Steve Spurling

On the Record

What experiences do you have that make you a good candidate for office?

I have been on the Board of Education since 2009 and have been the President since 2011. In that time we have had countless schools receive national recognition for excellence. The district also century received record high scores in parent satisfaction from the latest parent survey. In addition, I have a deep background in finance which helps with the many budget / finance issues that come before the Board.

What are your top three priorities if elected?

1. Continue to build and enhance our different curriculums and opportunities for students. 2. Continue to run our district in a financially responsible manner. This includes maintaining a healthy reserve fund and paying down debt. 3. Continue to be responsive to parent’s, student’s, and taxpayer’s concerns.

Would you support freezing your taxing district’s levy until housing prices rebound? Why or why not?

As a taxpayer I would love to freeze the district’s levy and give the taxpayer’s some much needed relief. As a Board member however I have to consider rising salaries, fuel costs, food prices, etc. Therefore, the only way to keep the levy flat is to start cutting programs in the schools and lowering the standard of excellence that our district is known for. For that reason, I cannot support freezing the levy indefinitely but would consider a short-term freeze.

What one decision by the school board do you most disagree with and why?

The one decision that I disagreed with was to go ahead with the Richmond Davis changes. A the time, I felt that we were rushing a major implementation and didn’t have a valid system of monitoring results. However, after seeing the results and seeing the great parental support over the last two years, I am glad that the Board approved the measure.

What was the biggest accomplishment of the board in the past year?

There have been many accomplishments including a very successful Summit 303 which garnered great feedback and insight from the community. The Board has also implemented a plan to air condition all of the schools which is long overdue.

Why should voters elect you to office?

I should be re-elected because I have served the Board well over the last four years and will continue to do so. The last four years have seen tough economic times, budget cuts, government uncertainty. Through it all, this Board has made difficult decisions. Every decision that I have made on the Board has been filtered through the effect on students, teachers, parents and taxpayers. As a taxpayer and parent of three District 303 students, I am able to take a holistic view of the district and what needs to happen to maintain a standard of excellence now and in the future. In addition, I have personally responded to almost every person that has called or emailed me to make sure that I fully understand the wishes and attitudes of the people that I represent.