Marie LaVere-Wright

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Marie LaVere-Wright

Nonpartisan

School District 49 school board, District 3

Tenure

2023 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

1

Prior offices

School District 49 school board, At-large

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Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 7, 2023

Education

High school

Marine City High School

Bachelor's

Oakland University, 1994

Graduate

Harvard University, 2000

Personal

Birthplace

Port Huron, Mich.

Religion

Catholic

Profession

Educator

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Marie LaVere-Wright is a member of the Falcon School District 49 school board in Colorado, representing District 3. She assumed office on December 6, 2023. Her current term ends in 2027.

LaVere-Wright ran for election to the Falcon School District 49 school board to represent District 3 in Colorado. She won in the general election on November 7, 2023.

LaVere-Wright completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Marie LaVere-Wright was born in Port Huron, Michigan. LaVere-Wright earned her B.S. in physics from Oakland University in 1994 and went on to receive a master's in genetics from Harvard University in 2000. She taught science at Fontbonne Academy in the Boston area. LaVere-Wright then moved to Colorado Springs and taught at Falcon High School until 2008.

Elections

2023

See also: Falcon School District 49, Colorado, elections (2023)

General election

General election for School District 49 school board, District 3

Marie LaVere-Wright defeated Ralene Revord in the general election for School District 49 school board, District 3 on November 7, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Marie LaVere-Wright (Nonpartisan)	54.7	2,388
	Submit photo	Ralene Revord (Nonpartisan)	45.3	1,974

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,362
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Mark Cravens (Nonpartisan) (Unofficially withdrew)

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for LaVere-Wright in this election.

2015

See also: Falcon School District 49 elections (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. 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.

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

LaVere-Wright reported no contributions or expenditures to the Colorado Secretary of State as of October 30, 2015.

Campaign themes

2023

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Marie LaVere-Wright completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by LaVere-Wright's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a parent of 4 children all of whom are either currently D49 students or D49 graduates who believes in our children, our schools, and our community. I am a former teacher, and active parent and community volunteer. I am on the FHS SAC, the FHS PTSA, the Falcon Coalition. the Special Education Advosory Council, and the Enhanced Security Community Advisory Council. I believe in being a positive, proactive solutions-oriented leader, and love this communty which we have been a part of for 18 years.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• My first priority is to recover learning loss created by the COVID pandemic. This will continue to impact education for the next decade, and as a district and community we need to recognize and respond to this need if we want our children to succeed.
• My second priority is family re-engagement. Family-school partnership is critical to student success, and was damaged during the COVID pandemic. Our children do best when we work together, and this has to happen from the board level all the way to the classroom level.
• My third priority is to restore trust between our community and our district. This happens with hard work and with intentional transparent action in every interaction

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

My passion is respecting the dignity of every person, and my interest in public policy all relate to that. Public Education and access to quality education for all is my first passion because it is the great equalizer in our society. The second area is support for children in foster care, and trauma-informed care and education systems. The third is disability rights and community support and access. All of these areas for me are about respecting life and recognizing the intrinsic value and dignity of every person in our community.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Integrity, transparency, respect for others, an ability to collaborate, listen, learn, and find compromise are all important characteristics for an elected official. Good governance requires one to be able to listen to multiple perspectives, seek to understand those perspective, address concerns, and work to find solutions that meet the needs of our students. Our schools serve a pluralistic community, and we need to respect all viewpoints and belief systems, not just the one we may subscribe to ourselves or just the one that is the majority in our community.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I remember the election of John Paul II as pope. I was 6. As a Catholic of Polish descent, this was huge, I remember the excitement within our community, and as I got older understood more about why his election was so important, and found his fight first against the nazis and then against communism inspiring as a young person. I learned resistance did not have to be a physical battle. I was also profoundly impacted by his ability to forgive the man who shot him and his outreach to and acceptance of persons of other faiths.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Mended by Matthew West. There is a line in the song “you see broken beyond repair, I see healing beyond belief”, “you see nothing but damaged goods, I see something good in the making” and “ You see worthless but I see priceless. You see pain, but I see a purpose, You see unworthy, undeserving, But I see you through eyes of mercy”. Although it is supposed to be God speaking to a struggling person, for me it also speaks to my role as an adoptive mom to children healing from trauma, and the challenges we have faced together in our journey as a family. Loving unconditionally through the challenges and helping my children learn they deserve to be loved is what I work to do every day. Falling into my faith is what gives me that strength, and this song is what helps me remember to love them as I have been loved, to not give up, and to advocate and educate all those who work with my children so they can heal.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

The primary role of a school board member is to set strategic priorities and empower administrators to achieve them. It is not to micromanage. The board also determines district policy reflective of our community’s values. High functioning boards need to be able to work together with one another, the administration, and the community with respect, to recognize their authority rests solely in the board as a body, and to hold one another accountable if someone attempts to exceed that authority.

In what areas would you like to expand curriculum? For example, do you see a need for advanced technical training or apprenticeships? What sort of innovative programming would you advance if given the opportunity?

D49 is very focused on offering choice, including multiple career paths. However, both the career landscape and the paths parents and students wish to pursue will continue to shift. To stay relevant and ensure we are meeting the needs of all students we need to continue to engage with students, families, and the business community to ensure pathways we add are those they need. We also need to educate our students, families, and community about the variety of paths that currently exist so they are fully informed about all their options as they navigate middle and high school.

Describe your ideal learning environment for students.

The ideal learning environment is different for different students based on their individual talents, challenges, and passions. This is why choice has to be a part of the strategy for student success. We need to offer a diverse set of learning environments to allow each child and family to find their fit. D49 intentionally offers a diverse set of learning environments to meet the needs of different learners, and this should continue to be developed until there is an appropriate path for every child.

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.

Other survey responses

Ballotpedia identified the following surveys, interviews, and questionnaires LaVere-Wright completed for other organizations. If you are aware of a link that should be added, email us.

• League of Women Voters

See also

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Candidate

School District 49 school board, District 3

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