Thomas LaValley

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Thomas LaValley

Nonpartisan

Prior offices

Academy School District 20 school board, At-large

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Education

Bachelor's

United States Air Force Academy, 1982

Graduate

New Mexico State University, 1989

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Air Force

Years of service

1978 - 2006

Personal

Birthplace

Grand Rapids, Mich.

Religion

Christian

Contact

Campaign website

Personal website

Thomas LaValley was an at-large member of the Academy School District 20 school board in Colorado. He assumed office on December 7, 2017. He left office on December 1, 2023.

LaValley ran for re-election for an at-large seat of the Academy School District 20 school board in Colorado. He won in the general election on November 2, 2021.

LaValley completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Thomas LaValley was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1978 to 2006. LaValley earned a bachelor’s degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1982 and a graduate degree from New Mexico State University in 1989.

Elections

2021

See also: Academy School District 20, Colorado, elections (2021)

General election

General election for Academy School District 20 school board, At-large (3 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Academy School District 20 school board, At-large on November 2, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Nicole Konz (Nonpartisan)	18.2	17,118
✔		Thomas LaValley (Nonpartisan)	17.8	16,832
✔		Aaron Salt (Nonpartisan)	17.0	16,059
		Jackie Lesh (Nonpartisan)	10.5	9,893
		Tiana Clark (Nonpartisan)	10.2	9,652
		Brian Coram (Nonpartisan)	10.1	9,548
		Nathan Johnson (Nonpartisan)	5.4	5,132
		Lindsay Moore (Nonpartisan)	4.5	4,245
		Jason Silva (Nonpartisan)	3.7	3,483
		Michael Riffle (Nonpartisan)	2.5	2,338

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 94,300
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

To view LaValley's endorsements in the 2021 election, please click here.

2017

See also: Academy School District 20 elections (2017)

Three of the five seats on the Academy School District 20 Board of Education in Colorado were up for nonpartisan general election on November 7, 2017. No incumbents filed to run for re-election, which guaranteed three newcomers were elected to the board. Eric Davis, Thomas LaValley, Doug Lundberg, Karin Reynolds, and William Temby ran for the seats, and LaValley, Lundberg, and Reynolds won the election.

Results

Academy School District 20, At-large General Election, 4-year terms, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Karin Reynolds	24.85%	13,182
Thomas LaValley	20.97%	11,123
Doug Lundberg	19.55%	10,370
William Temby	19.52%	10,353
Eric Davis	15.11%	8,012
Total Votes		53,040
Source: El Paso County Elections Office, "Official Results: ACADEMY SCHOOL DISTRICT 20 DIRECTOR," accessed November 27, 2017

Funding

See also: Campaign finance in the Academy School District 20 election

LaValley reported $17,426.75 in contributions and $17,426.75 in expenditures to the Colorado Secretary of State, which left his campaign with a $0.00 balance in the election.

Endorsements

LaValley was endorsed by the following organizations and elected officials:

• Pikes Peak Association of REALTORS® (PPAR)
• State Rep. Dan Nordberg (R-14)
• El Paso County Commissioner Peggy Littleton (R)
• Academy School District 20 Board of Education member Catherine Bullock

LaValley was also endorsed by former officials and community members. Click here for a list of his supporters.

Campaign themes

2021

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Thomas LaValley completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by LaValley's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a 1982 graduate of the Air Force Academy with a BS in Engineering Mechanics. I also earned a MS in Mechanical Engineering from New Mexico State University. I served over 7 years active duty and 13 years in the Air Force Reserves including an assignment as a math instructor at the Academy, retiring in 2006. I have spent the last 30 years as a pilot with United airlines. I served for 3 years on the board of The Classical Academy public charter school from 2014-2017; 2 years as the chair. I am currently the Treasurer on the D-20 BOE. I understand the crucial importance of not just an excellent education but also the importance of character formation and a strong work ethic. I expect the best out of myself and from every aspect of D-20.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I want continued academic excellence in Academy District 20.
• We need to spend taxpayer dollars frugally and carefully.
• We need to fight the current "woke" culture that I believe will divide us. Political agendas are not needed in our classrooms. Educating children is what should occur there.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Academic excellence needs to be our top priority. We also need to be careful stewards of the financial resources we get from our community . Finally, we need to resist the cultural trends that seek to divide us. All people need to be treated equally. We need local control. State and federal mandates should be eliminated to the maximum extent possible.

