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

I have lived in Gilpin county since January 2016. Previous to that, I lived in Coal Creek Canyon in Jefferson county starting in 2010. We have a middle school student in attendance currently who started in the Montessori program as a kindergartener. We have a toddler who we plan to enroll in the same program when he is eligible next year.

What schools have you attended throughout life?

I am a first generation college graduate who is a proud Cardinal or graduate of Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.

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

I have been working since my post-graduate days in higher education technology. Much like my climb as a first generation college graduate, I started at the beginning in entry-level big data, programming large complex applications and analysis, to land as a leader at a renowned university in this space, responsible for a multimillion dollar budget and team that runs academic technologies for over 30,000 students plus faculty and staff. I have done this work for over 20 years with many accolades in terms of budget efficiency and equitable access to education outcomes for all.

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

I started my service work as an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher in Venezuela in the late 90s and continued that work with the United Way in Washington DC. I have served as

an election delegate representing Gilpin County at the state caucus in 2016. I served as a Board member for NelNet while working at a local university, which is an educational financial servicer. I briefly served on the Eagle’s Nest board locally. I am currently serving as a member of several equity in technology associations within my current University. I am the founder of my high school alma mater chapter of Black women identified alumnae.

What is your position on teacher salaries and what will you do to help them be competitive so that it attracts quality talent to educate our children intellectually, physically, and socially to be resilient citizens in the 21st century?

I believe teacher salaries are abysmally low in Colorado and should be examined in terms of attracting quality talent that may reside outside of our district and face the long and occasionally hazardous commute. I’d like to work with current, experienced board members on grant opportunities to attract talent, the current administrative salary budget vs. teacher wage and raising other less cost intrusive benefits as related to having quality, better paid substitutes at the ready. The latter opportunity increases professional development opportunities for our teachers which keeps them ahead of the curve on educational trends that better serve this generation based on required technical competencies and emotional health.

How would you improve the way that emergencies like the swatting event are handled by the school and the administration?

The primary answer here is funding and maintaining better wireless based communication strategies and fail over for each communication pathway in the event one or more application/system is down. Along with this answer, we need better transparency for our teachers as part of procedural practice and guidelines in these events.

That all said, the best answer in terms of potential real community threats is to create a culture of trust between students, their teachers and administrators so that students who may need help are given such help and prevention before issues related to mental health struggles escalate to avoidable tragedy. We have a small enough community that I believe this can be accomplished if it is set and funded as a strategic goal.

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

I support public health guidelines and the science from which they are derived. I also support individual decisions that work best for each family.

Do you support banning books in the school library and if so which books?

I do not support limitations on educational material access. I believe that our educators are equipped to teach the evolving canon and that with continued professional development opportunities, they will continue to be so equipped. It is okay that some families may oppose certain learning experiences and it’s a great opportunity to enjoy healthy discussions at home.

Did you support or oppose the RE-1 mill levy increase ballot initiative in 20xx and give reasons for your position?

I believe this question is in regards to the Mill Levy increase for Parks and Rec and I’m currently undecided on my support or lack thereof. I am continuing my research on the unanticipated surplus of casino revenue and its planned application by our county commissioners and officials. While any such surplus isn’t sustainable, as a Mill Levy would be, I can’t make a near term, fiscally responsible, educated decision until that is clear. However, I very much support the invaluable programming of our local community center in regards to our children, as we have little else, and should my continued research yield it is required in the coming fiscal year and beyond, I will support it.

Gilpin County government pays half of the School Resource Officers (SRO) salary from the general fund account. Do you think this is a fair arrangement? How do taxpayers in RE-2 who pay into the general fund benefit from this expenditure?

I think it is fair. We have a substantial enrollment from RE-2 and I suspect will receive some more enrollment from such and potentially Coal Creek Canyon K-8 with its closure and we all benefit from the very staid, equitable and protective presence in our particular school regarding our SRO presence. However, I don’t think anything is off the table in reviewing and revising, where it makes

sense, the school’s administrative and infrastructure budget for efficiency.

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

1. To be a part of the process, using my higher education tech expertise and budget management, to increase access to rich education pathways and opportunities for our students and teachers alike; this includes letting educators educate without advocacy for any political or partisan agenda.

I believe this will improve both enrollment and retention of students and teachers for our greatest county resource: Gilpin County School.

2. To improve the safety outcomes for our students, teachers and administration through light touch modernization efforts

3. Increased fiscal transparency through easy and light touch modernization efforts related to documentation

Will you be able to meet the time requirements of the office?

Yes.

How would you promote diversity in the school?

An individual can’t promote diversity alone; it has to be an institutional effort with recognition that diversity has many meanings. The first thing I would want to understand is what efforts related to such are underway; what’s the strategic commitment to these efforts? Once that is established, regular programming related to such should be established. As this community is rich in socio-economic diversity, but may lack otherwise, outreach programs into other school districts in partnership would be a great place to start. These partnerships expose our students, teachers and administrators to the broader society we have to prepare our children for which exists outside of our little community.

Are you committed to a secular approach to education, supporting education based on science, not religion, and on a progressive reading of history, i.e. that the story of our past is both glorious and horrible with neither left out?

As a mixed race American woman, these stories on all sides are a part of my fundamental journey and personal history. I could not be ethically true to myself if I did not support this

approach to education. It also supports the most important skill our children need from any education: the ability to independently and critically think.

To your knowledge, what is the role of the Board and school administration in terms of setting curriculum standards for our students?

The program of instruction should be grounded in evidence based, best practice and agreed to in collaboration as recommended by educators to the Board and School administration.

For additional information email Rana Silver at ranansilver@gmail.com