Grant Standefer

Grant Standefer

Education

High school

Robert E. Lee High School

Bachelor's

Lubbock Christian University

Graduate

Abilene Christian University

Ph.D

Lipscomb University

Personal

Profession

Executive Director

Contact

Personal website

Grant Standefer was a candidate for District 2 representative on the Knox County Board of Education in Tennessee. Standefer ran for the seat in the primary election on March 1, 2016. He lost the election.

Jennifer Owen, Standefer's only challenger in District 2, filed a filed a complaint with the IRS against the president of the nonprofit Cornerstone Foundation of Knoxville, who sent an email through his foundation account endorsing and asking for monetary donations for Standefer and District 5 candidate Reuben "Buddy" Pelot. Both candidates received $20,000 more in contributions than any other candidate in the 2016 election.

The winners of the 2016 race for the Knox County Board of Education were tasked with choosing the district's next superintendent, as Superintendent Jim McIntyre announced he would be stepping down after his three biggest supporters on the board declined to run for re-election. Buzz Thomas was appointed to serve as McIntyre's temporary replacement.

See also: What was at stake in the 2016 Knox County Board of Education race?

Biography

Email editor@ballotpedia.org to notify us of updates to this biography.

Standefer grew up in Midland, Texas. He moved to Knoxville in 1992. Standefer has worked with the Compassion Coalition since 2004. He serves as the executive director. He previously worked as a pastor for 10 years for the Farragut Church of Christ. Prior to that, he worked as a youth pastor. He serves on the Knox County Emergency Food and Shelter Board and Mayor Rogero's Roundtable on Homelessness. Standefer earned a bachelor's degree in Bible from Lubbock Christian University, his master's degree in biblical and related studies from Abilene Christian University and his doctoral degree in ministry from Lipscomb University. He and his wife have three children and six grandchildren.

Elections

2016

See also: Knox County Schools elections (2016)

Four of the nine seats on the Knox County Schools Board of Education were up for by-district general election on August 4, 2016. A primary election was held March 1, 2016. Jennifer Owen defeated Grant Standefer for the District 2 seat in the primary election. She went on to win the general election unopposed. The District 5 primary featured Reuben "Buddy" Pelot, Lori Ann Boudreaux, and Susan Horn. Both Horn and Pelot received enough votes to advance to the general election, where Horn defeated Pelot for the seat. The District 3 seat was left open for a newcomer. Tony Norman won that seat after running unopposed in both the primary and general elections. Michael McMillan, the only incumbent who sought re-election, ran unopposed in District 8 and won another term.

Results

Knox County Schools, District 2 Primary Election, 4-Year Term, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Jennifer Owen	65.82%	5,028
Grant Standefer	34.18%	2,611
Total Votes		7,639
Source: Knox County Board of Elections, "Presidential Preference Primary and County Primary — Official Ballot for Knox County March 01, 2016," accessed March 28, 2016

Funding

See also: Campaign finance in the Knox County Schools election

Standefer reported $39,535.00 in contributions and $32,768.47 in expenditures to the Knox County Clerk, which left his campaign with $6,766.53 on hand in the election.

Endorsements

Standefer was endorsed by the Knoxville News Sentinel and by J. Laurens Tullock, president of the Cornerstone Foundation of Knoxville.

Campaign themes

2016

Candidate website

Standefer highlighted the following issues on his campaign website:

“	High Academic Achievement Our schools are consistently ranked near the top in the state in many important academic indicators. In the 2nd District, we have some schools that need further support from our administration, school board, parents and community. Our teachers are counting on us to give them the tools and working environment that will allow our kids to reach their potential. As your School Board representative I will focus these areas: Higher teacher pay to recruit and retain the brightest teachers, the bedrock for student achievement. ​Investing in our Principal Academy to build on the leadership skills of our school level leaders. Creating an improved working environment for everyone by changing the school testing culture. Insisting on transparency in reporting and explaining our student academic results. Instructional Technology Knox County is recognized as a national leader in employing computers as a tool for classroom instruction. In the 2nd district, our schools are behind the average in providing students with one to one technology. The board recently reviewed a proposed funding cycle that would help provide computers for our district schools. Our teachers, parents and students are clamoring for more technology! ​ As your School Board member, I will focus on these areas: Support a four year plan that would include funding for computers and technology support in the 2nd district. Champion the TeacherPreneur and CodeTn initiatives that are exponentially increasing the effectiveness of this strategic investment. Budget Accountability Public officials are entrusted with the oversight of our tax dollars, and I am prepared to hold our administration accountable to a high impact budget. Knox County schools are funded well below our peer cities in Nashville, Chattanooga and Memphis, so we must do more with less. We cannot waste one dime. ​As your School Board member, I will focus on these areas: Working closely with our Superintendent in assessing the return on investment for each program. Building relationships with the County Commission to secure adequate funding at the local and state level. Reacting quickly to any suggestions of waste and expect a zero tolerance policy for misuse of funds. Community Schools Times have changed. If we expect all children to reach their potential, we must engage and mobilize our parents and community. The Community Schools Initiative is a strategy for using public schools as a hub for organizing community resources to improve student academic success. This is primarily accomplished by coordinating with partner organizations, like the YMCA, Boys and Girls Club, Emerald Youth Foundation and local churches, to provide direct services onsite, including academic enrichment, youth development programs, and mental, social, physical and dental health promotion. As your School Board member, I will focus on: Using my unique qualifications and relationships in mobilizing the local church to greatly expand the number of congregations in the county providing volunteers and support, while recognizing the obvious church/state restrictions in this public venue.	”
—Grant Standefer (2016)

