Steve Barton

Steve Barton earned a high school diploma from El Cerrito High School in 1970. He earned a graduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1975, a law degree from Brigham Young University in 1994, and an M.D. from St. Georges University in 2007. His career experience includes working as an attorney at law.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am not a professional politician; I am a Christian and concerned citizen.

My first career was as an electronic engineer and computer architect designing processor ICs, and my second is as a patent attorney representing high tech companies to the US patent office.

I have a BA in Biophysics and an MS in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of California, a Juris Doctor degree from Brigham Young University, a Doctor of Medicine and a Masters of Business from St Georges University, Grenada, West indies. I also have attended many other schools in Colorado, Arizona, and California including the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Pikes Peak Community College, and Pueblo Community College. In summary, my background is heavy on Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Medicine (STEM-M).

I got into this race to try to improve the Colorado educational system and to arrest growth of some stupid policies being promulgated in some states.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Parents and parental rights need to be respected in all schools. Parents should be considered key stakeholders in curriculum and textbook selection. Parents must kept in the loop when their kids have difficulties in school. Parents must never be surprised to find their kid is "socially transitioning" in school without their consent. Parents should be allowed to observe instruction or other school activities.

We also need to protect parental and childhood privacy by eliminating the dossiers on all students now collected by the Department of Education that reports to the boardImprove Math and Science education by requiring new teachers have math-based physical science and basic business courses before licensure. Teachers should use examples from stoichiometry through current-voltage-resistance calculations to vector sums of wind and airspeed, together with profit/loss and tax computations in teaching math so students can see that math has real use in science and business. Update science and math education from Aristotle to the scientific revolution of the 16th-17th centuries! Textbooks also need updating to accompany this.

Since many teachers lack the background for this, bring outsiders like engineers, business people, veterans, and lawyers into classrooms to help teach both students and teachers.Boot the boys from girl's sports, as anyone who has ever experienced male puberty has advantages in strength, size, and speed over the XX population. Girl's sports should not be a place for failed boy athletes to make phony "girl's" records or to take wins from deserving girls.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am very concerned about voter fraud and financial fraud, graft, and corruption throughout the political system. There are far too many dishonest folk making a living off of us taxpayers. Much of this is, however, not in the control of the State Board of Education.

I get angry each time I hear of medicaid fraud, welfare fraud, campaign kickbacks to politicians awarding contracts, "pay to play", benefits paid to the dead, mail ballots sent to dorm rooms for those who moved years ago, votes cast without identification, overpriced cost-plus contracts, insider trading, etc.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Jesus

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty and commitment to put the people of Colorado above oneself.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To propose, and review proposed rules and regulations, to enhance the education of Colorado students, and to allocate funds fairly among school districts.

What legacy would you like to leave?

A better world

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

TV repairman assistant, for about 6 months

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Age discrimination and foreign degree discrimination that, with a then undiscovered food allergy, kept me from an MD internship/residency program.

What responsibilities of this office do you personally consider the most important?

Revising rules in a common-sense way, and allocating funds fairly.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

The State Board runs the State Department of Education, expending about 1/3 of the state budget--mostly passed on to school districts and libraries statewide. This is the largest department of the State bureaucracy and it does NOT report to the governor!

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

I still seek some.

What was the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember?

Sputnik and several US launch attempts melting down in explosions on the pad and shown on TV.