Seth "Isaiah" Thomas
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Seth "Isaiah" Thomas was a candidate for District 1 representative on the Adams 12 Board of Education in Colorado. The general election was held on November 3, 2015.[1] Seth "Isaiah" Thomas lost the general election on November 3, 2015.
Biography
Thomas graduated from Northglenn High School, a school in Adams 12 Five Star district. He has worked in a warehouse and for King Soopers. At the time of his candidacy, Thomas was an employee of Southwest Airlines and is working toward his degree in aviation management.[2]
Elections
2015
Four of the five seats on the Adams 12 Board of Education were up for election on November 3, 2015. Seats in Districts 1, 2, 4, and 5 were on the general election ballot.
Incumbent Norm L. Jennings faced challenger Seth "Isaiah" Thomas in District 1. The District 2 race included candidates Daniel Garcia and Jamey Lockley. District 2 incumbent Robert M. Willsey did not file for re-election. Jeff Jasica, Stephanie James, Laura P. Mitchell, and Teresa Thomson Walsh sought the District 5 seat held by Mark Clark, who did not file for re-election.[3]
A special election for the District 4 seat previously held by Rico Figueroa included incumbent Brian Batz, Amira Amal Assad-Lucas and Jessy Briton Hamilton. Figueroa served on the board from December 2013 to March 2015 after 2013 winner Amy Speers was found ineligible to serve because she lived outside of District 4. On March 2, 2015, the Colorado Supreme Court concurred with a decision by Broomfield District Court Judge Chris Melonakis declaring the seat vacant.[4] Brian Batz was appointed to fill the vacancy in District 4 on April 29, 2015, and ran to serve the remaining two years on Speers' term.[5]
Jennings was successful in securing the District 1 seat. In District 2, Lockley won the seat. Batz was successful in being re-elected to the District 4 seat, and Mitchell won the seat in District 5.
Results
| Adams 12 Five Star Schools, District 1, General Election, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Norm L. Jennings Incumbent |
50.3% | 15,464 |
| Seth "Isaiah" Thomas | 49.7% | 15,250 |
| Total Votes | 30,714 | |
| Source: Adams County Clerk & Recorder, "Official County Results," and City and County of Broomfield, "Official Certified Results", accessed December 17, 2015 | ||
Funding
Thomas reported $3,010.00 in contributions and $274.92 in expenditures to the Colorado Secretary of State, which left his campaign with $2,735.08 on hand as of October 29, 2015.[6]
Campaign themes
"Why I am Running"
Thomas posted a section on his campaign website entitled "Why I am Running":
| “ | Some might wonder what would inspire a twenty-three year old to run for the Adams 12 School Board.
There were three important reasons that helped me decide to seek your support. Energy. We need a School Board member who has the energy and drive to do the job—to work with teachers, administrators and the community to make Adams 12 the best school district in the state. Open Mindedness. We need leadership in the district who will listen to the faculty, students, administration, parents and taxpayers. All of them truly want a five star school district. Nearly all of them are willing to work together to achieve that goal for the sake of our children, the community and our economy. We do not want entrenched ideologies fighting with one another. We want results. We want our students to be able to take advantage of the unlimited opportunities our nation has to offer. Transparency. We want an end to rumors of secret funds and manipulated budgets. Whatever the truth may be, you, as stake holders, have a right to know where your money goes and what we are achieving with every dollar. You have a right to know where your elected officials and the administration they hire stand on issues that affect your children and your taxes. I am a proud product of this great district. I want every student to have the same opportunities as I did when I was in their shoes. I want to be the change we wish to seek. [7] |
” |
Candidate survey on charter schools
The Colorado League of Charter Schools issued a candidate survey in which Thomas participated. The following were his answers:[8]
Q1 - Do you support a parent’s right to choose the public school they feel is the best fit for their child? Why or why not?
