Meghann Silverthorn
Meghann Silverthorn was the District G representative on the Douglas County School District Board of Education in Colorado. She was first elected to the board in November 2009, and she served until November 2017 as she was term-limited.
Biography
Silverthorn spent her youth abroad as her parents served as diplomats for the U.S. military.[1] She graduated from the University of Colorado-Boulder in 2001 with a B.A. in political science and a B.S. in aerospace engineering.[2] Silverthorn conducted research on aerospace engineering projects for the Air Force Research Laboratory before taking a position as an analyst for the U.S. Department of Defense.[3]
Elections
2013
Silverthorn ran against challengers Ronda Scholting and Nicholas Land to keep her District G seat in the general election on November 5, 2013.
Results
| Douglas County School Board of Directors, Four-year term, District G, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Meghann Silverthorn Incumbent |
53.4% | 53,648 | |
| Nonpartisan | Ronda Scholting | 46.6% | 46,907 | |
| Total Votes | 100,555 | |||
| Source: Douglas County Elections, "2013 Coordinated Election," November 21, 2013 | ||||
Funding
Silverthorn reported $41,093.75 in contributions and $37,876.24 in expenditures to the Colorado Secretary of State, which left her campaign with $3,248.88 on hand in the election.[4]
Endorsements
Silverthorn received an official endorsement for her 2013 campaign from the Douglas County Republican Party.[5] She also received their endorsement in 2009.[6]
2009
Silverthorn first won the District G Director seat in the November 3, 2009, general election by defeating first-term incumbent Emily Hansen.[7] Although the school board is officially nonpartisan, political affiliations impacted the campaign between Silverthorn and Hansen. The Douglas County Republican Party endorsed Silverthorn and fellow candidates John Carson, Dan Gerken, and Doug Benevento, while the Douglas County Federation of Teachers and Classified Employees union endorsed Hansen.[8] In response to allegations by the Colorado Ethics Watch that Silverthorn had violated the Hatch Act banning federal employees from campaigning for partisan political office, she stated, "I didn't solicit the endorsement. I received it. I was not nominated by them. I am not their candidate."[8]
| Douglas County School District, District G, Coordinated Election, 2009 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Meghann Silverthorn |
56.9% | 25,805 | |
| Nonpartisan | Emily Hansen Incumbent | 43.1% | 19,548 | |
| Total Votes | 45,353 | |||
Campaign themes
Silverthorn's campaign website listed the following campaign themes for 2013:[9]
Parental Choice
|
I am a strong proponent of parental choice. Douglas County schools have achieved their level of excellence with the help of involved and engaged parents. Parents are in the best position to determine their children's educational path and should be enabled to do so to the maximum extent. Alternatives such as charter schools, homeschooling and choosing between schools using open enrollment are already available to Douglas County parents. The Douglas County school system encourages parents to participate in current and future solutions for our children's education. |
Pay for Performance
|
I believe teachers should be paid like professionals. Our school district was one of the first innovators of pay for performance in 1993. In 2010, the district collaborated with teachers to modernize the system. In 2012, the Continuous Improvement of Teacher Effectiveness (CITE) program was implemented. While the prior system was based on a group incentive, was more of a bonus for performing extra work, and was optional, the current system has no basis in the step-and-lane paradigm of the past. The district has the flexibility to reward our best teachers and to focus professional development where individual teachers need it. I am proud of the teachers in our district and am excited to promote teacher quality in the classroom. |
Strong Financial Management
|
The district finances are in the best shape they have been in years. The Great Recession caused a significant decrease in available money from the state education allocation. I have worked toward ensuring that our budget is sustainable and responsible. In 2009, the district was funding its TABOR reserve, 3% of its fiscal year spending by law, not with cash but with a letter of credit that cost taxpayers $160,000 per year. In the last four years, the district has been able to transition to funding its TABOR reserve in cash, and also to build a rainy day fund of 4% (about $18M). This number represents about one month's salary and benefits for district staff. This number is a prudent hedge against unexpected events that would otherwise cause the district to take dollars out of the classroom to meet other needs. |
Student Achievement
|
I am focused on student achievement and ensuring that our students are prepared for whatever endeavors they might choose after they graduate from high school. Whether it is college, workforce, the military, or another pursuit, our students need the skills and abilities to be successful. Important markers of academic achievement indicate that the district is improving and growing in these areas. More students are taking Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate classes and tests. More students are proficient in TCAP state standardized testing. ACT scores are up. While standardized test scores are not a complete picture of how our students are doing, they provide an indicator. DCSD students consistently achieve at high levels. Hundreds of DCSD teachers contributed to the district's curriculum updates and revisions. Students will benefit from such localized expertise. |
Transparency and Accountability
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The district has instituted complete financial transparency during my tenure. I pursued the idea of having the district's financial records searchable and available to every citizen, and it has become a reality. Most school districts in Colorado do not have this level of visibility and, in fact, measures to mandate this at the state level have been unsuccessful. DCSD is a leader in this area. |
Amendment 66
|
I oppose Amendment 66, a ballot initiative that changes the way schools are funded and would levy a statewide tax increase beginning next year. This measure would raise state income taxes from 4.63% to 5% for incomes under $75,000 and 5.9% for incomes over $75,000. It would raise approximately $90M - $100M in additional taxes from Douglas County, but would only return $45M - $50M in funding. The funding that would then go to DCSD would come with strings attached, as the district would need to address several mandates such as full-day kindergarten, for which the district currently has neither the facilities nor the staffing available. This would also make raising any local dollars difficult due to the heavy burden on taxpayers. I believe that the state funding mechanism for schools must be reformed, but Amendment 66 is the wrong approach. |
Common Core
|
The district has expressed its opposition to the Common Core standards. I believe that individual districts are best suited to determine what their academic standards should be. While some districts may be interested in adopting Common Core, I do not think it is an appropriate set of standards for Douglas County. I voted, along with the rest of the Board, to reject the adoption of Common Core in DCSD. State law provides for this as long as we demonstrate that our kids are subject to standards that comparable or better to Common Core. Our teachers collaborated with district staff to create a guaranteed and viable curriculum that is tailored to our students' needs. An overarching set of national standards is not in DCSD's best interests. |
Note: The above quote is from the candidate's website, which may include some typographical or spelling errors.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Meghann + Silverthorn + Douglas + County + School"
See also
- Colorado school districts
- Douglas County School District elections (2013)
- Douglas County School District, Colorado
External links
- District website
- Campaign website
- Facebook page
- Twitter page
- Colorado TRACER page
- Follow the Money page
Footnotes
- ↑ Jane Reuter, OurParkerNews.com, "School trustee wants four more years," August 5, 2013
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Meghann Silverthorn," accessed July 12, 2013
- ↑ Douglas County School District, "Member Directory," accessed July 12, 2013 (dead link)
- ↑ Colorado TRACER, "Candidate Detail," accessed December 20, 2013
- ↑ Jane Reuter, OurLoneTreeNews.com, "Local Republicans endorse candidates," August 19, 2013
- ↑ Douglas County GOP, "Douglas County Republican School Board Endorsements," September 28, 2009
- ↑ Douglas County Clerk and Recorder, "Coordinated Election Results, November 3, 2009," accessed July 15, 2013
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Jeremy P. Meyer, The Denver Post, "Douglas County school board race turning into partisan battle," October 20, 2009
- ↑ Meghann Silverthorn - Douglas County School District, Board of Education Director, "Issues," accessed October 24, 2013
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