Kent Clawson††Occupation: Assistant director of facilities, environmental health and safety at Colorado College, Colorado Springs††Education: A.A.S. in hazardous materials technology from Eastern Idaho Technical College; B.S. in resource development from Michigan State University††Residence: Stetson Hills††Children attending D 49 schools: Two, one attending Rocky Mountain Classical Academy and one attending Odyssey Elementary School
“We need to recognize that growth has given us a great opportunity to innovate,” said school board candidate Kent Clawson said. “Charter schools are part of that innovation.” Clawson said he would like to broaden school programs like charter schools and develop a transportation-based system, where kids can go to any school they want.Instead of duplicating an IB (International Baccalaureate) school in Falcon, Clawson said the system should allow for transporting students from Falcon to the current IB school. Through a transportation system, Evans Elementary students should be able to take part in the technology academy at the New Falcon High School, he said.”This allows us to have really specialized schools of excellence, instead of every school having a little bit of art and a little bit of science,” Clawson said. “Let’s have some really good programs, where, if it’s auto-body, let’s have the best auto-body mechanics we can turn out.”Clawson also favors a test for graduating seniors. “We have a test for anyone who drops out of high school and wants to get a general education diploma. The test could literally be the GED exam,” he said. “Why not have a test so that employers can know that people who graduate from Falcon school district know how to make change?””We have all the tools in place to be the premier district in the area, if not the state, if not the nation. We’ve got great teachers; we’ve got great resources; we’ve got great people wanting to bring about all these things. District 20 has had a lot of great success, but what have they innovated on lately? I think we’ve got all the tools in place to be better than D 20.”He said he credits his background in farming and his degrees in higher education for giving him the skills to work with a wide range of people, from plumbers to professors. “My biggest talent is I’ve learned to listen, and I can truly talk to almost everybody,” Clawson said. “Listening has opened my perspective to so many different things. When you understand what’s core to people, you can understand what they are trying to get. If you demean someone’s internal core value, you’ve lost the battle. You won’t get anymore dialog, and dialog is what wins.”I’ve got kids in the system, and I want a school district in which my four kids can rise to the level of success they are endowed with. I have an inherent, personal reason for the success of the district.”Dave Martin††Occupation: Real estate agent for Magnum Commercial Real Estate, Colorado Springs††Education: B.S. in social science from University of Southern Colorado††Residence: Stetson Hills††Children attending D 49 schools: One attending Sand Creek High School
“I think we’re headed in the right direction,” said Dave Martin, current school board member and president of the board. “Everybody says we’re not a rural district anymore and we’re becoming more of an urban district,” Martin said. “That is the case, but I want the district to have that rural feeling where parents and kids are comfortable in the community.”I know some folks have drawn lines in the sand saying that charter schools are bad for public education – that they take the money out of the classroom … the matter is the money follows the kids. We’re not going to have a charter school district here, but we are going to take advantage of charter schools to help relieve overcrowding. Quite frankly, you look at those schools, and they are full with waiting lists.”Martin said in the past the district had a “poor little me” attitude. But the attitude today is “throw it at us anyway you want to; we’re going to be the best,” he said. Martin also said the district is “millimeters away from overtaking D 20 academically.” He cited the district’s International Baccalaureate program as one reason for academic excellence. The school is now developing a special math and science curriculum as well, he said.Martin said D 49 has surpassed Harrison School District 2 in size this year. “We’re the third largest district,” he said.To accommodate future plans, Martin said he has been encouraging the long-range planning committee to look at a master plan of school locations, sizes and grade levels. “So, the next time we get a charter application, we can say ‘your application really doesn’t fit in that area’ or ‘it would be beneficial for us to have that because we don’t have anything planned in that area,'” he said.Martin also said he wants people to know that the board members get along well with each other. “We’ve agreed to disagree, and we’re professional about how we act,” he said. “All the board wants to do is encourage leadership in the district to think outside of the box.”I would like to develop a think tank in the district. I spoke to a group of new teachers this year, and I said ‘I want you to think of everything you’ve always been told you couldn’t do and see if it’s possible to think outside of the box. Let’s find a way to make it a very special place.'”Martin said he thinks the district could charter its own charter school. “I would bet that our public educators could do just as well, given those resources,” he said. “I’m a competitor. Let’s see.”One of the biggest problems the district had was when the previous superintendent laid off almost 30 teachers, Martin said. “We don’t want to see our teachers go. We want to make room for the good teachers to always stay and always have a place to teach,” he said. He said teacher layoffs this year were about 8 percent, compared to 20 percent last year.”When I look back in 20 years, I want to say, not that I did it, but that I made a difference,” Martin said. “Somehow, someway I made a difference in the way kids are being educated not just here in Falcon. I would love to do something really special that’s modeled across the nation. I’m one of those who believes that you’ve got to reach for the stars. You can’t just settle for what you have.”Promise Lee††Occupation: Pastor at Relevant Word Christian Cultural Center, Colorado Springs††Education: B.A. in urban ministries from Survine Bible College††Residence: Falcon††Children attending D 49 schools: Three attending Meridian Ranch Elementary school
