Four seats on the Douglas County School Board are up for election this November 3.

District B:  John Carson,  www.JohnCarsonforSchoolBoard.com

Sue Catterall, www.suecatterall.com

District D: Dan Gerken, www.dangerken.com

Kevin Leung, www.kevinyleung.com

District E:  Doug Benevento, www.doug4douglas.com

Kristine Turner, www.turner4schools.com

District G: Emily Hansen, www.emily4schools.com

Meghann Silverthornm, www.meghannsilverthorn.com

Registered voters in Douglas County will receive a mail-ballot in mid-October by the Douglas County Clerk and Recorders Office. If you are not registered to vote, the last day to do so is October 5. All ballots must be received, not postmarked, by November 3.

This is a county-wide election, we will be electing four directors from four geographical areas. You can choose one candidate in each area, therefore you will be casting four votes on your ballot.

Board of Education Election is Underway

By Interim Superintendent Dr. Steve Herzog

As citizens of Douglas County, you should have received your mail-in ballot for this upcoming election. Four of the seven seats for the Douglas County School District Board of Education are on the ballot. I’d like to take this opportunity to speak to the roles and responsibilities of Board of Education members that are elected by the public to serve in this role.

The Board of Education (BOE) works for the students, parents and patrons of the District. The Board sets the policies that guide the public education of the students in the community. Board members regularly assess community needs and aspirations to develop an educational program consistent with community resources. Some key volunteer committees support the Board in its efforts:

The District Advisory Committee

<http://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/
Board_of_Education/District_Advisory_Committee> , consisting primarily of parents and community members, acts as an advisory council making recommendations for the improvement of the educational program of the District and the prioritization and expenditure of District resources. This Committee works closely with the School Advisory Councils (SAC) at each school site. The purpose of the SAC is to provide opportunities for parents, staff and community members to be involved in the planning and evaluation of their individual school’s instruction programs along with being a representative voice for the community.

The Long Range Planning Committee

<http://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/
Board_of_Education/Long_Range_Planning> , a citizen based group, studies school district facility and capacity needs. This committee makes recommendations to the Board of Education on capacity needs, school locations, attendance boundaries and other facility related issues.

I mention these committees as they are made up of your neighbors and community members and the committee members are great resources for information concerning the District. Additional information on these committees is found under theBoard of Education <http://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Board_of_Education> page of the District website at www.dcsdk12.org.

In addition to acting as an advocate for students and public education, the Board of Education creates the District’s vision. Douglas County School District’s vision statement, referred to as its “End Statements
<http://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/
Board_of_Education/BOE_end_Statements_13Apr09.pdf>,” speaks to students acquiring the knowledge and abilities to be responsible citizens who contribute to our society. It also explains in greater detail the elements of this vision including critical thinking, ethical decision making, the application of knowledge, demonstrating leadership and more. Students who graduate with these skills are well prepared for the 21st century work-force and for whatever the future holds.

Another key responsibility of the Board is the monitoring of student achievement and the approval of changes in the academic program. A couple of common measures used to indicate student proficiency are CSAP and ACT exams. We can proudly state that our students on CSAP exams not only exceeded the state average in every grade and every subject tested, but also led the Denver area in reading, writing and mathematics. The District also outpaced the state average on the ACT assessments, which measures how well students have mastered the state standards and is taken by all 11th grade students in the state.

In addition to these common measures, you can find additional measures related to student well-being, critical thinking, leadership and all the elements of the End Statements in the Monitoring Reports under the Learning Services
<http://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Learning_Services> page of the website. I believe DCSD is leading the state, if not the nation, in its innovative efforts and 21st century vision. The work the staff has accomplished in these areas is to be commended.

As the Interim Superintendent for Douglas County School District, it is essential I take this opportunity to impress upon you the importance and influence the Board of Education has on the future direction of the District. Please take a moment and familiarize yourself with the candidates. The Board of Education page of the District website contains an “About the Candidates <http://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD
/Board_of_Education/boecandidates.pdf> ” document that provides the websites for all the candidates. As a community, we have choices to make that will have long lasting impacts on the future of education in Douglas County.