Knoxville News Sentinel

Campaign video

The following video shows Standefer outlining his campaign for the Knoxville News Sentinel.

Q & A

The Knoxville News Sentinel published the following questionnaire. The bolded questions were provided by the League of Women Voters. Standefer's responses to those questions appear below.

Is the current funding for Knox County Schools adequate? If not, how would you work to correct the problem?

“	Current funding is not adequate. The average per-pupil expenditures for Knox County Schools falls below the Tennessee average and significantly below schools like Oak Ridge and Maryville. With the MOU between Knox County Board of Education, the Knox County Mayor, and the County Commission, we are unable to increase funding other than by increasing growth revenue. That doesn't leave many options, and it will force us to think creatively and collaboratively. There may be opportunities to reallocate funds from ineffective programs, and I look forward to looking closely at the budget and hearing the creative ideas that will come from the principals and teachers.	”
—Grant Standefer (2016)

If you are elected, you would be involved in choosing a new school superintendent. What are the most important characteristics you would look for in a candidate for the position, and what should, at a minimum, be a candidate's qualifications?

“	I would be looking for a person who is committed to academic excellence for all of our children. Our new superintendent should be able to communicate clearly, cast vision, and work with others to bring about effective change to benefit every child. It is also critical that this person be someone that is able to listen, gather critical data and make difficult decisions regarding what is best for our children. In regard to a candidate's qualification, certainly teaching experience would be important, however most candidates will not have been in the classroom for several years. Things change quickly in classroom instruction. This person, therefore, needs to be very aware of the issues facing educators and particularly knowledgeable about issues in Tennessee surrounding testing and other concerns expressed by the public. The candidate should have at least an Ed.S degree and preferably an MBA as well. The person we hire is also going to need a strong financial background.	”
—Grant Standefer (2016)

The state is once again considering vouchers for low-income students. What is your position on vouchers?

“	We have poured a great deal of money and effort into the schools with a larger percentage of low-income students, and the results have been anything but encouraging. Both those who support vouchers and those who oppose vouchers make valid and thoughtful points. What I can say with certainty is that I am willing to read, research, engage in lively discussions, and consider any approach other than maintaining the status quo for helping our low-income students get the best possible education. What we have been doing for years has not been effective, and we must consider every viable option.	”
—Grant Standefer (2016)

At present, Knox County has only one charter school. What is your position about increasing that number?

“	We need to explore every possibility for providing a great education for our students. The charter school we have is a public school included in the Knox County School District budget. Knox County children attend this school and Knox County educators teach in it. I want them to be successful in every way. Within this charter school is a possibility to create an entirely different culture that brings about transformational change rather than just incremental change. I feel strongly that we should explore every possibility for Knox County students to get a great education. I'm not out recruiting others to submit an application for more charter schools, but I also know that if a legitimate application for a charter school is submitted that meets all the criteria and the Knox County BOE rejects the application, the state of Tennessee can overrule that decision and that school would then become the responsibility of the state. Local control of our public schools is the most desirable.	”
—Grant Standefer (2016)

Who should set the educational policy and direction for Knox County, the board of education or the school administration?

“	The BOE sets educational policy and direction for Knox County with the input and cooperation of the superintendent and the administrative staff of Knox County public schools.	”
—Grant Standefer (2016)

The board of education will make decisions about building new or renovating existing schools. With population growth and our school capital funding limited by current obligations, what steps would you take to assure that tax dollars are spent wisely for school construction in the future?

“	In district 2, Inskip Elementary has more portable buildings than perhaps any other school in the county. Action needs to be taken. The decision regarding Inskip or any of our other school buildings should be made on whether or not it is more cost effective and efficient to renovate or to build new buildings.	”
—Grant Standefer (2016)

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Grant Standefer' 'Knox County Schools'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Grant Standefer - Google News

See also

• Knox County Schools, Tennessee
• Knox County Schools elections (2016)

External links

Suggest a link

• Knox County Schools
• Campaign website
• Campaign Facebook page