“The district is growing extremely fast,” said Promise Lee, D 49 board candidate. “One of the concerns I have is that the mindset of the administration needs to be brought forward because Falcon can no longer be considered a rural school district. Therefore, the administration can no longer think with a rural mindset.”What I bring to the district is that I’m not the traditional school board member. My first concern is for children and preparing them to succeed and compete in our ever-changing society. Everything hinges upon that; everything else becomes secondary. I think that education is the responsibility of all people and with that said, that means land developers, that means businesses, parents, students, everything.”Lee said he’s a “proven leader and a bridge builder” – and a problem solver.”We really have to focus on a well-rounded curriculum, not just the 3 Rs, but also on character development,” he said.”We need to recognize that every child is not going to want to go to college. We need to offer opportunities for vocational education and prepare students to compete in a global society.”The current lottery system that allows certain students to participate in special programs is inadequate, he said. “A lottery means that only certain people will be allowed to participate in or take advantage of these programs,” Lee said. “I think those programs need to be offered throughout the district.”Lee said the district needs to address how it approached education or, he said, “It’s inevitable that charter schools will take over the district.” He said the district needs to “develop a fresh and a new mindset.”He also discussed minority students. “The curriculum has to be tailored … so that ethnic minorities not only feel welcome, but they also feel invited,” Lee said. “This is a place where the district really needs to grow in, because if you look at the representation of minority teachers across the board, I believe it is less than 1 percent in the district, and that is a problem.”Public schools are the anchor of education, he said. But other options should be available. “If the public school system does its job, there wouldn’t be a need for charter schools. We need to do better with what we have,” Lee said.”We are in a good position right now, but we need some leadership. If I felt the system wasn’t broken, I wouldn’t have entered into this race. If I thought things were going well, I would support the district from a parental standpoint. I see there are needs and challenges and things that need to be addressed. That’s why I’m a candidate.”Randall Brungardt††Occupation: Pastoral associate and director of religious education at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Colorado Springs††Education: B.A. in psychology, University of Northern Colorado††Residence: Falcon††Children attending D 49 schools: His children have attended Woodmen Hills and Meridian Ranch elementary schools, Falcon Middle School, and Falcon High School
Randall Brungardt, who currently serves on the D 49 board as the treasurer, was appointed in 2006 to replace Laine Gibson, who became the district’s chief financial officer.”I like being a board member because I love to work with kids,” Brungardt said. “I want to make sure we do what is best for the kids and their education. My big thing is to listen to the kids, to the staff, to the support staff, and to the community to find out what they need and want. That’s what I like to do, and I think I’m good at it.”Being a board member has been “a lot of work,” Brungardt said. “We do school visits … talk to different organizations … sit on district-wide committees.” Brungardt serves on the safety and calendar committees and also represents D 49 on the Pikes Peak Alliance committee, which comprises all school districts in the region.Brungardt said he thinks the district has overcome the negative image it acquired a few years ago. “Falcon is now seen as a good district. Everybody always looks at D 20 as being the best district in the area, and it’s not,” he said. “You have to look at what’s going on inside the buildings, not just what the buildings look like on the outside. What we are doing is pretty good and it’s pretty special.”One of the special projects the district is involved with is bringing Pikes Peak Community College to the high schools. Brungardt said the college will certify the teachers for certain courses, and the students taking those courses will receive college credit.”By the time they graduate as a senior from high school, they will have finished their first year of college. That’s all free because the district pays for it,” Brungardt said.”We are the third fastest growing district in the United States.” The district’s biggest challenge is handling that growth and providing the best education possible, he said. The district has the potential to become “the best district in not only in Colorado, but in the United States,” Brungardt said. “We’re getting there, and our scores have gone up. We’ve ranked way above the Colorado average already on all of our scores.”Brungardt credits the Falcon Community Builders for Classrooms for helping with growth. “Without the money that came from FCBC, there is no way we could have put on that second story of classrooms at Vista Ridge High School,” he said.He said he’s not a proponent of charter schools, but the board has to look at what they can do to help the district. Brungardt said he is concerned that some charter schools are only in business to make money. “If you look at a charter school, very rarely will you see them with the intense special education kids, or any of the special needs people, or problem kids,” he said.Brungardt has not put out any signs or sent mailings. “It’s time to get politics out of the school system,” he said.”I am not accepting any campaign contributions because I don’t want people who have given me a donation to come up and want favors. I think that’s wrong.”I want people to know me for who I am, not just a name on a sign. I am asking anybody who wants to give a contribution to give it instead to one of the schools in D 49 to get something they otherwise wouldn’t be able to get, or to give it towards the new Falcon stadium.”
