Teresa Thomson Walsh
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Teresa Thomson Walsh was a candidate for District 5 representative on the Adams 12 Board of Education in Colorado. The general election was held on November 3, 2015.[1] Teresa Thomson Walsh lost the general election on November 3, 2015.
Biography
Walsh earned her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. She has worked for the Department of Defense, the Department of Justice Commercial Litigation, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, the Colorado Attorney General and in private practice for Patton Boggs, LLC. Walsh has also served on the Westgate Community Charter School Board as a director and as secretary.[2]
Elections
2015
Four of the five seats on the Adams 12 Board of Education were up for election on November 3, 2015. Seats in Districts 1, 2, 4, and 5 were on the general election ballot.
Incumbent Norm L. Jennings faced challenger Seth "Isaiah" Thomas in District 1. The District 2 race included candidates Daniel Garcia and Jamey Lockley. District 2 incumbent Robert M. Willsey did not file for re-election. Jeff Jasica, Stephanie James, Laura P. Mitchell, and Teresa Thomson Walsh sought the District 5 seat held by Mark Clark, who did not file for re-election.[3]
A special election for the District 4 seat previously held by Rico Figueroa included incumbent Brian Batz, Amira Amal Assad-Lucas and Jessy Briton Hamilton. Figueroa served on the board from December 2013 to March 2015 after 2013 winner Amy Speers was found ineligible to serve because she lived outside of District 4. On March 2, 2015, the Colorado Supreme Court concurred with a decision by Broomfield District Court Judge Chris Melonakis declaring the seat vacant.[4] Brian Batz was appointed to fill the vacancy in District 4 on April 29, 2015, and ran to serve the remaining two years on Speers' term.[5]
Jennings was successful in securing the District 1 seat. In District 2, Lockley won the seat. Batz was successful in being re-elected to the District 4 seat, and Mitchell won the seat in District 5.
Results
| Adams 12 Five Star Schools, District 5, General Election, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Laura P. Mitchell |
35.4% | 10,528 |
| Stephanie James | 24.9% | 7,415 |
| Jeff Jasica | 22.2% | 6,599 |
| Teresa Thomson Walsh | 17.4% | 5,187 |
| Total Votes | 29,729 | |
| Source: Adams County Clerk & Recorder, "Official County Results," and City and County of Broomfield, "Official Certified Results", accessed December 17, 2015 | ||
Funding
Walsh reported $1,450.00 in contributions and $624.08 in expenditures to the Colorado Secretary of State, which left her campaign with $825.92 on hand as of October 29, 2015.[6]
Campaign themes
Candidate survey on charter schools
The Colorado League of Charter Schools issued a candidate survey in which Walsh participated. The following were her answers:[7]
Q1 - Do you support a parent’s right to choose the public school they feel is the best fit for their child? Why or why not?
Teresa Thomson Walsh: I strongly support a parent's right to choose. Parents know their students best and are therefore in the best position to assess a good fit for their children.
Q2 - Which of the following describes your familiarity with charter schools? (Select all that apply).
Teresa Thomson Walsh: I can name one or more charter schools in Colorado. I know someone who works at a charter school in Colorado. I know a student who attends a charter school in Colorado. I have heard the term “charter school.” All four of our children have attended or are currently attending a charter school. I served on the Board for the Westgate Community Charter School.
Q3 - Which of the following best describes your level of support or opposition toward charter schools in Colorado?
Teresa Thomson Walsh: Strongly support. I believe we can best meet the needs of segments of our students with a variety of school choices, including strong charter schools. I also believe given that charter schools must recruit and work to retain their students, there is a level of responsiveness to the parents lacking in traditional neighborhood schools. Finally, it is possible to create innovative charter schools because of the flexibility in governance and hiring that is beneficial to the district. Successes in a smaller charter school can be replicated in other district schools.
Q4 - In your view, what role should charter schools play in providing parents and students choice in their public school options?
Teresa Thomson Walsh: I most strongly support grass roots not for profit charter schools. I believe charter schools can create innovative learning environments. I also believe that a strong and healthy district has a combination of traditional, magnet, and charter schools.
Q5 - In your view, do charter schools help improve educational opportunities for all public school students or do they negatively impact the educational opportunities for students in traditional public schools?
Teresa Thomson Walsh: Adams 12 is an excellent example of a charter school improves educational opportunities. After the success of Stargate Charter School in providing gifted education, the district created a gifted program at Hulstrum. Successful charter schools offer educational opportunities for those students and influence the district to improve.
Q6 - Do you support the creation of more charter schools?
Teresa Thomson Walsh: Yes.
Q7 - What do you believe is the proper role for a school district and a district board of education to play in relation to the charter schools in their district?
Teresa Thomson Walsh: A Board must carefully review an application for a charter school, and if the school has support and a strong business plan, the district should not only approve a charter application or renewal, but actively support the public charter school.
Q8 - Do you believe districts have a responsibility to equitably include their charter schools in the distribution of local funds related to facilities (bonds) and operational expenses (mill levy overrides)? Why or why not?
Teresa Thomson Walsh: Clearly a district should be equitable in distribution of local funds. The students attending those schools are from households that pay taxes, vote for the bond, and support the district. Students in a district charter school are no less worthy of district support.
Q9 - Please feel free to provide any additional comments or viewpoints regarding school choice and charter schools in the state of Colorado that you were not able to cover in your responses above.
Teresa Thomson Walsh: Candidate elected not to respond to this question.
- To read other candidate responses, visit What's at Stake for Adams 12 Five Star Schools?
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Teresa Thomson Walsh Colorado' OR 'Adams 12 Five Star Schools'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Adams 12 Five Star Schools, Colorado
- Adams 12 Five Star Schools elections (2015)
- Incumbency no guarantee of success in Nov. 3 school board elections (November 6, 2015)
- What happened in Nov.'s top board elections? (November 4, 2015)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Adams 12 Five Star Schools, "STATEMENT OF SUFFICIENCY," August 26, 2015
- ↑ Teresa Thomson Walsh Adams 12 Board of Directors, "Biography", accessed October 26, 2015
- ↑ Adams 12 Five Star Schools, "2015 election," accessed August 30, 2015
- ↑ Adams 12 Five Star Schools, "Director District 4 Election Update," March 6, 2015
- ↑ The Denver Post, "Adams 12 school board votes to appoint Brian Batz to board vacancy," April 29, 2015
- ↑ Tracer, "Search Results", accessed October 29, 2015
- ↑ Colorado League of Charter Schools, "Adams 12 Five Star Schools Board Candidate Survey", accessed October 26, 2015
