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Steven Knudsen
Steven Knudsen is a member of the Gwinnett County Public Schools school board in Georgia, representing District II. He assumed office in 2018. His current term ends on December 31, 2026.
Knudsen ran for re-election to the Gwinnett County Public Schools school board to represent District II in Georgia. He won in the general election on May 24, 2022.
Knudsen completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Steven Knudsen was born in Eureka, California. He earned a bachelor's degree from George Fox University in 1985. His career experience includes working in manufacturing.[1]
Elections
2022
See also: Gwinnett County Public Schools, Georgia, elections (2022)
General election
General election for Gwinnett County Public Schools school board District II
Incumbent Steven Knudsen defeated Michael Rudnick in the general election for Gwinnett County Public Schools school board District II on May 24, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Steven Knudsen (Nonpartisan)  | 62.7 | 14,853 |
 | Michael Rudnick (Nonpartisan) | 36.9 | 8,735 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 89 | ||
| Total votes: 23,677 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2018
General election
General election for Gwinnett County Public Schools school board District II
Steven Knudsen defeated Wandy Taylor in the general election for Gwinnett County Public Schools school board District II on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Steven Knudsen (R) | 50.1 | 31,536 |
| Wandy Taylor (D) | 49.9 | 31,418 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 47 | ||
| Total votes: 63,001 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Gwinnett County Public Schools school board District II
Wandy Taylor defeated Donald May in the Democratic primary for Gwinnett County Public Schools school board District II on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Wandy Taylor | 62.6 | 3,827 | |
| Donald May | 37.4 | 2,288 | ||
| Total votes: 6,115 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Gwinnett County Public Schools school board District II
Steven Knudsen defeated Carol Ranft in the Republican primary for Gwinnett County Public Schools school board District II on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Steven Knudsen | 66.3 | 4,289 |
| Carol Ranft | 33.7 | 2,178 | ||
| Total votes: 6,467 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Steven Knudsen completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Knudsen's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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- Student Safety The safety of our children is paramount. In 2020, a worldwide pandemic created a new “safety” concern. GCPS navigated this situation better than most, keeping our students in school and safe. While there are areas of concern the administration and teachers worked together to minimize the potential damage that Covid presented. Gwinnett Board of Education has done a good job over the years at "hardening" our schools and I commit to making sure that stays true. Our GIVE schools communicate to those struggling in a traditional setting that we haven’t given up on them and have created an environment for success.
- Teacher Support One of GCPS’s core tenants is to support teaching and learning first and foremost. The vast majority of the budget is applied to the classroom. The focus today needs to be on reducing the average number of students per class to allow our teachers to do what they do best -prioritizing teaching and addressing the individual needs of students. Gwinnett county is blessed with a diverse student population, so we must seek to provide a multi-tiered approach and continuous improvement seeking better practices within a collaborative culture to increase learning achievement.
- Community/Cluster Partnerships Twenty-five years ago, GCPS adopted the cluster approach for our school district. This approach had the effect of building strong community support and cohesiveness within the connection of schools thus making a large system seem much smaller. It allows the cluster principals to customize their approach to meeting the needs of their specific school environments. The adoption of this approach for the families they serve has far reaching positive effects for our students and teachers. From fundraisers to mentoring opportunities the communities invest in student outcome and that connection leads many GCPS alum to come right back to re-invest as they build their families.
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.
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Steven Knudsen completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Knudsen's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
Budget analysis-make sure the right amount of money is going the right place. Safety, instruction, early education, etc. Personnel analysis-do we have the right people and are they in the right spots Curriculum-specifically civics. If we don't know our history we'll make mistakes we shouldn't make.
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
Family policy is at the top of the list. The family is the building block of society. Strong families make a strong society. Family involvement makes for good students. Good students make productive members of our society.
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
I love the great leaders like Churchill, Reagan and Thatcher. They weren't perfect, but they knew what they believed, didn't waver, were the same before and after their election or appointment to power. Their true motivation was to pursue what was best for everyone and in doing so they beat back fascism and communism.
Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?
There was a Wall Street Journal article in the early '90's about the coming conservatism. It outlined how our public officials should never be afraid of guardrails for society. It's not wrong to put policy in place that protects those who might wander into danger.
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
Honesty, consistency, integrity, selflessness, care for others.
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
Leadership, enthusiastic visionary, caring, considerate, compassionate, balanced, willing to serve, its not about me
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
Vision, stewardship and accountability. With that in mind the board has to find balance. Balance among students, schools, teachers, administrators, community and the taxpayer.
What legacy would you like to leave?
I would like to leave the school district in better shape than I found it. More equity of results among the schools. Less concern for school cluster lines. More students becoming productive members of society.
What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?
