Matt Van Gieson

Matt Van Gieson

Contact

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Matt Van Gieson was a candidate for District 1 representative on the Jeffco Public Schools school board in Colorado. Van Gieson was defeated in the at-large general election on November 7, 2017.

Elections

2017

See also: Jeffco Public Schools elections (2017)

Three of the five seats on the Jeffco Public Schools Board of Education in Colorado were up for nonpartisan general election on November 7, 2017. In his bid for re-election to District 1, incumbent Brad Rupert defeated Matt Van Gieson. The District 2 race included incumbent Susan Harmon and Erica Shields. Harmon won re-election. District 5 incumbent Ron Mitchell ran unopposed and won another term on the board. The three incumbents ran together as the Keep Jeffco Moving Forward candidate slate. They all won election to the board in a 2015 recall election.

Results

Jeffco Public Schools, District 1 General Election, 4-year term, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Brad Rupert Incumbent	60.49%	75,034
Matt Van Gieson	39.51%	49,000
Total Votes		124,034
Source: Colorado Secretary of State, "Official Results," accessed August 28, 2023

Funding

See also: Campaign finance in the Jeffco Public Schools election

Van Gieson reported $3,555.89 in contributions and $3,397.53 in expenditures to the Colorado Secretary of State, which left his campaign with $158.36 on hand in the election.

Endorsements

Van Gieson was endorsed by Jeffco Students First Action, and he received support from the Jeffco Republicans Men's Club.

Campaign themes

2017

Candidate website

Van Gieson highlighted the following issues on his campaign website:

“	Student Achievement Every student deserves access to a great public education. Today less than half of Jeffco’s 3rd graders read at grade level. Based on that, two of my four children might complete 3rd grade below proficiency levels. That is not acceptable. While Jeffco’s performance is above state averages, our children will compete with students from around the country and the world. We must do better. It is important to make sure every Jeffco 3rd grader will become a proficient reader. I commit to setting specific measureable goals for improving student achievement. Keeping Schools Open When schools close the entire neighborhood is impacted. Families need to feel comfortable that they can send their children to their neighborhood school without fear of potential unexpected closure. I spent many hours volunteering at Pleasant View, which was closed at the end of last year, despite the community having very little notice. I know firsthand the impact on the families who had to scramble to determine which other school would best meet the needs of their children. I experienced the tears and anxiety this caused students and especially the families with special needs students. If Jeffco needs to close schools we need a transparent process which engages community members and doesn’t surprise neighborhoods. Families deserve better and I commit to protecting our small neighborhood schools. Moving 6th Graders to Middle School is Too Expensive The estimated cost of adding enough classroom seats to move all 6th graders to middle schools is $50 million. Jeffco is experiencing declining enrollment and already has nearly 10,000 empty classroom seats. Spending $50 million to build unneeded additional classroom seats seems fiscally irresponsible, especially when student achievement is not expected to improve. Investing $50 million in attracting and retaining great staff or putting those dollars in classrooms would be my priority. In addition if 6th graders are moved out of elementary schools there will be about 25 elementary schools with under 300 students. The current board has said schools with less than 300 students are inefficient to operate and should be added to the potential closure list. I can’t support spending $50 million to add seats in middle schools while putting elementary schools at risk of being closed. Our communities deserve the opportunity to provide input before moving forward with moving all 6th graders to middle school. Fiscal Responsibility Jeffco spends close to one billion dollars each year educating our students but only half are meeting grade level expectations. We spend over $130,000 providing each student a K -12 education but half don’t graduate or need to take a remedial classes before being ready for college level work. We need to be able to account for program level spending so that we know the effectiveness of spending. We need to reevaluate spending to make sure we have a lean administration and we are focusing our spending in classrooms. Choice Like my mother, who chose to send me to a neighborhood school close to her work, over 30% of Jeffco families choose a public education school other than their neighborhood school. I support families being able to send their students to the public school they believe will best meet the needs of their students. All students do not have the same learning needs. We are lucky in Jeffco to have Montessori, Waldorf, Core Knowledge, Classical, Arts Integration and STEM curriculums offered in schools across the district. We have great neighborhood schools, strong option schools and a variety of public charter schools. We need to make sure all Jeffco schools offer high quality education choices, so that all students have great public school options. We need to equitably fund students no matter which public school they attend.	”
—Matt Van Gieson (2017)

Chalkbeat Colorado survey

Van Gieson participated in the following survey conducted by Chalkbeat Colorado. The survey questions appear bolded, and Van Gieson's responses follow below.

Tell us a bit about yourself. How long have you lived in the school district? What do you do for a living?

“	I was born and raised in Jefferson County and have lived here my entire life. I grew up in a trailer park; some would say we were poor, but we had a good life. Education was important to my parents and my mom wanted to me to be close to her during the day. She worked in a hair salon and because of school choice she could take me to school next to her work. My public education positioned me to get a college degree. I work as a system analyst and project manager, simplifying complex systems and improving results. My wife and I have four children; our baby is fourteen weeks old and our oldest is seven. We did the math and combined we have nearly fifty years of public education ahead of us. We know that half of Jeffco third graders don’t read at grade level; in our house that would be two of our four children who wouldn’t be ready for fourth grade work. That doesn’t seem right to us. We are proud Jeffco graduates and want our children to receive the same high quality education that was available when we went to school.	”
—Matt Van Gieson (2017)

Tell us about your connection to the school district.

