Article Contributed on: 9/24/2007 10:26:33 AM
Ryan Stuart is running in District A for the Douglas County School Board.
My name: Ryan Stuart
My age: 29
My family: I am married to
Amy and have two children: a son who just started attending a Douglas County school and a daughter born in June.
Education: I have a Bachelor's Degree from Stanford, a Master's in Education Policy from Harvard, and a law degree from Georgetown.
What I do: I am an attorney.
My favorite place in town to hang out: Civic Green Park. I love to watch my son play in the river and fountains.
What I like most about living here: It's hard to pick one thing. I love the weather, the mountains, the parks and recreational opportunities, and the schools.
My interests and hobbies: I love to ski and scuba dive. More than anything, though, I enjoy spending time with my family.
My favorite thing to cook: Anything on the grill. As my wife will attest, I'm not so great in the kitchen!
People who inspired me (and how): My High School government teacher inspired my interest in public policy and serving my community; my father inspired me to be a dedicated father; my mother inspired me to be compassionate; and my wife inspires me every day.
How I have contributed to the community: I am an elected director on the Highlands Ranch Metropolitan District, the local government in Highlands Ranch. I worked hard last year to pass the consolidation initiative which made government operate more efficiently, saved taxpayers money, and resulted in a tax cut. While I have served on the board, we have built parks, including Civic Green Park, begun plans for a Veterans Monument and a new regional park near Santa Fe and C-470, and maintained the parks and open space in Highlands Ranch. As a Deputy District Attorney, I prosecuted criminals. And as an attorney in private practice I have devoted more than 50 hours of pro-bono legal services each year, specifically helping victims of domestic violence and child abuse.
The biggest issues facing the school district now: I see two major issues facing the district. The first is how we handle growth; ensuring that we are properly planning for the future. The second is how we can avoid complacency. It is easy to say "we are the best school district in the state," and simply stop looking for even better ways of educating our students.
Why I am running: My son is just starting school, and I want to make sure that the schools in this county aren't just the best in the state, but that they are the very best they can be. I believe in having high standards, holding schools accountable for meeting those standards, and giving schools the flexibility they need to meet them. One lesson I took away from my studies of education policy is that the one factor that has the greatest impact on student performance is the quality of the teacher in the classroom. I am running for the school board, in part, to improve the way we pay teachers, so that we can recruit the very best students out of college, encourage the best teachers from other districts to teach in our county, and retain the best teachers we already have teaching here.
You can learn more about Ryan at www.ryanstuart.com