Seth "Isaiah" Thomas: Yes, I support a parent's right to choose the public school they feel is the best fit for their child because a parent knows their child's skills and abilities best. A parent is the first person that nurtures their child and knows personality, character and their child's learning style.
Q2 - Which of the following describes your familiarity with charter schools? (Select all that apply).
Seth "Isaiah" Thomas: I can name one or more charter schools in Colorado. I know someone who works at a charter school in Colorado. I know a student who attends a charter school in Colorado. I have heard the term “charter school.”
Q3 - Which of the following best describes your level of support or opposition toward charter schools in Colorado?
Seth "Isaiah" Thomas: Somewhat support. There are charter schools that serve students with different needs such as Stargate Charter School which serves Gifted and Talented students.
Q4 - In your view, what role should charter schools play in providing parents and students choice in their public school options?
Seth "Isaiah" Thomas: The role that the charter school should play in parent's and student's choice is what fits the best interests and needs of the child.
Q5 - In your view, do charter schools help improve educational opportunities for all public school students or do they negatively impact the educational opportunities for students in traditional public schools?
Seth "Isaiah" Thomas: There needs to be evidence to support whether a charter school is improving the educational opportunities for all public school students or negatively impacting opportunities. I don't have the evidence yet either way to declare whether charter schools improve or negatively impact student opportunities for students in traditional public schools.
Q6 - Do you support the creation of more charter schools?
Seth "Isaiah" Thomas: Maybe – if there is a strategic growth plan in place. We have enough charter schools in our district to meet the needs of our students. They have the ability to meet the needs of our district students that are not being met in the traditional public schools. I am concerned that there seems to be an increasing number of charter school applications from out-of-state that take away much needed tax revenue from our existing in-state charters and traditional public schools. If they are not transparent or do not meet the guidelines set forth by the state Charter School Institute and the Colorado Department of Education then I do not support adding those types of charter schools.
Q7 - What do you believe is the proper role for a school district and a district board of education to play in relation to the charter schools in their district?
Seth "Isaiah" Thomas: As a school board director I will always seek the input from as many stakeholders as possible, and this includes charter school parents, students and operators, so I can make informed decisions. The school boards role is to monitor charter school performance and to allow the charters time to fulfill their contractual agreement with the district.
Q8 - Do you believe districts have a responsibility to equitably include their charter schools in the distribution of local funds related to facilities (bonds) and operational expenses (mill levy overrides)? Why or why not?
Seth "Isaiah" Thomas: I am still learning about the current laws that govern charter school facilities and operational funding.
Q9 - Please feel free to provide any additional comments or viewpoints regarding school choice and charter schools in the state of Colorado that you were not able to cover in your responses above.
Seth "Isaiah" Thomas: I believe we have an opportunity to work with the existing charter schools to provide our children with the very best education opportunities.
- To read other candidate responses, visit What's at Stake for Adams 12 Five Star Schools?
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Seth 'Isaiah' Thomas' OR 'Adams 12 Five Star Schools'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Adams 12 Five Star Schools, Colorado
- Adams 12 Five Star Schools elections (2015)
- Incumbency no guarantee of success in Nov. 3 school board elections (November 6, 2015)
- What happened in Nov.'s top board elections? (November 4, 2015)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Adams 12 Five Star Schools, "STATEMENT OF SUFFICIENCY," August 26, 2015
- ↑ Seth "Isaiah" Thomas, "Biography", accessed October 26, 2015
- ↑ Adams 12 Five Star Schools, "2015 election," accessed August 30, 2015
- ↑ Adams 12 Five Star Schools, "Director District 4 Election Update," March 6, 2015
- ↑ The Denver Post, "Adams 12 school board votes to appoint Brian Batz to board vacancy," April 29, 2015
- ↑ Tracer', "Filing Detail", accessed October 29, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Colorado League of Charter Schools, "Adams 12 Five Star Schools Board Candidate Survey", accessed October 26, 2015
