Copyright The Denver Post
Leadership of Denver Public Schools, the state’s largest K-12 district, hangs in the balance as Denverites finish voting Tuesday to decide who should fill four seats on the Board of Education. The seven-member board’s majority is at stake in the election, which has drawn about $1.8 million in campaign spending from political groups and teacher unions aiming to get their candidates elected. Three incumbents — Xóchitl Gaytán, Scott Esserman and Michelle Quattlebaum — are seeking to retain seats on the board, but only one, Gaytán, has earned an endorsement from the Denver Classroom Teachers Association. Union-backed candidates have controlled the board since 2019. Esserman, who currently holds an at-large seat, is running to replace Carrie Olson, who is term-limited, in District 3. Two candidates — Alex Magaña and Amy Klein Molk — are vying for the at-large seat, which represents the entire city on the school board. Denver Families Action, a political group with charter school ties, is hoping to complete its flip of the school board, which it began in 2023 when candidates endorsed by the organization won three seats and ousted two incumbents. Denver Families Action is the main backer of an independent expenditure committee called Better Leaders, Stronger Schools, which has poured $1.1 million into the school board election. Last week, Mayor Mike Johnston endorsed Denver Families’ slate of candidates: Magaña, Mariana del Hierro, Caron Blanke and Timiya Jackson. “It appears the mayor and non-union forces are making another significant effort to gain a majority of the DPS board,” pollster Floyd Ciruli said in an email. “Given the mayor’s significant bond campaign, he has clout at the moment. We may be headed for a change at DPS. What it will mean for policy and personnel is less clear.” The teachers union has also endorsed Molk, DJ Torres and Monica Hunter. DCTA has given candidates about $76,809 directly. Two independent expenditure committees backed by the Colorado Education Association have spent $433,954 on advertising in the DPS election, which has also drawn spending from local unions in other districts, such as Jeffco Public Schools. Whoever wins the election will help oversee DPS at a time the district is facing significant financial challenges, as K-12 enrollment falls and state and federal budgets are slashed. The financial pressures mean DPS might consider closing more schools because of low enrollment in the future, which school board members will have to vote on if Superintendent Alex Marrero makes such a recommendation. Directors will also have to decide whether to close any schools with poor academic performance, should Marrero recommend doing so under his new School Transformation Process policy. If the board’s majority flips Tuesday night, then Marrero’s leadership of the district could also be thrown into question. The superintendent has faced criticism from candidates and community organizations for not doing enough to improve academic outcomes or school safety. But a supermajority, which is five votes, is needed to fire Marrero without cause, per his contract.
