I wish the newly elected board the best

s.

Declining enrollment and funding challenges have been the subject of discussion in the Long Range Accountability committee and so I am up to speed and can immediately begin helping to address these issues.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already widely used by students, teachers and administrators across BVSD. AI can be a powerful tool for good when applied appropriately and can help trained teachers achieve better results with reduced effort. However, it can also have a disturbing negative impact on instructional effectiveness. I am a data scientist with decades of experience and an AI researcher, user and manager working at the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research.

The school board needs to frequently revisit their policies related to the use of technology, including AI, computers, cell phones and chrome books so that we can ensure that technology is used effectively and appropriately.

Phil Weiser, Colorado’s Attorney General has provided some guidance as to how his office is handling this issues. You can read his remarks here. https://coag.gov/blog-post/attorney-general-phil-weiser-prepared-remarks-artificial-intelligence-symposium-9-30-2025/

You Can Count on Me!

In early August of 1984 I rode a bicycle to my 1st day of graduate school at the University of California, Berkeley. I completed my masters in Computer Science and then moved to Princeton University for my doctorate degree in Atmospheric Sciences. I completed a post doctorate at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction in Washington D.C. and then moved to the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory at Princeton, N.J. When I was offered a position here in Colorado at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in 2001, we moved to Louisville.

Since that day in 1984, I have accumulated more than 200,000 bicycle commuting miles including more than 4500 round trips between Louisville and NCAR. Colorado is beautiful and most of the time this makes for a energizing ride. However, on a January day with ice and winds gusting to 80 miles per hour, it takes a lot of persistence to get up the hill. .

What Do I Mean By School Safety?.

Student safety should be a priority. Safety means feeling safe both physically and emotionally. The Board already has a comprehensive district safety policy and BVSD strives to provide a safe environment for students. You can check out the BVSD website

Nevertheless, we should continue to improve our policy by ensuring that we are vigilant to changing circumstances. Although the Board is not allowed to directly intervene in a particular school, they have a responsibility to direct the superintendent to ensure that safety is a priority at every school and that principals and teachers are following those policies.

All students and their families should feel welcome, included and respected including students identifying as LGBTQ+.

Any form of bullying should not be tolerated.

Although we have many funding challenges, we should prioritize safety of our students.

While we must follow all federal and state law, Colorado state legislators have provided guidance to schools regarding protecting our students and families.

The Colorado State School Board has provided guidance and we should implement policies that protect our education community including those who might be undocumented.

Our Professional Staff Should Feel Supported.

Appropriate compensation for all our professional staff, including paraprofessional educators and substitutes, should be a priority for our Board. To the extent we can ensure that all our employees and contract workers are appropriately compensated we should do so. I believe that we need to explore all possible funding sources to supplement our budget. For an explanation of how schools are funded check out this article.

My vision for the future of education in Boulder Valley

We must create an inclusive, innovative educational environment that prioritizes student well-being, academic excellence, and community collaboration, ensuring every child has the opportunity to succeed..

How can the community get involved?

Community members can participate in school events, join committees, and provide feedback to help shape our educational policies and initiatives. Please feel free to contact me directly at [email protected].