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Ken Witt
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Ken Witt was the District 5 representative on the Jeffco Board of Education in Colorado. He was first elected to the board in the general election on November 5, 2013, and served until November 19, 2015. He lost his position in a recall election on November 3, 2015.[1][2]
At the time of the recall, Witt and former board members Julie Williams and John Newkirk were the governing majority on the Jeffco Board of Education. All three were elected to the board in 2013, and all three were recalled on November 3, 2015.[2] During their two years as members, the board withstood controversy following the implementation of a merit pay plan and a board proposal for a committee to review the content of the AP U.S. History curriculum.
Biography
Witt graduated from the University of Colorado at Denver with a degree in mathematics. He is an information technology and business management professional. He and his wife Deb have four children, all of whom attended Jeffco Public Schools.[3]
Elections
2015
An effort to recall three members of the Jeffco Public Schools Board of Education in Colorado was on the ballot on November 3, 2015.[4] Board members Julie Williams, John Newkirk, and Ken Witt from Districts 1, 2, and 5, respectively, were ousted from office with more than 60 percent of voters in each district casting ballots in favor of recall.[1]
A total of six candidates filed to replace the three incumbents up for recall. Brad Rupert ran for the seat held by Williams. Matt Dhieux and Susan Harmon campaigned for Newkirk's seat, and Regan Benson, Ron Mitchell, and Paula Noonan ran for Witt's seat. Rupert, Harmon, and Mitchell ran together as "The Clean Slate."[2][5] All three slate members were elected to replace Williams, Newkirk, and Witt.[1] They took office on November 19, 2015.[6]
The other two seats on the board—District 3 and District 4—were also on the ballot on November 3, 2015. They were up for general election. Neither incumbent filed to retain her seat in that election, meaning the district welcomed an entirely new board on November 19, 2015.[7]
Results
| Ken Witt, Area 5 Board Member, Jeffco Public Schools | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 Recall | 115936 | 64.25% | ||
| Retain | 64497 | 35.75% | ||
| Election results via: Jefferson County, "Official County Results," November 20, 2015 | ||||
| Successor candidate, Area 5 Board Member, Jeffco Public Schools | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Ron Mitchell | 83571 | 69.64% | ||
 Paula Noonan | 23782 | 19.82% | ||
| Regan Benson | 12643 | 10.54% | ||
| Election results via: Jefferson County, "Official County Results," November 20, 2015 | ||||
Funding
Witt reported no contributions or expenditures to the Colorado Secretary of State in the election.[8] There were two political action committees, however, that opposed the recall election. The "Kids Are First Jeffco" PAC raised $170,000.00 in contributions and spent $156,512.93 in expenditures, which left its ending balance at $13,487.07 as of the election. The "For Better Public Schools" PAC raised a total of $34,561.51 and spent a total of $34,561.51 in the election, according to the Colorado Secretary of State.[9][10][11]
2013
- See also: Jeffco Public Schools elections (2013)
Witt defeated challenger Gordon Van de Water on November 5, 2013.
Results
| Jeffco Public Schools, District 5 General Election, 4-year term, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Ken Witt |
58.1% | 78,943 | |
| Nonpartisan | Gordon Van de Water | 41.9% | 56,948 | |
| Total Votes | 135,891 | |||
| Source: Jefferson County Board of Elections, "2013 Coordinated Election," November 27, 2013 | ||||
Funding
Witt reported $11,302.05 in contributions and $8,114.93 in expenditures to the Colorado Secretary of State, which left his campaign with $3,187.12 on hand.[12]
Endorsements
Witt was endorsed by the Jefferson County Republican Party, Denver radio host Mike Rosen and the Colorado Women’s Alliance.[13][14][15]
Campaign themes
2015
Response to recall
- See also: Recall target responses
Ballot statement
The following statement appeared on the ballot with the candidate's name:
| “ | Jeffco students deserve leaders who will work toward meaningful change, even if that change is sometimes difficult. Under my leadership, the board directed public dollars to focus on students and classrooms as priorities, teacher compensation has grown by over 7%, schools have much more flexibility to make important spending decisions, and debt-free construction of a new school has been authorized. Meanwhile, budget reserves have grown and central administration costs have shrunk.
