Todd Gutschow

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Todd Gutschow

Prior offices

Poway Unified Board of Education

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Education

Bachelor's

Harvard University

Contact

Personal website

Todd Gutschow was a member of the Poway Unified School District Board of Education in California. He was first elected to the board in November 2006.

Gutschow faced one fellow incumbent and six challengers in his bid for re-election to one of three at-large seats on November 4, 2014. Todd Gutschow lost the general election on November 4, 2014.

Elections

2014

See also: Poway Unified School District elections (2014)

Three at-large seats on the Poway Unified School District Board of Education were up for general election on November 4, 2014. Incumbents Marc Davis and Todd Gutschow ran against challengers Charles Sellers, John P. Riley, Katie Newbanks, Michelle O'Connor-Ratcliff, T.J. Zane and Jeannie Foulkrod. O'Connor-Ratcliff, Sellers and Zane won election to the board by defeating Davis, Gutschow, Newbanks and Foulkrod.

Results

Poway Unified School District,
At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Michelle O'Connor-Ratcliff	16.9%	19,921
	Nonpartisan	Charles Sellers	14.4%	16,921
	Nonpartisan	T.J. Zane	14.4%	16,958
	Nonpartisan	John P. Riley	12.5%	14,680
	Nonpartisan	Todd Gutschow Incumbent	12.1%	14,294
	Nonpartisan	Marc Davis Incumbent	11.5%	13,511
	Nonpartisan	Katie Newbanks	9.2%	10,837
	Nonpartisan	Jeannie Foulkrod	9.1%	10,663
Total Votes				117,785
Source: San Diego County Registrar of Voters, "Gubernatorial General Election," accessed December 23, 2014

Funding

Gutschow reported $38,228.31 in contributions and $29,839.98 in expenditures to the San Diego County Registrar of Voters, leaving his campaign with $8,388.33 cash on hand as of October 18, 2014.

Endorsements

Gutschow received the endorsement of the Poway Federation of Teachers. He also received endorsements from former officials, community leaders and school board members, including Poway Unified School District board member Andy Patapow and former member Penny Ranftle. A full list of his supporters can be found here.

2010

Poway Unified School District, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Marc Davis	18.6%	23,915
	Nonpartisan	Penny Ranftle Incumbent	17%	21,772
	Nonpartisan	Todd Gutschow Incumbent	15.6%	19,989
	Nonpartisan	Kimberley Beatty	14.3%	18,353
	Nonpartisan	Tom Giles	12.8%	16,458
	Nonpartisan	Stan Rodkin	8.3%	10,683
	Nonpartisan	John Gunderson	7.1%	9,097
	Nonpartisan	Frederick W. Pierce	6.3%	8,105
Total Votes				128,372
Source: San Diego County Registrar of Voters, "Gubernatorial General Election November 2, 2010 Official Results," accessed September 29, 2014

Campaign themes

2014

Gutschow highlighted the following platform on his campaign website:

“	Student Achievement My top priority is to ensure that district resources are focused on increasing achievement for all students so that our graduates are well prepared for their future. To accomplish this priority, I will: Ensure that Common Core State Standards and the associated curriculum and teaching practices are well implemented through a collaborative process between our teachers and district staff Reduce class size as our budget permits Support teaching strategies and practices that close achievement gaps Encourage stronger connections at all grade levels between school and career Promote instructional practices that incorporate the best research based strategies Ensure that our teachers and classified staff have access to high quality and timely professional development Financial Management The financial health of our district is critical to achieving our goals for student achievement. To ensure that our resources are focused on student success, I will: Increase community input on budget priorities through better communication and community workshops. Provide easy, public access to our financial data through the Opengov.com website Work with staff to strategically identify opportunities to reduce expenses Balance our budget with minimum impact on the classroom Seek novel sources of new revenue Open, Two-way Communication Communication between the district and its stakeholders is essential to educating our students and requires a commitment to a customer service culture. To promote open, two-way communication, I will: Promote a “customer first” approach to all stakeholders interactions Provide timely and appropriate information to stakeholders via a variety of communication channels including email, social media, and a revised district website Give students and parents the means to provide and discuss opportunities to improve the district by expanding our crowdsourcing-based programs Provide access to video recordings of Board meetings on the district website Student Support and Enrichment Access to appropriate support services, inspiring curricular options, and engaging extracurricular activities is necessary for students to learn at their highest levels. To ensure access to these critical elements, I will: Increase opportunities at all grade levels in the Visual and Performing Arts Increase options for and promote career technical education courses and pathways Ensure that appropriate counseling and support services are available to all students Support and grow extracurricular options for our students Technology Appropriate use of technology can expand learning opportunities and give teachers tools to personalize lessons to meet individual student needs. To encourage growth in technology use, I will: Empower staff to identify and implement innovative technology uses that promote student learning Provide parents opportunities to collaborate with teachers and staff regarding classroom technology Conduct an annual review of district technology projects Employee Relations A key element in our district’s success has been strong collaborative partnerships with our employees and their bargaining units. To continue these positive relationships, I will: Support interest based problem solving as the basis for all interactions with employee bargaining units Be open and accessible to bargaining unit leadership Ensure that district decisions affecting employees are open and transparent Board and Superintendent Relations The Board of Education and the Superintendent work collaboratively as the leadership team for the district. The success of any team depends on trust, respect, and a commitment to shared goals. To ensure strong, positive working relationships between Board members and the Superintendent, I will: Be respectful of my fellow Board members and the Superintendent Honor all Board policies and procedures relating to board member conduct and professional governance standards Work with my fellow Board members to identify and commit to shared governance goals	”
—Todd Gutschow's campaign website (2014)

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term "Todd + Gutschow + Poway + Unified + School + District"

Todd Gutschow News Feed

See also

• Poway Unified School District, California
• Poway Unified School District elections (2014)

External links

Suggest a link

• Poway Unified School District
• Campaign website
• Campaign Facebook page
• Campaign twitter account