Stephanie James
 |
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates. |
Stephanie James was a candidate for District 5 representative on the Adams 12 Board of Education in Colorado. The general election was held on November 3, 2015.[1] Stephanie James lost the general election on November 3, 2015.
Biography
James earned her B.S. in biology from Gonzaga University and went on to receive an M.S. in biology from Eastern Washington University and an M.B.A. from City University of Seattle. She then worked as a teacher at Cascadia Community College before continuing her education by earning a Ph.D. in biological education. James has also taught at the Metropolitan State University of Denver and Front Range CC. She is part of the full-time faculty at Regis University in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. James is also on the advisory panel for the Colorado Student Leadership Institute and a member of the Colorado Children’s Immunization Coalition policy council.[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 5, General Election, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Laura P. Mitchell |
35.4% | 10,528 |
| Stephanie James | 24.9% | 7,415 |
| Jeff Jasica | 22.2% | 6,599 |
| Teresa Thomson Walsh | 17.4% | 5,187 |
| Total Votes | 29,729 | |
| Source: Adams County Clerk & Recorder, "Official County Results," and City and County of Broomfield, "Official Certified Results", accessed December 17, 2015 | ||
Funding
James reported no contributions or expenditures to the Colorado Secretary of State as of October 29, 2015.[6]
Campaign themes
2015
Ballotpedia survey responses
James participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display her responses to the survey questions. When asked what her top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | I think the answer to this question really depends on who we ask. In conversations with the Superintendent, certainly the budget and literacy improvement weigh in heavily. When I speak with parents in the more northern part of the district, an important issue is classroom crowding and cuts to middle school sports. Last week, I visited with parents from the very southern part of the district, and they had concerns about all day kindergarten programs and after school care. I think the bottom line is we could reduce class sizes, build more schools, reinstate MS sports, bring full day kindergarten to all schools– if we had unlimited funds to do so. Unfortunately, we do not have these funds. I think we are naive if we believe that the state will be able to increase education funding to such a level so we could provide these services.
Until more funding become available, I think we have to elect leaders that can think more creatively. As I suggested previously, could we partner with local universities to bring in education students willing to set up after school learning groups for literacy (and math, social studies-whatever the need is for that school), especially on the early release Wednesdays. These students can gain valuable experience and our children could receive some help for free. I would also encourage continued partnerships with groups such as the United Way and Americorps. I would also suggest that we try to partner with local cities to make some of our facilities more available for community use. For example, perhaps we can open up more of our schools for recreation basketball and dedicate the funds generated to try and bring back some of the middle school sports. I was told by one PTO representative that her school wanted to use a very visible fence line to put up a banner for a local restaurant to help them generate revenue, but that the process to get permission for this was just too complicated. There has to be a way we could simplify such processes for these schools. We definitely need to do a better job of communicating the reasons for any new bond proposal, and really work to understand why the last bond did not pass. Although I think passing a bond would be one of the best ways to build new schools and improve the infrastructure of others, I would encourage the district to evaluate other options as well, such as applying for a BEST grant (Building Excellent Schools Today) through the state. This program uses revenue from a variety of sources to fund a competitive grant system for capital construction and improvement.[7] |
” |
| —Stephanie James (2015)[8] | ||
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the school district, with one being the most important and seven being the least important. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important:
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Colorado. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Improving college readiness | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Expanding career-technical education | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer 10 questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column of the following table:
| Question | Response |
|---|---|
| Modifications are required before they are implemented. | |
| Depends on the purpose, location, organization and mission of the new charter school. | |
| No | |
| No | |
| I think we need to identify the causes for low achieving students-is it a learning disability, lack of support? There is a body of research and literature on how to best support students with such identified problems, and educational professions should utilize these resources to create realistic goals and plans for these students.