As the father of Jeffco public school graduates, my commitment to our community’s students runs deep. Halfway into our elected four-year term, my fellow board majority members and I have focused relentlessly on improving student achievement for every Jeffco student. We're giving our district’s highest-risk kids a better chance to succeed with the community-led Alameda and Jefferson plans. We’ve respected families’ choices by funding all Jeffco Public Schools students fairly. We’ve provided free full-day kindergarten to all our low-income families. We have ended intrusive and unnecessary data gathering, and created a data privacy committee to suggest ongoing improvements to protect student information from misuse. Because our majority stood strong, we were able to reach a leaner, more flexible union agreement that gives educators the flexibility to better provide our children with a world-class education. Our new pay model is built on accountability and fairness, allowing us to recognize and reward great teachers while moving us closer to the goal of having an effective teacher in every classroom. I believe lifelong learning is key to success. I continue to learn and grow on this Board, yet my support stands as strong as ever for directing more money to our classrooms, raising the bar for staff and students, and giving families quality options. My driving focus is to propel more Jeffco students to successful futures. Together, let’s keep aiming higher.[16] |
” |
| —Ken Witt ballot statement (2015)[17] | ||
9News statement
In June 2015, Ken Witt told 9NEWS that he would welcome a recall election and saw it as an opportunity to have open dialogue about the district's future. He continued that despite the recall effort, the current board had increased teacher pay, elevated board meeting transparency and equalized funding in the district.[18]
| “ | I am proud of the work that we have done on the Jeffco Board, including bringing greater equality to education funding, giving teachers $21 million in raises, opening meetings to the public, bringing free full day kindergarten to every child eligible for free and reduced lunch, and giving the community and principals greater control in their schools, among other achievements. While change is difficult, our students deserve a great education. In the last election, our community loudly demanded a focus on improving academic achievement, fairly funding all public students, and expanding choice. We continue to be committed to those goals and to helping every Jeffco student realize their full academic and personal potential.[16] | ” |
| —Ken Witt, 2015[18] | ||
Ethics complaint
At a press conference, Witt explains why he is filing an ethics complaint against himself. |
On October 8, 2015, Witt filed an ethics complaint against himself with the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission. He said he wanted an advisory opinion on whether or not the board had violated open meeting laws, as the recall supporters maintained. "I'm calling their bluff," Witt told reporters at a press conference.[19]
Recall supporters called Witt's announcement a "political stunt." A Jeffco United for Action spokesperson said the open meeting law violation was one of many reasons they sought a recall against Witt, Newkirk and Williams.[19]
Witt's request was ignored by the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission, as his request for an advisory opinion did not fall under the commission's jurisdiction. When he was told nothing would come of his complaint, Witt said he wanted to "shine light on the baseless claims by Jeffco United for Action," according to ABC 7.[19]
2013
Witt listed his campaign priorities as the following on his website:
| “ |
Educational Choice Fiscal Responsibility Academic Performance and Goals Safe and Secure Learning Environment |
” |
| —Ken Witt campaign website, (2013)[20] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms ”Ken Witt” ”Jeffco Public Schools”. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Jeffco Public Schools, Colorado
- Jeffco Public Schools recall, Colorado (2015)
- Jeffco Public Schools elections (2013)
- Analysis of incumbency advantage in the 2014 school board elections
- 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
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Jefferson County, "Unofficial County Results," November 3, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Chalkbeat Colorado, "6 candidates, including longtime critic, in running to replace Jeffco school board recall targets," September 28, 2015
- ↑ Ken Witt for Jeffco School Board, "About Ken Witt," accessed November 4, 2013
- ↑ Chalkbeat Colorado, "Clerk: Jeffco school board recall will be on November ballot," September 3, 2015
- ↑ Colorado Independent, "Recall-backed Jeffco school board candidates skip conservative forum," September 1, 2015
- ↑ FOX 31 Denver, "Ousted Jefferson County school board members attend final meeting," November 5, 2015
- ↑ Jeffco Public Schools, "Board of Education Election 2015," accessed August 31, 2015
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "TRACER: Search The Campaign Finance Database," accessed December 7, 2015
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "TRACER: Committee Information: KIDS ARE FIRST JEFFCO," accessed December 7, 2015
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "TRACER: Committee Information: FOR BETTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS," accessed December 7, 2015
- ↑ Chalkbeat Colorado, "Libertarian think tank leads donations in Jefferson County school board recall, election," December 4, 2015
- ↑ Colorado TRACER, "Candidate Detail," accessed December 19, 2013
- ↑ Jeffco GOP, "Jeffco GOP Approved School Board Candidates," accessed November 3, 2013
- ↑ Facebook, "Mike Rosen," accessed November 3, 2013
- ↑ My Colorado View, "Colorado Women’s Alliance Announces their Endorsements in JeffCo School Board Elections," October 17, 2013
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Chalkbeat Colorado, "Ken Witt Ballot Statement," accessed September 21, 2015
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 9 News, "JeffCo recall effort gets underway," July 9, 2015
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 ABC 7, "Opponents: JeffCo Public Schools board president Ken Witt ethics complaint is political stunt," October 8, 2015
- ↑ Ken Witt for Jeffco School Board, "Issues," accessed November 3, 2013
| 2015 Jeffco Public Schools General Election and Recall Election | |
| Jefferson County, Colorado | |
| Election date: | November 3, 2015 |
| Candidates: | General Election Candidates District 3: • Kim Johnson • Ali Lasell District 4: • Tori Merritts • Amanda Stevens Recall Election Candidates District 1: • Incumbent, Julie Williams • Brad Rupert District 2: • Incumbent, John Newkirk • Matt Dhieux • Susan Harmon District 5: • Incumbent, Ken Witt • Regan Benson • Ron Mitchell • Paula Noonan |
| Important information: | Issues in the general election • Recall supporters • Recall opponents • Key general election deadlines • Recall path to the ballot |
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