County School Board Elections Calendar (Regular and Recall)," accessed October 7, 2015
- ↑ Kim Johnson for Jeffco Schools, "Endorsements," accessed October 7, 2015
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Kim Johnson responses," October 11, 2015
- ↑ Kim Johnson for Jeffco Schools, "Vision," accessed October 7, 2015
| 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 |