Often times, if a student is high achieving we think "great, I don't have to worry about them." But we really need to continue to engage these students and encourage them to keep learning. This may be through letting them visit other classes at a higher level to be challenged. I actually would like to have discussions with teachers, counselors and specialists to identify potential opportunities for all these groups. Then as a board member, work with the district and any outside entity necessary to help bring reliable and practical resources into the schools for these students. | |
| Expulsion cases must be viewed on a case-by-case basis rather than the district having an overarching policy. | |
| I think the board should invest in a root cause analysis to determine the problems and explain why these schools are failing. Ideally, this is the role of the School Accountability Committee. I think the board should provide support to the SAC, which is made up of parents, teachers and community members invested in the school to help them come up with a plan of action for the school. This support may come in the way of diverting additional funds, holding board meetings at the schools to increase parent involvement, or helping them in a way the school suggests. | |
| Yes | |
| Put underperforming teachers on a probationary period while they seek to improve. | |
| I have already reached out and met with elected officials from across the district, and they have been very supportive and interested in partnerships to help the schools. I have also formed good relationships with business and university leaders. It is imperative that the cities and school district can work together in a meaningful way to streamline budgeting and create more meaningful opportunities for students.
To improve relations with the community, the board really needs to be more visible and get out and talk with the people. Once elections are over, the candidates no longer go out and meet with people at parties, or visit neighborhoods, PTO meetings. But really-it should be more important to ever to keep doing such things, so they know the community concerns. I think the board also can rotate the location of board meetings around the district. For example, have a meeting at Legacy HS one time, and Thornton HS another. We also need to provide childcare during the meetings, so parents with young children may attend! I would also use social media to update the community, and I think board members could also do simple things such as writing letters to local papers and sending messages to parents though Infinite Campus. We need to make sure that in all our communications, we do not forget the people that live in our district but do not have children in our schools. Good schools can help with property values, and of course is good for our community's future. |
Candidate survey on charter schools
The Colorado League of Charter Schools issued a candidate survey in which James participated. The following were her answers:[9]
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?
Stephanie James: I do support a parent's right to choose the public school that best meets their child's needs. This is due to several reasons; charter schools open up a wider range of curriculum options for children. For example, if a child does not seem do learn well using the Everyday Math curriculum, they may opt to go a charter school that utilizes something such as Singapore math. Additionally, some charters may have a special focus that is especially appealing to some students, such as arts or sciences.
Q2 - Which of the following describes your familiarity with charter schools? (Select all that apply).
Stephanie James: 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?
Stephanie James: Somewhat support.
Q4 - In your view, what role should charter schools play in providing parents and students choice in their public school options?
Stephanie James: I think charter schools are a good option for students who desire a different curriculum or focus, especially as many schools are forced to cut special programming, so long as all students are held to the same high standards.
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?
Stephanie James: This is an interesting question. I understand that the per pupil funding follows the student, so there may be an argument that by creating more charter schools the district loses money. However, due to the overcrowding problem in the northern part of the Adams 12 district, I am inclined to think that charters improve educational opportunities merely by their ability to take on students that would otherwise attend the "public" school and further increase class sizes. Adams 12 also has some very successful charter schools such as Stargate. I think their success demonstrates that charter schools, if designed and conducted well, can improve our district.
Q6 - Do you support the creation of more charter schools?
Stephanie James: Maybe – if there is a strategic growth plan in place.
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?
Stephanie James: Another interesting question that is particularly relevant in Adams 12. Last year, several parents were very upset with their charter school for several reasons. They came to the Adams 12 board to voice their concerns, as they felt that their children were being treated unfairly when they tried to work with their charter principal and board. I felt that because some of their concerns dealt with student safety, the district should have investigated the school more carefully upon renewal because these children are still in the Adams 12 community, however the board did not seem to be willing to investigate their concerns. Additionally, with the success of some charter schools I think it would be worthwhile for a district board to ask why more parents are leaving public schools for charters? What lessons can we learn from these schools? I would like to see more dialogue between charter and district boards to share ideas that may be helpful for all schools.
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?
Stephanie James: At this point in Adams 12, I could not support this. Our classes, particularly in the northern region, are incredibly crowded and we desperately need bond money to build two new K-8 schools in this area. Therefore, I do not think our taxpayers would want the bond money to also be divided among charter schools.
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.
Stephanie James: Candidate elected not to respond to this question.
- 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 'Stephanie James Colorado' 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 28, 2015
- ↑ Stephanie F. James, "Meet Stephanie", 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
- ↑ Tracery, "Search Results", accessed October 29, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Stephanie James' responses," October 2, 2015
- ↑ Colorado League of Charter Schools, "Adams 12 Five Star Schools Board Candidate Survey", accessed October 26, 2015
