Lori Hvizda Ward
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Lori Hvizda Ward is the District E representative on the Thompson School District school board in Colorado. First elected in 2013, Ward won a new term in the at-large general election on November 7, 2017.
Ward participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 school board candidate survey. Click here to read her responses.
Biography
Ward has served as a PTA president as well as a member of the Thompson School District Budget Proposal Team. She has three children who have attended district schools.[1]
Elections
2017
Three of the seven seats on the Thompson School District Board of Education in Colorado were up for nonpartisan general election on November 7, 2017. Paul Bankes ran unopposed for the open District B seat. In District E, incumbent Lori Hvizda Ward also ran unopposed. Barb Kruse defeated write-in candidate Lynn Greer for the open District F seat.[2][3]
Results
| Thompson School District, District E General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Lori Hvizda Ward Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 19,267 |
| Total Votes | 19,267 | |
| Source: Larimer County Elections Office, "Election Summary Report," accessed November 27, 2017 | ||
Funding
Ward reported $2,748.73 in contributions and $1,159.35 in expenditures to the Colorado Secretary of State, which left her campaign with $1,589.38 on hand in the election.[4]
2013
Ward sought election to the board against fellow challenger Rocci Bryan on November 5, 2013.
Election results
| Thompson Board of Education, District E General Election, 4-year term, 2013 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Lori Hvizda Ward |
52.2% | 15,299 | |
| Nonpartisan | Rocci Bryan | 47.8% | 14,012 | |
| Total Votes | 29,311 | |||
| Source: Larimer County, Colorado, "Election Summary Report," November 19, 2013 (dead link) | ||||
Funding
Ward reported $3,762.92 in contributions and $2,606.41 in expenditures to the Colorado Secretary of State, which left her campaign with $1,156.51 on hand in the election.[5]
Endorsements
Ward earned the endorsement of Boulder Weekly during the 2013 election.[6]
Campaign themes
2017
Ballotpedia survey responses
Lori Hvizda Ward participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates.[7] In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on October 4, 2017:
| “ | A sustainable budget that does not require using district reserves by 2020, through efficiencies rather than cuts in programs. Improved ability to attract and retain education professionals through competitive compensation and providing more a fulfilling environment. Continuing support for diverse opportunities for student success.[8][9] | ” |
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 |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| “ | I would redefine 'improving relations with teachers' as 'attracting and retaining education professionals'[9] | ” |
| —Lori Hvizda Ward (October 4, 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. The Board has the power to approve charter schools in this district. At this time, there is not a demonstrated need for new charters. A more accurate answer would be that a new charter approval should be based on need and quality of the charter proposal. |
| 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? |
| No. They are a snapshot only, and often are more reflective of a student’s intelligence or socioeconomic status. They can be used as one measure, but should never be used to “punish” the teacher, the school, or the district in the high-stakes manner they have been in the past decade or so. |
| 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. Merit pay should be part of the compensation package, and should be provided as an option, rather than replacing the traditional years of experience and education pay schedules used in most districts. I favor a hybrid approach. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. Public funds should never be diverted to private enterprises. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Sparingly and with compassion and understanding of the student’s situation. The goal should always be to keep the student in school, as long as it is safe to do so. Expulsion should not be used as a disciplinary measure for very young students. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers. Parent involvement is equally important, but the survey allows only one answer. |
Candidate website
Ward highlighted the following issues on her campaign website:
| “ |
Today's students and their parents expect our schools to provide a wide variety of educational opportunities. Families want to choose the program that is right for their child. I support providing many paths for student success such as arts integration, dual-language immersion, International Baccalaureate, concurrent enrollment, and career and technical education to name a few. I also support strengthening and expanding vocational education programs through district offerings and in partnership with local industry and community colleges.
One of the main responsibilities of a member of the Board of Education is wise stewardship of taxpayer dollars. My colleagues on the Board and I have set a goal of creating efficiencies in the district to ensure an annual budget that does not use monies from reserves. I will consider all reasonable proposals, while continuing to advocate for addressing the challenges of school finance at the state level.
Kids succeed in school when educators are valued, heard, and adequately compensated. It is a challenge to put a great teacher in every classroom when our pay scale is not competitive with our neighbors. I support the work of the task force looking at ways to attract and retain great educators. I will continue to support quality professional development and teacher collaboration time, in addition to focusing on improving compensation. It is my goal to make Thompson School District a rewarding place to work as well as to learn.[9] |
” |
| —Lori Hvizda Ward (2017)[10] | ||
2013
Ward's campaign website listed the following issues for 2013:
| “ |
I will work to:
|
” |
| —Lori Hvizda Ward (2013)[1] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Lori Hvizda Ward Thompson School District school board. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Thompson School District, Colorado
- Thompson School District elections (2017)
- Thompson School District elections (2013)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ward for School Board, "Main," accessed October 23, 2013
- ↑ Reporter-Herald, "4 candidates vie for 3 seats on the Thompson school board," September 1, 2017
- ↑ 2017 Larimer County Election Results, "Final Unofficial Results," accessed November 8, 2017
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "TRACER: Candidate Search," accessed December 18, 2017
- ↑ Colorado TRACER, "Candidate Detail," accessed December 19, 2013
- ↑ Boulder Weekly, "Election Guide 2013: Full list of Boulder Weekly endorsements," October 17, 2013
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2017, "Lori Hvizda Ward's responses," October 4, 2017
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Lori 4 School Board, "Issues," accessed November 2, 2017
| Thompson School District elections in 2017 | |
| Larimer County, Colorado | |
| Election date: | November 7, 2017 |
| Candidates: | District B: • Paul Bankes District E: • Incumbent, Lori Hvizda Ward District F: • Lynn Greer (write-in candidate) • Barb Kruse |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
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