Mark Cravens
From Ballotpedia
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Mark Cravens ran for election to the Falcon School District 49 school board to represent District 3 in Colorado. Cravens unofficially withdrew from the race but appeared on the general election ballot on November 7, 2023.
Cravens completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Mark Cravens was born in Marion, Indiana. Cravens' professional experience includes working as a business executive. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1983 to 2004. Cravens earned a bachelor's degree from Eastern Michigan University in 1983.[1]
Cravens has been affiliated with the Church on the Ranch, Colorado Springs.[1]
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 |
| Ralene Revord (Nonpartisan) | 45.3 | 1,974 | ||
| Total votes: 4,362 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Mark Cravens (Nonpartisan) (Unofficially withdrew)
Mark Cravens unofficially withdrew from the race and still appeared on the ballot. Any votes Cravens received were not reported in the official results.[2]
Endorsements
Cravens received the following endorsements.
- Frmr. Falcon Sch. Brd. Memb. Ivy Liu (Nonpartisan)
- D49 Guardians
Campaign themes
2023
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Mark Cravens completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Cravens' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Hello. I'm running for the El Paso County District 49 School Board in Director District 3 in this November 2023 election. I moved to Colorado Springs in 2000 while in in the Marine Corps and retired here in 2004 after 21 years of service. I am proud Father of three daughters who attended and graduated from District 49. I graduated college with a bachelor's degree in chemistry and physics and served in the Marines as a naval aviator and pilot instructor flying F/A-18 Hornets, OV-10 Broncos and other aircraft in combat, peacetime and worldwide contingency operations. I served as an airborne parachutist providing close air support and fire support coordination to US allies and the US Army. I finished my service in the Cheyenne Mountain Command Center and as Deputy Director of Operations for the mountain, including serving in that Command Center on 11 September 2001. Today I lead operations, strategy and growth as Vice President of Air and Space operations for a small business defense contractor with offices in Colorado Springs and employees and customers on the front range. Among other things, I help lead education and training of US Space force Guardians at all levels to perform assigned missions. I bring over 41 years of successful experience as an educator, instructor, leader, manager and problem solver for complex challenges. I bring 41 years of proven ability to help groups and organizations navigate contentious, difficult issues, to viable, acceptable solutions. Thank you!
- I was an educator, instructor, and evaluator, for 21 years in the Marine Corps including certifications as pilot instructor, and for numerous subjects and technologies across air, land, maritime and space specialties. As well, I spent 21 years taking students from public education, in the form of young men and women of all backgrounds and educating and training them to transition from a school environment, into succeeding in the most complex technologies and capabilities, under conditions that most Americans cannot conceive of. This was my most favorite part of being a Marine. I bring successful experience in cooperatively framing discussions, in building consensus, and in turning complex organizations and environments around to success.
- As reported by the Colorado Department of Education, District 49 continues to struggle academically and is sliding worse. D49 exists to provide academic education to our students. Our students deserve the best academic education we can provide them. I do not believe the district is focused in the right areas. They are not properly focused on helping our students achieve academic excellence. I can help turn this around. In one example of significant organizational change, I took over the maintenance department of the lowest ranking F/A-18 Hornet squadron in the Marine Corps. By every measure, this squadron was the worst. A year later, a year involving combat, this squadron received the award of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron of the Year.
- An environment and culture of internal animosity and personal attack has settled into District 49. Emotions run high, people on all sides are not being heard and they are attacked and marginalized because they disagree. This is counter to turning the district towards academic excellence, and to a healthy, professional, welcoming environment. This environment doesn't help attract and retain the best teaching talent for our kids. This environment is a leadership issue and must be fixed at Board and administration levels. This can be fixed. I've helped do it before, for similar, complex organizations, under difficult conditions. Fixing this culture and environment, and re-focusing to academic excellence, are the reasons I am running.
We need to focus our schools on academic excellence. Other things need to take a second priority to this. We allow ourselves to be distracted by non-essentials, while our kids cannot read, write or do math at grade level. Our schools exist to academically educate our children to become adults who can support themselves in this modern world, and to participate in their communities as civic-minded citizens. We need to bring parents back into the academic lives of their children, and to protect and ensure parental decision authority for their children. These children are under the authority and care of their parents, and the parents "loan" them to us, for their academic education. So this includes schools stopping woke indoctrination of students and focusing on academic excellence. Schools need to get out of the lives of these families and respect that sanctity. We need to restore civil discourse in our schools and districts and in our deliberations. Too often, simple disagreement serves as justification for personal attack, censure, demonizing and marginalization. This is a failure of leadership, and it needs to stop. Understandably, the initiative to stop it, needs to come from leaders on the district Board and district administrators.
