Valerie Thompson

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Valerie Thompson

Nonpartisan

Douglas County School District Board of Directors District F

Tenure

2023 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

1

Predecessor

David Ray

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 7, 2023

Personal

Profession

Community Development

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Valerie Thompson is a member of the Douglas County School District Board of Directors in Colorado, representing District F. She assumed office on November 30, 2023. Her current term ends in 2027.

Thompson ran for election to the Douglas County School District Board of Directors to represent District F in Colorado. She won in the general election on November 7, 2023.

Thompson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Valerie Thompson's professional experience includes working in community development. Thompson earned a bachelor's degree in 2012 and a master's degree in health education and has experience in community health and development in 2015.

Elections

2023

See also: Douglas County School District, Colorado, elections (2023)

General election

General election for Douglas County School District Board of Directors District F

Valerie Thompson defeated Maria Sumnicht in the general election for Douglas County School District Board of Directors District F on November 7, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Valerie Thompson (Nonpartisan)	55.4	68,576
		Maria Sumnicht (Nonpartisan)	44.6	55,139

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 123,715
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Thompson received the following endorsements.

• Douglas Cnty. Sch. Brd. Memb. David Ray (Nonpartisan)
• Douglas County, Colo., Democratic Party
• Denver Area Labor Federation
• Denver Sheet Metal Workers' Local 9
• Douglas County Parents
• Everytown for Gun Safety

Pledges

Thompson signed the following pledges.

• Everytown for Gun Safety

Campaign themes

2023

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Valerie Thompson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Thompson's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a mother of two children in a neighborhood DCSD school. I've been an active volunteer in DCSD since moving to Douglas County, including serving on two board committees, the District Accountability Committee and the Mill Bond Exploratory Committee. Through these experiences, I have gained knowledge in vital areas such as school funding, the dynamics of parent engagement, and school performance. I understand school capacity constraints, the challenges of staff retention and recruitment, and the community perspective of accountability and transparency needs. My background is in population-level research and community health and development. Through this work I have cultivated experience working collaboratively with communities and community leaders, parents and children to better experiences for families in focus areas such as healthy families, youth violence prevention, and early childhood literacy. Additionally, my dedication to education expands to teaching college courses.

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?

• Centering all children in decision-making to best address student learning needs.
• Promoting a safe, equitable, and enriching school environment for all families.
• Supporting our teachers and staff through budget and resource allocation that addresses important issues such as pay structure, retention needs, professional development training, and recognition.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Equity-focused policies that prioritize addressing real issues. In our district that includes policies that are inclusive, that support mental health needs of our students, address funding challenges, and support the retention and recruitment of district staff.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

The National Association of School Boards defines it well "The school board represents the community's voice in public education, providing citizen governance and knowledge of the community's resources and needs, and board members are the policy-makers closest to the student."

Who are your constituents?

Students, parents, DCSD staff, and the greater Douglas County community

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

2023 Denver Area Labor Federation

Sheet Metal Workers Local Union 9
Current Board Director David Ray

Corey Wise, former DCSD Superintendent

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

2023 Elections

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External links

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Candidate

Douglas County School District Board of Directors District F

Website

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