Susan Miller was a member of the Jeffco Board of Education in Colorado, representing District 4. Miller assumed office in 2019. Miller left office on December 5, 2023.
Susan Miller completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Miller's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
I graduated from Northwestern University and began my career in finance at Standard and Poor's, where I rated municipal bonds. I moved to banking and today work for a firm that advises schools districts across the country on enrollment, facility planning, financing, and project management.
But my most important job is as a mom. I've had four children navigate Jeffco Schools including Kyffin, Creighton and Evergreen Middle Schools, Lakewood and Wheat Ridge High Schools. I've chaired the Wheat Ridge High School Accountability Committee and continue to serve on that committee. I was president of its PTSA, and I served on numerous district committees, including Choice Committee and Diversity Council.
For six years I was president of Jefferson Association for Gifted Children where we focused on non-partisan, evidence based advocacy for gifted and twice-exceptional special needs children at the local and state level. I serve as a community board member for a charter school. I also served on an advisory committee for Colorado Succeeds as well as Colorado Student Leadership Institute (the governor's school), and serve as a board member of History Day Colorado. At the national level I was a founding parent of Raise the Bar, now Learning Heroes.
Change the direction of Jeffco's declining achievement and growth scores. We have fallen below the state in growth and SAT scores continue to decline.
Establish greater fiscal accountability, how are we deploying the $1.2 billion dollar budget and the expected returns, including improved outcomes for our children and competitive salaries for current and new teachers.
Encourage greater collaboration with other districts and state wide organizations to create a much more effective and integrated CTE system, so our Jeffco students may secure jobs that Colorado's companies so desperately need to fill.
The role of the school board is providing the district with strong governance. This includes five primary duties: (1) setting critical goals, critiquing, and approving management's strategy for achieving them; (2) ensuring that the district's budget supports the implementation of its strategy; (3) hiring a Superintendent to manage the district, and holding her/him accountable for results; (4) monitoring risks to the strategy's success; and (5) evaluating and accurately reporting the district's performance to its stakeholders (parents, students, staff, taxpayers, and employers), and obtaining their feedback.
We need to go to them, where they work, where parents are gathering: PTAs, sporting events, online Facebook conversations. it is on us to reach out, for their obligations are many, but we as board members are here to serve the community and gather with our various community members at events where they are present.
Transportation access to options: 40% of Jeffco parents Choice their students into a school in Jefferson County that is not their identified neighborhood school. They do this because they are seeking the right educational fit for their child, perhaps a STEM program, IB, Open School, Waldorf or Montessori. However, to access these options, you must be able to provide your own transportation/carpool. To ensure we have equity of access for ALL students, we need to seek equity of access via transportation options that are viable for all families seeking the best educational pathway for their child.
All children must know how to read, write, have math skills and a strong foundation in science. These skills are the foundation for complex problem solving.
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.
Note: Miller submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on October 24, 2019.
I graduated from Northwestern University and began my career in finance at Standard and Poor's, where I rated municipal bonds. I moved to banking and today work for a firm that advises schools districts across the country on enrollment, facility planning, financing, and project management.
But my most important job is as a mom. I've had four children navigate Jeffco Schools including Kyffin, Creighton and Evergreen Middle Schools, Lakewood and Wheat Ridge High Schools. I've chaired the Wheat Ridge High School Accountability Committee and continue to serve on that committee. I was president of its PTSA, and I served on numerous district committees, including Choice Committee and Diversity Council.
For six years I was president of Jefferson Association for Gifted Children where we focused on non-partisan, evidence based advocacy for gifted and twice-exceptional special needs children at the local and state level. I serve as a community board member for a charter school. I also served on an advisory committee for Colorado Succeeds as well as Colorado Student Leadership Institute (the governor's school), and serve as a board member of History Day Colorado. At the national level I was a founding parent of Raise the Bar, now Learning Heroes.
Change the direction of Jeffco's declining achievement and growth scores. We have fallen below the state in growth and SAT scores continue to decline.
Establish greater fiscal accountability, how are we deploying the $1.2 billion dollar budget and the expected returns, including improved outcomes for our children and competitive salaries for current and new teachers.
Encourage greater collaboration with other districts and state wide organizations to create a much more effective and integrated CTE system, so our Jeffco students may secure jobs that Colorado's companies so desperately need to fill.
Equity of access to great education for ALL students. Ensuring our students are prepared for career and/or college. With nearly 50% of our Jeffco students not graduating on time or needing remedial classes before they are prepared for college, it's time for an Independent Voice on the school school. Visit my website for more information: www.millerforjeffcostudents.com.
Expand career and technical opportunities for 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.
Note: Miller submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on October 23, 2019.
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