Anderson, 63, is a father of two BVSD graduates and a data researcher at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), where he has worked since 2001. He has been involved in the district for more than two decades, serving on school and district accountability committees, charter school application review committees and a STEM scholarship selection committee. He has also volunteered as a science fair judge for 22 years. In 2022, the school board appointed him co-chair of the Long Range Advisory Committee, which was created to recommend strategies for addressing declining enrollment. He is running in the only contested BVSD school board race this year, against Deann Bucher.
Endorsements: Rocky Mountain Equality Action Fund
Answers to questionnaire
Motivations and qualifications: Why are you running for a BVSD board seat now, and what experience and qualifications make you prepared to serve?
I believe that public education is one of the most important aspects of a strong democracy and I am deeply committed to supporting it. BVSD is now faced with a perfect storm of challenges: decreasing enrollment in many parts of the district but increases in others; budgets that are already too small with threats of further reduction; impacts of rapidly evolving artificial intelligence tools that can undermine the success of traditional instructional methods. I am running for school board because I have unique experience and expertise that can help BVSD to overcome these challenges and continue to provide great education to all our students.
- Co-chair of BVSD’s Long Range Advisory Committee since its formation in 2022
- 15 years of experience on school and District Accountability Committees including serving as DAC chair
- World leading data assimilation scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric
- AI published researcher, manager and user
- Reviewer for Colorado Seal of Climate Literacy Certificate
- PhD in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences from Princeton University
Declining enrollment: Student enrollment across BVSD has been falling for years, with some schools projected to dip below 50% capacity by 2029. What would you do to address declining enrollment and its impact on schools, including the possibility of grade-level or school consolidations or boundary changes?
The BVSD board established a Long Range Advisory Committee (LRAC) in 2022 to develop recommendations to ensure sound long-term facility decisions including how to deal with declining enrollment. As co-chair of that committee, I have been actively involved in establishing BVSD’s current policies for addressing declining enrollment challenges. The policy adopted last year identifies elementary schools with insufficient enrollment to support an effective educational program. The policy engages the community and provides district support for schools that are facing enrollment challenges. The first school to be engaged by the policy was Heatherwood Elementary. I was involved in the process that led to Heatherwood adopting an Environmental STEAM focus with district resources to attract and retain students.
However, declines in enrollment during the next four years will require a broader, holistic response across BVSD schools. Boundary changes are not an effective solution due to open enrollment which I strongly support. I also strongly support efforts by municipal and county governments to develop affordable housing opportunities that would bring new students to BVSD, but this will take longer than four years to impact enrollment. In order to maintain a quality educational experience for all students, we will need to identify other actions, and these will likely include a limited number of grade-level and school consolidations and the possibility of relocating some non-neighborhood schools. In support of LRAC, BVSD staff have acquired and published comprehensive data on current enrollment and projected trends. I would use input from the community informed by that data to find solutions that continue excellent education for all students with the least disruption to our students and families.
Budget and taxes: BVSD spends significantly more per student than the state average, and more each year as enrollment declines. Meanwhile, homeowners are shouldering more of the cost as the district becomes increasingly locally funded (currently 95.8%). What would you do to balance student needs with fiscal responsibility? Should the district consider future tax measures (e.g., mill levy overrides or bonds)?
I am very thankful that BVSD taxpayers have consistently voted to support all funding opportunities for the district. My conversations with members of the BVSD community suggest that the majority still support generous funding. While their support has allowed BVSD to be above the state average, the district is still far below the national average for per student spending.
If elected, I would work hard to ensure continued strong funding of the district by supporting the maximum mill levy overrides and appropriate bond issues. It is important to remember that the voters have the last word on all of these opportunities. BVSD is very fortunate to have great partners like Impact on Education that make significant contributions to the district. While additional funding opportunities through grants and other mechanisms are very limited, I do have extensive experience in acquiring external funding and would apply that to make sure BVSD competes for any available resources.
Equity and student disparities: Hispanic students make up 22% of BVSD enrollment but account for 43% of suspensions and only 11% of gifted program placements. What would you do to address these disparities and ensure minority families feel confident the district is consistent in its handling of bullying and inequity?
Disproportionate discipline is a problem across the nation, the state and in BVSD. There is well-documented evidence that students from historically marginalized and vulnerable populations are consistently punished more harshly than their peers. Numerous studies have documented that harsh punishments like suspension or expulsion are ineffective, inappropriate, and lead to many negative long-term consequences, not only for the students disciplined but also for the broader school community. Excluding students from educational opportunities is not an appropriate solution except in limited cases of school safety concerns. The data is also very clear that these same populations are subject to more bullying and a lack of educational opportunities.
Student well-being and mental health: As of March 2025, 55% of schools nationwide reported increased staff concerns about students exhibiting symptoms of depression, anxiety and trauma. What should the district do to support students’ social-emotional health while maintaining strong academic expectations?
There is a long-term trend of educators reporting increasing concerns about student mental health. This trend was amplified by the pandemic and there is no sign of recovery. If our students are not feeling their best, their learning and success will be impacted. Many of our educators are also under stress and must deal with their own mental health challenges. Both students and staff need ready access to mental health services. For staff, we need to ensure that our health plans provide sufficient affordable mental health coverage. If our teachers and staff are struggling, it is difficult for them to support students.
We also need to ensure that teachers and staff continue to be trained to spot mental health concerns with students. Guaranteeing a sufficient number of counselors and other supports for students and families is essential. Making sure that students and families are aware of organizations that are available to help is also important. Information available for families about organizations like Rise Against Suicide, Rocky Mountain Equality, NAMI of Boulder County, Well Mind and CAT Boulder County should be readily available through schools.
Technology and AI: BVSD teachers are already using AI tools like MagicSchool to develop lessons and communications, but the district has no clear policy on transparency or risks. BVSD also launched its first year of a districtwide cell phone ban, with no formal impact evaluation. What should the district do to guide and evaluate the use of new technologies, and what sort of boundaries – if any – should the district set for AI in schools?
I have extensive experience with AI including as a published researcher, a manager, and a user. AI has already impacted almost all aspects of our lives, including education, and the rate of innovation is accelerating. Like many new technologies, AI can have powerful impacts for good, but it can also lead to significant harms if not carefully adopted. I believe that it is possible to craft policies that will allow our students and educators to master the appropriate use of AI while avoiding most of the undesirable impacts on the educational experience.
In particular, I think AI can make our teachers even more effective while allowing our students to learn more and prepare for future success. The district needs to frequently, perhaps annually, review its policies on the use of technology over the next four years. It also needs to carefully monitor the uses and impacts of AI on students, instructional staff, and administration across all schools.
The issues are extremely complex, but the BVSD community has broad expertise, and I would endorse establishing a committee to make recommendations on the proper use of AI and other technology. The cell phone ban provides an instructive example. There is clear evidence that cell phone use in schools can be disruptive and diminish the educational experience, but data about the impacts of bans are still limited. Ongoing study of the impacts of the ban in BVSD schools is necessary to assess whether any modifications to the policy would be appropriate in the coming years.