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.

2017

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey

Tom LaValley participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates. In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on October 11, 2017:

“

I want to see Academy District 20 as the top district in the state and not just academically. I want us to be known as a district that cares deeply about its children, has a great relationship with the teachers, is trusted by the parents, and has its graduates become leaders and servants in the community. It is a great district but I believe it can be even better.

”

Ranking the issues

The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.

Education policy
Click here to learn more about education policy in Colorado.
Education on the ballot

Issue importance ranking
Candidate's ranking	Issue
1	Improving post-secondary readiness
2	Closing the achievement gap
3	Balancing or maintaining the district's budget
4	Improving education for special needs students
5	Improving relations with teachers
6	Expanding school choice options
7	Expanding arts education

“	The reason I rated teacher relations, school choice, and arts education near the bottom is that I feel our district is doing a very good job in these areas.	”
—Tom LaValley (October 11, 2017)

Positions on the issues

The candidate was asked to answer eight questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.

Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.)
Yes. The Classical Academy is currently the only charter school in D-20 and it has been around for 20 years. If there is enough parent interest, I would be in favor of opening up another charter school.
Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement.
The state should only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. I believe the state does have the duty to help/intervene in districts that are truly struggling. But their influence should be minimal in well performing districts.
Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement?
Yes. Some are quite good and some are not. I believe we are spending too much time testing our students and too little time educating them. Standardized tests should be used sparingly and they must be carefully selected to insure they are testing the standards being taught. They are also not the only measure of student achievement. There are important intangible growth metrics that are just as important. Do the children love learning? Are they growing in character development? Are they striving for excellence? Are they becoming good citizens?
How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district?
Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students. Offer additional training options. Offer additional training options. Put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve. Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district.
Should teachers receive merit pay?
Yes. I am philosophically in favor of teacher merit pay. However, it is extremely difficult to put it in practice. We must ensure teachers are still working collaboratively and that they always put their students first. This can be a real challenge with merit pay. It is also nearly impossible to have objective criteria in which to measure teacher performance. I am open to discussing ways to financially reward great teachers.
Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program?
Yes. This is tough to answer as a simple yes or no. We need to have a conversation on choice. I support parents who choose secular or religious private schools for their children. And they deserve some consideration when it comes to the manner in which education is funded. Legislative options may include education savings accounts, tax credit for parents who choose private education, or other options.
How should expulsion be used in the district?
It must be used sparingly. Expulsion must be a tool that districts can use but it should be only exceptional cases.
What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration?
Parent involvement. Parents are the linchpin in the education of their children and are vital to their success. There is only so much a teacher or school can do when the parents are not supportive and engaged in the lives of their kids. That being said, teachers can do amazing things with children and great teachers are crucial to help children be all they can be. Good curricula, a reasonable student to teacher ratio and a supportive administration are also important to a well functioning district.

Candidate website

LaValley highlighted the following issues on his campaign website:

“	WHAT I BELIEVE There is no more important job for this generation than to train up the next. Every student deserves the best education possible. Teachers and staff should be well compensated for their work. We should all expect excellence in all areas of D-20. Mediocrity is not acceptable. Education decisions are best kept at the local level. The School Board is accountable to the parents, voters, and taxpayers of D-20. Bond 3A money must be spent frugally and wisely. Parents know what is best for their children.	”
—Thomas LaValley (2017)

See also

2021 Elections

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External links

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Candidate

Academy School District 20 school board, At-large

Website

Personal

Website