“	Jeffco schools are important in my life; I met my wife in high school and learned that it is important for parents to be engaged in our schools. My dad worked nights and made time to be a classroom volunteer and active with PTA. I went to Jeffco schools from kindergarten through high school, attending Lawrence elementary, Drake Junior High and Arvada West. My wife is also an Arvada West graduate. She attended Deane, Stevens, and Swanson elementary schools. (yes, the Swanson which the board threatened to close) She also attended North Arvada and Oberon Junior High. We live close to schools that were on the closure list and have friends in many of the schools which were threatened. I volunteered with the backpack program at Pleasant View Elementary and know about the additional services that were provided to students. When it was announced the school was on the closure list again it was like the air was let out of a balloon and parents didn’t seem to have the energy to fight again. Pleasant View served some of the poorest students in Jeffco and no one on the board stood up for the community. That needs to change.	”
—Matt Van Gieson (2017)

Superintendent Jason Glass recently announced a moratorium on school closures. Under what circumstances do you believe school closures, if ever, are correct to consider, and which factors should be weighed?

“	Only the school board can decide not to close schools and my opponent voted to close two schools which serve a high percent of students in poverty. As poor as I was growing up, I can’t imagine my parents having to fight to keep my school open. As a volunteer at Pleasant View, I experienced the stress and anxiety the community experienced and the distress it caused. These families and those at the 25 schools which will have less than 300 students if sixth graders are moved and may be threatened with closure, need a voice on the board. I watched as parents learned Pleasant View would be closed. They wondered if their children’s new school would have breakfast before the bell; a holiday shop where they could trade volunteer hours for presents; or the weekend backpacks of food, which helped them feed their families. They wondered why all of the work the community invested in improving student achievement didn’t matter to the board. The latest research shows achievement doesn’t improve when schools close and I can’t imagine being responsible for breaking up a community. I support keeping small schools open.	”
—Matt Van Gieson (2017)

Another focus of the new superintendent has been to concentrate more on equity issues. What do you think are the most critical equity issues facing Jeffco Public Schools, and what can the district do to ensure better opportunities and achievement for all students?

“	Growing up in a low income household, I know the most important way to deliver equity for all students is to have a strong leader in each school and a highly effective teacher in each classroom. I know students need role models to help them believe they can succeed and define that path. Teachers tell me they need the skills and flexibility to meet the needs of their students. In Jeffco about one in four third graders who qualified for free or reduced lunch, or had limited English proficiency, met English Language Arts expectations last year. District wide only 50 percent of third graders met these expectations. The issue is much bigger than equity. It is apparent that there must be significant improvement across the district so all students have access to effective education. It’s also clear there are things that are working in many schools. I will bring balance to the board, respectfully asking for improvement plans and holding the Superintendent accountable for success. The board must ensure investments are being made in what improves achievement. It would be good to understand how the $50 million it will cost to move sixth graders could be better allocated to improve achievement.	”
—Matt Van Gieson (2017)

What role do you believe charter schools should have in the district?

“	Jeffco has some of the first charter schools in the state. They’ve been successfully serving students for two decades. In addition Jeffco has a range of public choice schools. Like my parents, Jeffco families can decide to send their children to a neighborhood school which is a better geographic fit. They can choose any neighborhood school which has space, or an option or public charter school. Knowing that each student has unique needs, the variety of public school options helps Jeffco serve the needs of diverse students. Charter schools also give parents an opportunity to help create a community not defined by geography. Jeffco‘s newest charter school will be located in one of the highest poverty neighborhoods and will serve an economically diverse population. Some research shows this is one of the best practices and leads to significantly improved student achievement. Parents can decide this is the best environment for their students. Zip codes no longer have to determine the quality of education. Charter schools also offer a variety of curriculum choices not available in district run schools and we even host the Rocky Mountain Deaf charter school. All of these choice are important for the families in our community.	”
—Matt Van Gieson (2017)

Do you think the district should reconsider a ballot measure to ask voters for a tax increase for the school district? Is there something the district should do differently if they do ask?

“	Property taxes are already rising by 10 to 20 percent across Jeffco and we have many seniors on fixed incomes already stressed about how they can afford to stay in their homes. Additionally as long as a majority of voters don’t trust how their money is being spent and don’t see that their taxes are being invested wisely so student achievement improves, they won’t vote to raise their taxes. Voters tell me they don’t understand how the board continues to say there is a lack of funds and yet they are continuing down the path to spend $50 million forcing sixth graders to move out of elementary schools and into middle schools. They don’t like that this limits choice in places like Manning which will have less seats for each grade. They don’t like that millions need to be spent to expand Creighton, Ken Caryl and Summit Ridge and there is no plan to address how this will happen. They don’t understand why these funds aren’t being used to build a new school and eliminate temps. Asking for more money in this environment is just a waste of the quarter of a million dollars it costs to run the election.	”
—Matt Van Gieson (2017)

What do you see as the biggest issue facing Jeffco schools today and how do you hope to have an impact on that issue as a school board member?

“	The biggest issue facing Jeffco is the need to have balance on the board. There are very simple differences in what the community wants and the path the board is forcing. It would be very simple to put a hold on forcing sixth graders out of elementary schools, stop spending $50 million and instead invest in improving student achievement and build a much needed school without debt. It is very simple to support small neighborhood schools, keeping them open and keeping sixth graders. This gives a dozen schools enough enrollment so the board shouldn’t threaten closure. It is very simple to set achievement goals for the Superintendent so he and the board are focused on improving student achievement. It is very simple to be transparent with the budget and spending and to get answers about how large investments are improving student achievement. It is very simple to focus resources to attract and retain great teachers and staff. It is very simple to see enrollment in district schools is declining while the number of administrators has grown by over 10 percent With 50 years of combined education ahead for my family I ask for your support to bring balance to the board.	”
—Matt Van Gieson (2017)

Recent news

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Matt Van Gieson - Google News

See also

• Jeffco Public Schools, Colorado
• Jeffco Public Schools elections (2017)

External links

Suggest a link

• Jeffco Public Schools
• Campaign website
• Campaign Facebook page
• Twitter account