How long, and where have you lived in Boulder County?

My wife grew up in Colorado, went to Boulder High School and CU Boulder. After years of living on the east coast, my wife, kids and I moved back to Boulder in 2017.

What schools have you attended throughout life?

• B.A. Economics and Political Science, Minor in Education, UCLA, 1997

• Bilingual and Multicultural Teaching Credential, California State University, 2001

• M.A. Public Policy and Education, Harvard University, 2003

• School Administrator Credential, Harvard University, 2003

What additional training or education have you received relevant to the Boulder County School Board?

• Founder, Baseline Strategies, Consulting practice focused on federal and state education policy, 2017-Present

• Legislative Director and Senior Advisor on Education, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada), 2004-2017

• Master’s in Public Policy and Education, Harvard University, 2003

• School Principal Practicum, Title I K-5 Elementary School, Boston Public Schools, 2002-2003

• Elementary School Teacher (4th/5th), Title I K-5 Elementary School, Compton (CA) Unified School District, 1998-2002

• National Disney Elementary School Teacher of the Year, 2001

• Assistant Teacher, Spanish and Outdoor Education, Crossroads School (CA), 1997-1998

List the Boulder County boards, civic or volunteer activities in which you have been involved and the dates of service.

• Appointed to the Boulder Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, 2020-Present

• Member, School Accountability Committee, Creekside Elementary School, 2019-Present (Chair in 2020-21, Vice Chair in 2021-22)

• Volunteer, Creekside Elementary School, 2019-Present

• Volunteer, Jarrow Montessori School, 2017-2019

Why do you want to hold the office for which you are running?

It is a critical time in education, both nationally and here in BVSD, where we face a number of difficult issues - including declining enrollment and budget cuts. And, with four of the seven seats on the board open this November, it is important that we elect board members who have experience and are prepared to deal with these challenges. I have spent more than twenty-five years working in education - as a fourth and fifth grade teacher in Compton, CA; as a school administrator at a school serving students with special needs in the Boston Public Schools; as the education advisor to the former U.S. Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid (D-NV); as a parent of two - soon to be three kids - in BVSD schools; and as an involved and active volunteer at our neighborhood school and member and former chair of our school’s School Accountability Committee. I am running for School Board to help ensure that BVSD remains a welcoming, inclusive, and supportive district for all kids and staff. And, with my experience at all levels of education, I am prepared and ready to protect what makes BVSD great and help make our district even better.

Will you be able to meet the time commitments of the office? Yes

Do you support following Public Health guidelines for child safety like vaccinations? If you don’t then what are your reasons and alternatives?

Yes, I strongly support following the guidance and expertise of public health officials.

How would you promote diversity among staff in BVSD, and what is the best way to bring more inclusion and responsible diversity into the schools?

As a former elementary teacher and administrator, I worked to ensure that classrooms, curriculum, libraries and our school’s environment were inclusive and welcoming for all students. As I did in my own classroom and school, for all grade levels there are age-appropriate ways to promote and include a broad understanding of history and literature. As a parent and regular volunteer in my kids’ classrooms, I believe our school - and BVSD as a district - does a good job at building and supporting the types of environments where all students feel welcome, represented, and seen. Additionally, ensuring that our teaching and administrative staff reflects the diversity of our students is essential. The district should continue to prioritize building on the current efforts to attract and retain a more diverse teaching staff.

Briefly, how does your belief system align with BVSD’s Strategic Plan?

I strongly support continuing to prioritize and build on the work the district has done, through our Strategic Plan, to help close achievement gaps. The differentiated funding provided to schools over the past few years has helped some of our lower-performing students and schools make real improvement. Should I be elected to the school board, I will want to make sure we find ways to continue this targeted approach. We also must continue to focus on ensuring instruction and curriculum are, as our Strategic Plan describes, “challenging, engaging, and relevant.” My experience as a former teacher and administrator has shown me that there is nothing more important than raising the bar for all students and making sure all students are challenged and engaged.

The mountain schools in BVSD are different from the other schools within the district. How will you become familiar with them, and how will you best support them so they can thrive in their own environments?

As a candidate, I have worked to meet with parents or parent leaders from each of the 56 schools in the district (as of today, I am at 43!) - including our mountain communities. I have visited and met with parents and school leaders from Nederland and Gold Hill, and plan to visit Jamestown in the coming weeks. These visits and conversations have really helped me develop a better understanding of each school community and the unique issues and challenges facing each school. For the mountain communities, I think we all benefit from having such special schools as part of our district and believe there are many lessons we can take from these schools - how they creatively approach smaller student numbers, limited resources, and different opportunities for their students. Should I be elected to the school board, the knowledge and the relationships I have formed with the mountain schools and communities, will help me be a more thoughtful and responsive board member - and I will work to continue this outreach and engagement throughout my service on the board.

If you could ask all of the candidates one question, what would it be?

The campaign has been almost a full-time job for candidates. Win or lose, what is the first thing you are going to do after the campaign is over?

For additional information, email Jason at jasonforbvsd@gmail.com