Questions:
1) With the reality of cutting about $70 million over two years from the budget, where should the district make cuts or look for efficiencies?
2) What are your top two or three priorities as a board member?
3) How do you rate the current board’s ability to work as a team on a scale of 1-10, and what quality will you bring to the mix as a team player?
4) If necessary, will you support additional school closings in the district? Explain.
Lesley Dahlkemper
Age: 44
Occupation: President, Schoolhouse Communications
Address: 12854 W. Harvard Drive, Lakewood, CO 80228
Contact: 303-987-1535 or ldahlkemper@comcast.net, (www.dahlkemper
forjeffcoschools.com).
Background: As a small business owner, I know successful schools prepare our future workforce and keep property values strong. I lead a national award-winning communications firm and was a former education reporter for Colorado Public Radio. I live in Lakewood with my husband, Mike Feeley, and daughter Grace, a Jeffco third-grader
1) Everything must be on the table. I will be one person on a five-member board that will collectively weigh the pros and cons of each budget decision, actively seek community input, look at best practices elsewhere, listen to the advice of staff and provide leadership to make difficult decisions.
2) 1. Ensure students receive a challenging, well-rounded education that prepares them for tomorrow’s jobs,
careers and college.
2. Make every school in Jeffco a top choice for students — whether it’s a neighborhood, charter or option school.
3. Involve our community — tough economic times make community involvement even more critical.
4. Leverage taxpayer dollars effectively.
3) 3. Our school board needs proven leaders to work collaboratively with stakeholders to find solutions to difficult issues. I offer extensive experience in the private sector leading discussions to find common ground. I also have served in leadership positions on national and local boards. Our board must focus on how its work helps Jeffco students achieve success — not infighting or personal agendas.
4) In this budget climate, the board must consider everything — including school closures. No one wants to close schools, but I won’t shy away from tough decisions as long as those decisions are right for Jeffco kids. Any decisions made by the board must be grounded in data analysis, lots of parent/community input and strategic decision-making.
Jim Powers
Age: 44
Occupation: Architect
Address: 12081 W. Alameda Parkway, No. 409, Lakewood, CO 80228
Contact: Info@JimPowersforJeffcoSchools.com
Background: I am a dad with four children from ages 2 to 10. I spent all of my school years in public schools. I am a successful business owner who operates an architectural firm that I founded in 1999.
1) Tough economic times call for more innovative solutions to Jeffco’s expense reductions. The district needs to engage stakeholders to view spending with new ideas that can save money without impacting the academic performance of students. In addition to gathering community feedback, we should ask the front line staff; bus drivers, teachers, principals and others for their thoughts and look at all overhead for reductions to assure we spend as much of what we have as possible on what directly impacts students.
2) 1. Set meaningful and measurable objectives to improve student achievement
2. Balance Jeffco’s budget while maintaining high academic standards for students
3. Support neighborhood and charter schools, option schools and innovative public schools to assure parental school choice
3) I rate the current school board with a 3. As an architect, I am practiced at orchestrating agreements between project participants. I do this by listening to all sides and recommending solutions that address the concerns of the client as well as the builder. As a board member I will seek to resolve conflict collaboratively and creatively through clear, honest communication, careful listening, openness to new information and ideas, and respect for others.
4) School closings impact students, their families neighborhoods and property values. There are costs to relocate students, build new facilities, and add on to existing facilities. I don’t support the current plan that closes 10 elementary schools, limits choice and costs $500 million to implement. I would not make such an important decision without thoughtful consideration of these issues.