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Stephanie Schooley
From Ballotpedia
This page was current at the end of the official's last term in office covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Stephanie Schooley was a member of the Jeffco Board of Education in Colorado, representing District 3. Schooley assumed office in 2019. Schooley left office on December 5, 2023.
Schooley ran for election to the Jeffco Board of Education to represent District 3 in Colorado. Schooley won in the general election on November 5, 2019.
Schooley completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Stephanie Schooley was born in Corpus Christi, Texas. She received her bachelor's degree from Reed College in 1998 and a graduate degree from the University of Denver in 2001. Her professional experience includes working as the executive diector for Campus Compact of the Mountain West. Schooley has been associated with AmeriCorps VISTA, Hoofs & Paws Therapeutic Riding Center, Denver Young Nonprofit Professionals Network, National Young Nonprofit Professionals Network, the Stober Elementary School PTA, Everitt Middle School PTA, the Jeffco District Accountability Committee, and the Jeffco District Unified Improvement Plan Sub-committee.[1]
Elections
2019
See also: Jeffco Public Schools, Colorado, elections (2019)
General election
General election for Jeffco Board of Education District 3
Stephanie Schooley defeated Robert Applegate in the general election for Jeffco Board of Education District 3 on November 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Stephanie Schooley (Nonpartisan)  | 53.4 | 88,048 |
 | Robert Applegate (Nonpartisan) | 46.6 | 76,736 | |
| Total votes: 164,784 | |||
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Endorsements
To see a list of endorsements for Stephanie Schooley, click here.
Campaign themes
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Stephanie Schooley completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Schooley's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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My family moved to Applewood from Denver in 2011 following the birth of our second daughter. We focused on our current neighborhood because of the small, neighborhood schools and our girls are currently in 3rd grade at Stober Elementary and in 6th grade at Everitt Middle School. My husband is a Lakewood native (Alameda High School graduate) who worked at the Federal Center for over 20 years. I have worked at Campus Compact of the Mountain West, a higher education nonprofit serving Colorado and Wyoming, for the past 19 years. In my role I partner with colleges and universities to provide curricular and co-curricular opportunities for engaged student learning that connects students' educational experiences with real-world challenges. I became involved at Stober Elementary in 2013 when our oldest daughter started kindergarten. After attending several events, I joined the PTA and served as co-president from 2014 through 2017. During that three-year time period, Stober Elementary was identified by the district for potential closure twice. In response to the potential closures, I worked with parents at the school, the PTA, neighborhood association groups, local businesses, and neighbors to research alternatives to closure and advocate to the Jeffco board of education about those alternatives. We created literature and canvassed the articulation area, inviting neighbors and community members to a forum with Jeffco facilities and board of education members. That forum included over 400 individuals. Following the board's decision not to close Stober Elementary (twice) and after stepping down as PTA co-president, I joined the Jeffco District Accountability Committee (DAC) and the District Unified Improvement Plan Sub-committee (DUIP). It is my vision that all students see their future in Jeffco through high-quality college, career, and community readiness from early childhood through high school graduation.
- Ensuring competitive compensation for educators and support staff
- Providing comprehensive mental health and social-emotional support for students
- Educating students through comprehensive pathways for college, career, and community life
It is my vision that all students see their future in Jeffco through high-quality college, career, and community readiness from early childhood through high school graduation. I support Jeffco Generations, the district's strategic plan, and believe that we must focus on 21st century skill development in addition to content mastery for our students to succeed in our rapidly-changing world. Eighty-five percent of the jobs our kids will have after graduation do not yet exist. Our communities need strategic thinkers, collaborators, individuals who can work across difference, and innovators in order to thrive. My vision is an engaged educational experience for all students that teaches them what they need to know and how their learning is connected to the world around them. I am personally passionate about ensuring that education policy supports diverse pathways of instruction that allow students to achieve content mastery and development of life skills that will serve them in higher education, in the workforce, and in their roles as community leaders.
I look up to many individuals, many from my family, and the examples they provide. My grandparents provided examples of perseverance during times of war and of adaptability during times of incredible cultural change. My parents provide examples of sacrifice during times of scarcity and of humility during times of forgiveness. I tend to look at the people around me for inspiration, rather than looking elsewhere.
My own understanding and perspective of political (and educational) philosophy is best understood through the work of John Dewey and his 1916 work, Democracy and Education, among others. Dewey looked at the rapidly-changing world at the turn of the last century and the need for students to be agile, to engage in real-world learning, and to apply content to context.
I approach situations with a collaborative mindset and the assumption that everyone has something meaningful to contribute. I am a good listener and treat people with respect. I look forward to bringing these qualities to the board of education.
I would like to leave a legacy that includes increased family and community engagement to decision-making and operations within the district. I believe this is key to the success of Jeffco schools. I would also like to leave a legacy of increased opportunities for all Jeffco students to engage in meaningful college, career, and community exploration connected to the educational experiences of our kids.
The first historical event I remember vividly was the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986. I was 9 years old and in 4th grade when they wheeled in a TV on a cart so we could see the first civilian go into space as part of the Teacher in Space initiative through NASA. We watched coverage, as a class, of the Challenger launch and subsequent explosion. It was the first major event and cause for national mourning that I remember.
My very first job was at a local grocery store in Austin, Texas called Tom Thumb. I bagged groceries after school and early in the mornings on weekends. I had this job in high school and it was the first time I was officially on payroll anywhere. Prior to that, I babysat younger children beginning in middle school and continued to babysit through college for additional income.
I play stand-up bass in a local Americana band and tend to get the songs we practice stuck in my head for at least the following day. Since we practiced last night, I currently have the song Dividing Line stuck in my head by The Ghost of Joseph Buck.
I have been extraordinarily blessed in my life to be surrounded by people I admire and who have lifted me up in times of need. I choose to focus on those blessings, as every individual struggles with their own trials and their own doubts. It is through facing and working through those trials and self doubts that we grow as individuals and hopefully learn lessons and skills that boost us in the next go-round.
The two primary roles of school board members are approval of the district's budget and providing policy governance. Within the community, board members serve as representatives of the district and bring attention to successes and challenges brought to their attention. Within the district, board members provide an example of leadership and can reinforce and help shape the culture of the organization.
I believe strongly that the K-12 educational experience of students must include pathways for college, career, and community readiness. This does not mean students having to choose one path - it means students gaining applied skills and learning in all of those areas. That includes academic content, engaged internships and apprenticeships, career and technical training opportunities, mentorships, volunteerism, service-learning, and other opportunities to integrate college, career, and community resources into the curriculum.
School board members have a responsibility to ensure that the district budget reflects the district's values. If the district values attracting and retaining effective educators, then the district must allocate sufficient resources toward educator compensation. If the district values mental health supports for students, then the district must continue to support and build mental health and social-emotional supports for students at all levels. The district has to be a good steward of the public funding it receives, recognizing that the district is under-funded significantly as compared to surrounding districts within Colorado and as compared to similarly-sized districts nationally. Increasing K-12 funding within Colorado will require consistent advocacy to and partnerships with elected officials and consistent information sharing with the voting public. People need to clearly understand how the district is utilizing existing resources strategically and what the educational experience of our students could be with competitive funding at a state level. This type of advocacy and storytelling about what's working and what is critical to address will be an ongoing opportunity for Jeffco board members in support of the district and its 86,000 students.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2019 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 15, 2019