Well, Parnelli Jones won the Indianapolis 500 the day I was born and John F. Kennedy was assassinated 4 months after I was born, but I remember those because I've been told obviously. I think that the riots of the late '60s and Vietnam would be the historical event's I remember on my own.
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
My first job was as a staff photographer for the local paper when I was 13. I covered all the 4H events in the county. I had that job for a couple of years.
What happened on your most awkward date?
I really don't remember an awkward date. I was raised with the ability to converse, it's served me well throughout life. I've never met a stranger and I guess if you can start and hold a conversation with just about anyone it doesn't get too awkward.
What is your favorite holiday? Why?
Memorial Day. I was born on Traditional Memorial Day and so it has always been special. Its a time to remember those who have served our country and paid the ultimate sacrifice. The weekend has also been marked by a century of auto racing and I'm a bit of a gear head.
What is your favorite book? Why?
The Bible. It has taught me wisdom. It has taught me to care for others. The principles help me to understand the difference between right and wrong. And that its principles help to protect me from others, others from me and me from myself.
If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?
I always had Ironman and Thor as my two favorites growing up. Now that they're on the big screen they're even more interesting. They protect the little guy.
What is your favorite thing in your home or apartment? Why?
Probably my golf clubs.
What was the last song that got stuck in your head?
Gravity. I was watching a replay of the voice where the daughter of a friend of mine from middle school was performing. I couldn't get it out of my mind all day.
What is something that has been a struggle in your life?
Insecurity. I mask it well but I am frequently asking myself if I'm good enough.
What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?
Casting vision. Then finding balance in the limited resource world of public schools.
Who are your constituents?
The people of District 2, the students of Gwinnett County, the families of Gwinnett County and the taxpayers of Gwinnett County.
How would you support the diverse needs of your district’s students, faculty, staff, and community?
The goal is find a way to meet all their needs. That is the constant pressure that the board is under.
How will you build relationships with members of the broader community? Which groups, organizations, stakeholders will you specifically target?
My whole life has been about building relationships. The key ones in my estimation are the business community and the faith community. The business community want employees who bring value to their business so there is a mutual interest. The community of faith want to server their community. Both are key in expanding the resource available to do our job.
What will you do to build a better relationship with parents in the district? What plans do you have to be inclusive of parental involvement?
Transparency and availability. Hopefully those two things will encourage parents to be more involved. Bottom line is the more parents are involved the better the outcome. We have to find ways to get them involved in the education of their children.
Do you believe it is important to intentionally recruit with the aim of diversifying the district’s faculty, staff, and administration? If so, what would be your policy to achieve this?
I believe in merit based recruiting. Can you do the job? Dr. King talked about a colorblind society. I believe the same thing. Can you help our students achieve academic excellence and be able to step seamlessly into society. That's what matters.
What issues get in the way of quality education? How would you address these obstacles?
Taking a cookie cutter approach to teaching our kids. Thinking that more money leads to better education. We have to care, be innovative, find ways to make sure our kids are ready to learn when they step into the school and engage parents.
What constitutes good teaching? How will you measure this? How will you support advanced teaching approaches?
Ultimately good teaching means that our students are ready for college or career. We measure that by the outcome when they leave. I believe all the metrics are there and our job is to make sure that more and more of our students achieve that within the resources allocated to us.
What type of skills should students be learning for success in the 21st century?
The main skill our students should have is knowing how to learn. Our society is changing so fast that you have to learn in order to keep up. If we think teaching them certain information is the key we have failed. We use the information they need to know to teach them how to learn and that it is a lifelong process.
How might you improve the value of a high school diploma? What should a 21st century diploma reflect?
A high school diploma must mean you are ready for college or a career. If our students are not prepared for the next step we have given them a worthless document.
In what areas would you like to expand curriculum? For example, do you see a need for advanced technical training or apprenticeships? What sort of innovative programming would you advance if given the opportunity?
Gwinnett has done an incredible job of providing different opportunities. We just need to figure out how to make them more available across the county. This is something I want to emphasize.
What strategies or plans would you advance to ensure the schools are properly funded?
Unfortunately, the funding for our schools is outside the boards control. We can lobby for more funds, but if more money was the answer then school districts with the most spending per student would have the best results and they don't. It's a matter of efficiently using those funds. That is something I am committed to.
What principles drive your policies for safety in schools?
Faculty and staff presence and engagement. And the understanding there will be a swift and strong response to those considering evil.
How might you support the mental health needs of students/faculty/staff?
Clearly an issue for our current time. We need a response, but we have to measure it given our mandate to educate. Some of those issues must be addressed outside the school. That being said, if more is expected then funding has to be appropriated from somewhere.
What role do you imagine technology playing in (and outside) the classroom in the future? How would you prepare the district for this?
Technology is important, but it can't be a substitute for face to face human involvement. Our students have already shown the capacity to keep up with technology. I want to make sure they can relate to one another.
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
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 13, 2022
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