Pretty impossible to look for a better example than Jesus of Nazareth. Whether I follow him as a Believer (I do), or as a secular student of history, the example and message he gave to the world, shines brightly over 2000 years later, as hope for humanity, and as an example of how we should seek to live and treat one another. No matter what lens you view this question through (again, as a Believer or as a non-Believer) his message, example and teachings are incomparable. There is not even a close second. After him, I hold George Washington and Abraham Lincoln as my ideals. In modern times, I greatly admire Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher and former Pope John Paul as our best leaders of the modern era. Today, I hold Canadian Professor of Psychology Jordan Peterson as a modern-day Prophet and the smartest human we have seen in over a hundred years. I admire the intellects and integrity of several other modern day thought leaders, including Doctors Thomas Sowell, and Victor Davis Hansen, and others to include Camille Paglia, Walter Williams, Clarance Thomas, Dennis Prager, David Rubin, Candace Owens, Ben Shapiro, Armstrong Williams, Shelby Steele, Joshua L. Chamberlain, and Douglas Murray
The New Testament. Movie - Remember the Titans, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Shootist. Every book you can find on Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight Eisenhower. Every book and writing you can find on Thomas Sowell, Victor David Hansen, Walter Williams, and Jordan Peterson.
Integrity. Values. Patience. Moral courage. Empathy. Stamina. The ability to unpack complex or confusing issues and calmly break them down into understandable, approachable problems with an eye towards solutions. Strong posture towards civil discussion and deliberations, not letting disagreement turn into opportunity to attack, marginalize, silence or demean those we disagree with.
Gratitude. Patience. Openness. Conscientiousness. Integrity. Moral courage. Empathy. An organized and analytical mind and approach. Introspection. A strong desire for competence.
To preside over district and school activities, policies, finances, priorities and missions. To serve as a compassionate, wise source of deliberation over the district. To be a democratically based deliberative body, accountable to the electorate, to help guide district efforts. To listen and then decide as necessary.
I don't think about "legacy". I think you either focus on doing or on legacy, but you can't do both. I wish to leave the students, the district and district families in a better place than when I started.
I remember President John F Kennedy being assassinated. I was very young but the issue was so serious and my parents were so upset and concerned that I definitely recall that event. I also remember our first manned space launches.
Other than working for my father on our property in Michigan while growing up, my first pay job at 13 was bussing tables and washing dishes at a local restaurant. I held this job for around a year. I then worked on local farms picking crops, pulling weeds, and fixing fences for another couple years. At 16 I managed a full-service gas station and service garage in our small town until I graduated and went to college, where I also held jobs during that time.
All time lifetime favorites: Anything by J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. The Stand - Stephen King. Red Storm Rising - Tom Clancy. The Killer Angels Jeff Shaara. 1984 - George Orwell. Blind Man's Bluff - Sontag and Drew. In the Hands of Providence (Joshua L. Chamberlain) - Trulock.
The Human Torch. Spartacus. Captain Kirk. Legolas.
I can buy my own flowers by Miley Cyrus........... don't judge me!!!!! (LOL) Second one is the Sesame Street Cookie Monster song, C is for Cookie...... that's good enough for me......
I struggle with understanding people who choose conflict, social advancement or personal agendas over making things better.
Lead an environment that fosters professional, meaningful deliberation between administrators, faculty, staff, stakeholders and constituents to steer the district to achieve its mission, provide academic excellence, and help prepare students to become civic minded adults who can support themselves and participate in their communities. Govern the administrative, policy, educational, budgetary, and employment efforts of the district.
The constituents for a school district and school board are the parents of students and the taxpayers of that district. The customers of the district are the students. The Board, faculty, staff and administrators are critical participants and producers in this enterprise.
Focus starts with a coherent, actionable and measurable mission statement for the district that defines why we exist, where we are headed, and what we are to do, in a definable priority of importance. This helps define what we must do, what we should do, and what we cannot do. Then we establish a set of values that inform and guide us. It is important to note that our values inform our thinking on issues. Usually, not the other way around. Absent any examples of types of diversity, I'm unable to answer beyond this except to say that the Board needs to create an suitable environment for listening and then listen as best we are able to consider needs. It is also important to note that in many areas, we will be governed by statute and regulation. We may seek latitude in ways that conform to these requirements, but these are fixed and must be complied with.
I think the district has not maximized opportunities for community messaging and engagement. This needs to start as a "push" of messaging from the district, which will ideally lead to a dialogue between stakeholders and the district. In this regard, the list of stakeholders is largely limitless. Parents and families, special needs families, student groups, local first responders, local businesses and services (hospital, tech companies, military installations, etc.), non-profit, volunteer, charitable, religious communities, care facilities, youth organizations, and so on. This can all be made better, but it starts with the district establishing an effective strategic communications plan.
Good teaching is the effective long-term transfer of knowledge and contextual understanding, skills, and abilities to our students, involving academic subject matter, necessary for them to graduate and support themselves and participate in their communities as civic-minded, law-abiding members. While any form of testing includes inadequacies and some negative aspects, it is the only method by which to "peer' into an organization and evaluate effectiveness of teaching, policies and programs, and ascertain areas in need of improvement. So we must test, while continually seeking to improve that testing. Not exactly sure what is intended by "advanced teaching approaches", however, I am not sure "advanced" means better. it is a widely held belief that "common core" teaching methods are not superior. Instead that they are inferior. I am not sure that previous, discarded teaching approaches were not better for our students.
