Photo Gallery
Photos from time on the Gwinnett Board of Education.
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ABOUT STEVE
Family-oriented.
Leader.
Man of Character.
Steve has been married 36 years to his college sweetheart, Shelley. They have four children, Kenny, Kelsea, Kyler and Kevin who all graduated North Gwinnett High School. The family settled in Gwinnett County in 1997 and he has declined several job opportunities when they would have required moving out of Gwinnett County.
He has spent a lot of his time traversing Gwinnett County to follow his children's athletic pursuits in baseball, volleyball, football and golf. Now that the kids are raised Steve wants to turn his attention to giving back to the Gwinnett community. Steve is a member of Good News Church in Sugar Hill.
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IMPORTANT ISSUES
Student Safety
The safety of our children is paramount. In 2020, a worldwide pandemic created a new “safety” concern. GCPS navigated this situation better than most, keeping our students in school and safe. While there are areas of concern the administration and teachers worked together to minimize the potential damage that Covid presented.
Gwinnett Board of Education has done a good job over the years at "hardening" our schools and I commit to making sure that stays true. Our GIVE schools communicate to those struggling in a traditional setting that we haven’t given up on them and have created an environment for success.
Teacher Support
One of GCPS’s core tenants is to support teaching and learning first and foremost. The vast majority of the budget is applied to the classroom. The focus today needs to be on reducing the average number of students per class to allow our teachers to do what they do best -prioritizing teaching and addressing the individual needs of students. Gwinnett county is blessed with a diverse student population, so we must seek to provide a multi-tiered approach and continuous improvement seeking better practices within a collaborative culture to increase learning achievement.
Community/Cluster Partnerships
Twenty-five years ago, GCPS adopted the cluster approach for our school district. This approach had the effect of building strong community support and cohesiveness within the connection of schools thus making a large system seem much smaller. It allows the cluster principals to customize their approach to meeting the needs of their specific school environments. The adoption of this approach for the families they serve has far reaching positive effects for our students and teachers. From fundraisers to mentoring opportunities the communities invest in student outcome and that connection leads many GCPS alum to come right back to re-invest as they build their families.
Pathways for Adult Success
Curriculum, Career and Tech, and Civics and Worldview.
Over the years GCPS has excelled at treating its students as individuals and offering many avenues to success beyond high school. Each cluster has the opportunity to pick pathways and academies that best fit their students’ needs. In turn students are able to successfully transfer to other clusters if the need arises due to various life circumstances. That has led to innovative ways to deal with over populated schools by opening Paul Duke STEM HS, McClure Health Sciences HS and the new Seckinger Cluster with its emphasis on Artificial Intelligence.
Curriculum
Pathways for Adult Success
Gwinnett has an ongoing review of the AKS (Academic Knowledge and Skills) which includes all state requirements, but also goes above and beyond. Our AKS, along with a solid process and assessment allows our students to perform at their highest level. This not only prepares them for success beyond GCPS, but it makes attending the college of their choice an even better possibility.
Career and Technical Education
Pathways for Adult Success
In addition to a robust curriculum, GCPS offers a healthy array of Pathways and Academies at the cluster level as well as Maxwell HS, which is committed to helping students prepare for and pursue internships and apprenticeships. CTE is as much of a vital part of the GCPS DNA as preparing students for college and beyond.
Civics and World View
Pathways for Adult Success
Education is about "how" to think, not "what" to think. To that end I believe we need some additional exposure to how our governance was established and the world view behind it. Giving our students the various world view options, for them to entertain personally, while they discuss what our founders designed would be a valuable exercise to understand many of the hot button issues of today.
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TESTIMONIALS
Dan Seckinger
former District 2 Gwinnett
Board of Education Member
"Knowing for some time that I would not be running again, I’ve worked diligently to find someone to run for the seat that I believe understands the significance of the role – and who is committed to maintaining a course that has not just proven to be the right course for students, but I believe has also made our school system one of the primary reasons that Gwinnett is such an incredible place to live, work, and play.
To that end, I’m delighted to say that Steve Knudsen, a twenty-year resident of the county will be running for the seat. Steve is a great guy: a man of integrity and high character – someone who is well-suited to step right in and be both a leader and a team-player."
Steve Edwards
past Mayor of Sugar Hill
"Steve Knudsen is a long time, solid Sugar Hillian. I am excited that he has decided to run for Gwinnett Board of Education. He will represent our city and District 2 well as he continues to seek excellence for the Gwinnett County School System."
Pastor Chuck Allen
Sugar Hill Church
"In a season of confusion and rage, Steve Knudsen is a voice of decency and common sense. Continuing to scream isn't the answer to our challenges, reason and resilience is. That's my friend, Steve Knudsen."
TAKE ACTION
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Donate Now
Send your check to:
Knudsen for Board of Education
5280 Regency Lake Court
Sugar Hill, GA 30518
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School Board Press Release
Get in Touch with Steve!
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