28 The News-Press
October 20, 2016
State board of Education, District 6
Rebecca McClellan Party: Democrat About McClellan: The Centennial resident has worked in banking and is a former small business owner. She served on the Centennial City Council for eight years, with a term as mayor pro tem. More information: Rebecca@ McClellanforColorado.com; 303-956-2845; www.McClellanforColorado.com
Debora Scheffel Party: Republican About Scheffel: The incumbent, a Parker resident, has worked in education for three decades, starting her career as a teacher. She has worked as a professor and was appointed dean of the school of education at Colorado Christian University in 2013. More information: debora.scheffel@gmail. com;https: debscheffel.com; www.facebook. com/deborascheffelforstateboard
University of Colorado Regent, District 4
Sue Sharkey Party: Republican About Sharkey: The incumbent, a Castle Rock resident, has been a CU Regent since 2010. She has experience in a family-owned retail business and in banking. More information: suzeshark@gmail.com; www.sharkey4regent.com
Why should voters choose you for this office?
Describe an accomplishment that best illustrates your effectiveness as a leader.
What is the biggest problem faced by public K-12 education in Colorado and how would you help solve it?
What is your stance on the proliferation of charter schools in Colorado?
Is there too much standardized testing of Colorado students?
If elected, I will be the only member of the state board of education with a child in public school. I am a longtime supporter of public education, serving as council liaison to public schools while a city councilmember and mayor pro tem. I believe every child deserves the kind of highquality public education my children are receiving so they can be well prepared for college or career.
While serving as city council liaison to the Cherry Creek School District, I worked with state legislators to develop and pass measures to improve school funding. I worked with Bicycle Colorado to deliver Safe Routes to Schools to our local schools. I’m proud to have supported our school resource officers for campus safety. Collaborating with partners to accomplish better outcomes for students is essential, and I am a proven collaborator.
Our greatest challenge is to ensure that every child in Colorado has access to the resources they need to become well prepared for college or career. I will be a strong advocate for smarter public education funding — especially increasing transparency, reducing administrative bloat and routing our tax dollars to the classroom, where they belong. Great schools are essential to a strong economy. I want to see every part of Colorado enjoy great schools and the high-wage jobs that follow.
I support local neighborhood public schools. While most chartering decisions are made at the local level, the state board of education has judicial review for appeals. Local input, including the input of local elected school board members, is important to consider when weighing an appeal. Rubber stamping questionable applications against the will of local stakeholders is a practice I would reverse in this seat. Tax credits or vouchers for private schools can also drain resources from our neighborhood schools, and I do not support these costly schemes.
Steps to reduce standardized testing have helped, and we must remain responsive to students, parents, teachers and community members regarding the impact of standardized testing on the learning process. I support the hub and spoke committees as they work to provide input for Colorado’s interpretation of ESSA. I am a public school parent who will listen to public input as we work to ensure that every child can become well prepared for college or career.
As a teacher and teacher of teachers, I know firsthand how important it is to provide support for teachers, staff and school leaders and how important it is for parents to be able to guide the public education of their students. I have a track record of working collaboratively to find solutions that provide communities the flexibility to meet their needs. I work hard to make sure we have a transparent accountable system.
Developing new regulations and laws that help keep students’ and staffs’ personally identifiable information safe and confidential are among the accomplishments that demonstrate my effectiveness as a leader. I worked with groups of parents, CDE’s staff, district staffs, legislators and fellow board members to create tougher regulations and new laws to protect data. This required tenacity, persistence, subtle persuasion and sometimes toughness, to bring people together to develop creative solutions, all essential leadership skills.
The biggest problem facing K-12 education is the variety of issues we face. From federal intrusion, to teachers needing resources and flexibility to meet the needs of their students, to adequate allocation of resources, to special interest groups trying to influence public education, the issues vary widely. This is why I am a strong supporter of local control and will work hard to support local communities developing solutions that work for their students, families and staff.