First, all teaching should be subordinated in priority to traditional academics. We need to focus our priorities extensively on reading, writing, arithmetic, science, history, civics, literature and probably some music. Other subjects can be beneficial and should be considered, but only in secondary priority, and only in how they supplement student learning in the primary academic subject matter.
I think a primary influence in this area of concern is not the amount of funding, but rather the use of available funding that does not align with or support a primary focus on academic instruction and excellence. A board must provide deep engagement with district leadership and financial planners to provide this focus. I think this often times is not well executed.
Threats to safety in schools range from disruptive students in a classroom or on school transportation, to physical and virtual bullying and attacks, to pranks and direct actions of attack and violence. This is a broad spectrum for the district to address and the spectrum ranges from "most likely and least dangerous" to "least likely and most dangerous". So principles are the right level of discussion here, as there are too many potential scenarios to get into detailed-level discussion of solutions.
First, local control and local decision making are critical as those leaders best understand the local environment, issues, capabilities and vulnerabilities. They also have the best chance at monitoring and cueing to possible threats to safety. And they are best able to positively orient and influence resources to deter or respond to threats.
Primarily in roles of helping to serve as a non-invasive, voluntary based resource provider. Often times this effort runs contrary to parental authority over their children. In general, regarding students, all mental health issues start with contacting the student's parent. If a parent is a suspected offender in this concern, then the district should be compelled to contact and turn the matter over to the police. Our schools should have zero involvement as a mental health provider or in criminal investigation capacities. Those roles are not within the purpose, mission or authorities of schools. Second, our schools should serve as an immediate referral resource to those who are equipped and authorized to serve as mental health providers, who are outside of the school's organizational structure. The concept of our public schools should not be allowed to grow to become "everything to everyone".
Maybe not my favorite, but one I can think of.
As a teacher is walking around her classroom, she catches the smell of urine coming from somewhere around her students. She goes to the front of the room and asks if anyone had an accident, and if so, to stand up. No one stands up. She says again, if anyone had an accident to stand up. Still, no one stands.
Frustrated, she finally says, anyone who has peed their pants, stand up now! After a minute, little Johnny slowly looks around the class and stands up.
The teacher looks at little Johnny and asks, "Little Johnny, did you pee your pants?".
Too many to list here. But I believe a Board bears primary responsibility to screen, consider and adjust policies in accordance with the district purpose and mission statement, and as they prioritize the need for academic focus and excellence and civility in discussion and deliberations. I also think (given my previous answers), we need district policies that precludes forced mandates as they relate to COVID, and that effectively posture the district to deal with potential or actual violence and bullying.
A safe, orderly, focused classroom environment, administered under the authority of a qualified, professional teaching staff. This environment needs to be predominantly focused on academic subject matter within the mission of the district to educate students to graduate and support themselves and participate in their communities as civic-minded, law-abiding members. Subjects and focus areas that distract from this mission should be either demoted in priority or removed.
This is all hind-sight observation that relates as much to schools as it does to many other areas and aspects of our society. Mandates did not work, they harmed our children, our families, our academic efforts, our communities, our economies, and our businesses. Many of these mandates were entirely unnecessary when one evaluates the statistical effects and threats to certain groups. The virus did not significantly impact young, healthy children and adults. Yet our mandates were "one size fits all" unless groups were embedded in social or political causes or were under the special category of undocumented immigrants. These observations may be inconvenient, but they are statistically verified and significant. I am against mandates. Forced closures unduly hurt our society and economy, and were unduly leveraged against small businesses, while large businesses were given a pass. Masks don't work against viruses, and they cause undesirable health effects, especially on the young and elderly. Forced requirements of experimental vaccines is not only illegal, but also proving highly ill-advised as time goes on, and as significant Health concerns emerge.
We need to reach out to them, to let them know they are welcomed and encouraged, and then actively solicit their support. We need to prioritize their voices in our dialogue. The parents and district citizens are the primary constituents of the district. We partner with them in our limited role, in their raising of their children. They need to understand that, and the vital role they fulfill. Too often today, parents are kept at arm's length by districts and schools. This is not well-advised and not helpful. Schools don't raise kids. Parents do. Schools can help in this, but within primary parental authority.
First, alter the environment and culture to a professional, warm, inviting climate that is attractive to those already here and those considering joining. Second, do a hard scrub of the district budget to look for opportunities and finance methodologies to better hire and retain and compensate a professional teaching staff. US National Center for Education Statistics are clear that from the period of 2000 - 2019, public school student and teacher numbers increased by 8%, while public school administrative staff increased by 88%. We need to emphasize public school administrative efficiency, and prioritize our public-school funding into classrooms, primarily into competitive compensation for our professional teaching 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.
See also
2023 Elections
External links
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Candidate School District 49 school board, District 3 |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 15, 2023
- ↑ El Paso County Election Results, "El Paso County School District 49 Board of Directors - District 3," accessed November 30, 2023
