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Ronda Scholting
Ronda Scholting was a candidate for the District G seat on the Douglas County School District Board of Education in Colorado. She was defeated by incumbent Meghann Silverthorn on November 5, 2013. Scholting campaigned for parental choice of schools, increased transparency by the school district and reallocation of funding from district administration to classrooms.
Biography
Scholting resides in Parker, Colorado with her husband and their two sons. Scholting graduated with a B.A. in journalism from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.[1] Scholting spent much of her career as a television journalist and worked for Channel 7, and she later freelanced for national media outlets such as ABC, CBS, and CNN.[2] As a journalist, she reported on an international adoption scandal, revealed fraudulent business practices by a national credit card company, and investigated defective automobiles, which helped lead to the passage of Kansas' Lemon Law.[3]
Following her journalism career, she spent time as a communications consultant before being elected to the Parker Fire Protection Board and joining a Denver-based real estate company, RE/MAX, as a public relations manager.[2] Scholting regularly works with Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, which supports children's hospitals, patients, and families, and the Sentinels Freedom Foundation, which supports wounded veterans and their families in their transition to civilian life.[3] Scholting is affiliated with the Democratic Party, but her candidacy is officially nonpartisan.[2]
Elections
2013
Scholting ran against District G incumbent Meghann Silverthorn and challenger Nicholas Land 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
Scholting reported $20,551.96 in contributions and $20,551.96 in expenditures to the Colorado Secretary of State, which left her campaign with no cash on hand.[4]
Endorsements
Scholting received an endorsement for her 2013 campaign from Progressive Majority, which listed her as one of the organization's preferred candidates.[5] The local chapter of the AFL-CIO supports Scholting.[6] Education activist Diane Ravitch's advocacy organization, the Network for Public Education, also endorsed Scholting's campaign.[7]
Campaign themes
Scholting "opposes much of the current board’s actions."[8] Her campaign website listed the following campaign themes for 2013:[3]
Changing Direction in our Schools
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"In Douglas County, our schools are slipping. The School Board voted to lower graduation requirements, decrease instructional time in the classroom, and our schools lost the Colorado Department of Education’s most distinguished accreditation. The School Board also approved a staggering salary of nearly $300,000 for the superintendent, one of the highest in the country. And the district gave top administrators huge bonuses and pay increases. At the same time, they are asking parents and community members for more and more. This is wrong and it’s time for change. It’s time for us to re-focus dollars in the classroom and on the level of education we deliver as a district." |
Student Achievement
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"This is the single most important issue in our District. If our students aren’t achieving, our community will not grow and businesses will not thrive. We have to make sure all of our students, regardless of their abilities, or background, have access to a high-quality 21st century education. The basic subjects of reading, writing and math, are the cornerstones to learning and the best course we have to prepare our graduates for college or the workforce. I will be an advocate for ensuring that our students have the best opportunity to achieve and grow." |
School Choice
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" Parents and their students should have choices when it comes to public education. Douglas County’s outstanding charter schools have been, and will continue to be, cutting edge and innovative destinations for students who prefer a non-traditional setting. At the same time there are families that prefer our traditional neighborhood schools, the foundation of the District. We need to make sure those schools stay vibrant and continue to ground the Douglas County community" |
Teachers and Principals
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" The teachers and principals who have daily contact with each and every one of our students are the strongest influence on academic success. We need great teachers in every classroom and quality principals in every school. Those mentors need resources to give students the tools to achieve at the highest level. We need to focus our attention on what’s happening during the school day and how we can help teachers and principals help our students reach their goals." |
Pay for Performance
|
" Like the employees who work in most every business and at every level of government, teachers and principals should be evaluated on a regular basis. The evaluations need to be fair and consistent and we need to have a clear idea of what it means to be “highly effective.” Expectations need to be set and met. The goal is hiring and retaining the best teachers and principals we can to ensure top tier student achievement." |
Budget and Transparency
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" Public schools run on public dollars. Taxpayer dollars that should be invested in creating excellent schools that graduate exceptional students. We need to know how our money is spent and why. We need to eliminate those programs that are not working and continue to fund those that are working. The District and the School Board must work as a partner with taxpayers. An important piece of this is ensuring the discussions about our schools and budget occur in public during regular board meetings." |
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 "Ronda + Scholting + Douglas + County + School"
See also
- Colorado school districts
- Douglas County School District, Colorado
- Douglas County School District elections (2013)
External links
- District page
- Campaign website
- Office website
- Facebook page
- LinkedIn page
- Colorado TRACER campaign finance page
- Follow the Money page
Footnotes
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Rhonda Scholting," accessed July 19, 2013
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 OurLoneTreeNews.com, "Parker woman runs for school board," May 28, 2013
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Ronda Scholting for DougCo Schools, "About," accessed July 19, 2013
- ↑ Colorado TRACER, "Candidate Detail," accessed December 20, 2013
- ↑ Progressive Majority, "Ronda Scholting," accessed July 19, 2013
- ↑ Colorado Observer, "Union-Backed School Board Candidate Called Out for Doctoring Audio," September 21, 2013
- ↑ NPE News Briefs, "NPE Endorses Ronda Scholting for Douglas County Colorado School Board," August 3, 2013
- ↑ Jane Reuter, OurParkerNews.com, "Candidate field changes as election draws closer," August 22, 2013
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