Every student’s needs are unique and we cannot afford to have a one-sizefits-all public education system. We must make sure there are options so that students have access to the public education solution that meets their needs. So I support community driven choices that provide highquality options for students and are accountable to the same standards as neighborhood schools.
Yes, Colorado students spend too much time taking standardized tests. I worked with my fellow board members to reduce testing time required by the state. Despite this, schools, districts, colleges and the armed services all require various standardized tests. In addition, students often face a variety of assessments to determine placement and or identify skills that need reinforcement. I will continue to work to reduce testing burdens so students spend more time learning.
Why are you seeking Why should voters choose you for this this office? office?
I believe everyone should have the opportunity to achieve the American dream. For many people, education is the key that opens the door to this opportunity. A welleducated citizenry is crucial to keeping our nation free and strong. I was raised in a military family and these values were instilled in me from birth. Serving as a CU Regent is an opportunity to contribute to what I so strongly believe in.
I’ve been effective as a regent in my first term, with a commitment to keeping tuition costs down and providing educational opportunities to firstgeneration college students through the pre-collegiate program. My efforts also have been instrumental in establishing a policy that fights discrimination on the basis of political affiliation and philosophy.
Describe an What will your accomplishment top priority be if that best illustrates elected? your effectiveness as a leader. I have worked across the board and the university system to advance the freedom of ideas and support for military families that led to legislation signed by the governor. Collaborating with community leaders to enhance college access, and promoting these ideas to the university.
What else should voters know about you?
I will continue to focus on fiscal responsibility, seeking cost reductions and efficiencies, and reducing costly, inefficient policies. Increasing revenue is key, especially through research, online education, private funding through donors, and partnerships with the business community.
I seek greater ideological diversity at the university through initiatives such as the Visiting Scholar in Conservative Thought and Policy at the Boulder campus, in addition to growing the Center for Western Civilization.
Editor’s note: Bob Owens, Democratic candidate for District 4 CU Regent, did not return Colorado Community Media’s questionnaire.
Ballot Continued from Page 22
Proposition 107: Presidential Primary Election Proposition 107 would reestablish the state’s presidential primary elections. Colorado held presidential primaries in 1992, 1996 and 2000, but has used the caucus system since. Both Republican and Democratic voters criticized the caucus this year as being chaotic, and many Republican voters were upset that the party did not conduct a straw poll to determine the preferred presidential candidate.
Proposition 107 would also allow participation by unaffiliated voters.
be interpreted to prohibit work requirements in the criminal justice system.
Proposition 108: Unaffiliated voter participation in primary elections Proposition 108 would open Colorado’s primary elections to unaffiliated voters. Under current law, a voter must be affiliated with a political party to vote in that party’s primary.
Amendment U: Exempt possessory interests from property tax Amendment U would eliminate property tax for businesses and individuals who derive a benefit of $6,000 or less from the use of government-owned real property and adjust the exemption amount every two years to keep up with inflation. Currently, the state does not tax government-owned property but does impose property tax on those who rent, lease or have other rights to use a government property, such as cattle-grazing rights.
Amendment T: No exception to involuntary service Amendment T would amend the state Constitution, removing an exception allowing the use of involuntary servitude as a punishment for crime. This could
Amendment 71: Raise the bar for constitutional amendments Amendment 71 would create new requirements for placing a constitutional initiative on the ballot. Currently, to get a citizen initiative, backers must collect enough signatures to equal 5 percent of the votes cast in the most recent election for Secretary of State in a six-month period. In 2016, the requirement was 98,492 signatures. Amendment 71 would require that some of the signatures be collected in each of the state’s 35 Senate districts, in the amount of 2 percent of the registered voters in that district. It would also require a 55
percent super-majority of votes to adopt a change to the Constitution, rather than the current simple majority. Amendment 72: Increase in tobacco tax Amendment 72 would raise the state tax on cigarettes from 84 cents to $2.59 and increase the tax on other tobacco products from 40 percent of the retail price to 62 percent. The revenue would be distributed to various health programs that are already funded by tobacco taxes, as well as research grants studying tobacco-related health issues, tobacco-use prevention programs and others.