Denver school board candidates answer 8 questions about their priorities

Young students work at school desks.
Denver Public Schools serves about 90,000 students. Four seats on the seven-member school board are up for election Nov. 2. (Kevin J. Beaty / Denverite)

Twelve candidates are vying for four open seats on the Denver school board.

Denver Public Schools is Colorado’s largest school district, serving about 90,000 students. The winners of the election will oversee a new superintendent, craft a strategic plan, and grapple with several long-simmering issues, including declining enrollment and continued disagreement over the role of independent charter schools and semi-autonomous innovation schools.

The Denver school board has seven members — five regional and two at-large. All Denver voters can vote for the at-large seats, but only residents of that region can vote for the regional seats. This year, one at-large seat and three regional seats are up for grabs.

Five candidates are vying for the at-large seat. Two candidates are competing to represent District 2 in southwest Denver. The District 3 race in central-east Denver also has two candidates. The District 4 race in northeast Denver has four candidates, one of whom, Andrea Mosby, has withdrawn, though her name will still appear on the ballot.

The Denver Classroom Teachers Association has endorsed four candidates: Scott Esserman for the at-large seat, Xóchitl “Sochi” Gaytán in District 2, current board President Carrie Olson in District 3, and Michelle Quattlebaum in District 4. Olson is the only incumbent in the election.

Meanwhile, the education reform advocacy group Stand for Children Colorado has endorsed Vernon Jones Jr. for the at-large seat, Karolina Villagrana in District 2, and Olson in District 3. Stand has not yet endorsed a candidate for the District 4 seat.

Another education advocacy group, TEN Collective Impact, endorsed Jones for the at-large seat, Villagrana in District 2, and Gene Fashaw in District 4. It did not endorse a candidate in District 3. TEN co-founder Nicholas Martinez is married to Villagrana, who said TEN’s endorsements were made by Denver parents involved in the organization, not its staff.

To help voters weigh the candidates, Chalkbeat sent the same set of questions to each one. Below are their answers. We’ve edited them lightly for clarity.

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The union filed a grievance with the school district over potential paycheck errors for members. It is also asking the newly-seated school board to use its power to help settle protracted contract talks.

The legislation would provide 20 days of paid parental leave for teachers under certain conditions and raise their minimum pay to $45,000. The latter proposal would cost around $14 million.

The Detroit school district is hoping its new incentive program will motivate students to attend school daily and improve its 66% chronic absenteeism rate.

Emma Humphries of iCivics says students can learn about American history, the role of the presidency, and the persistence of democracy, even in a divided nation.

State Superintendent Tony Sanders’ budget proposal for fiscal year 2026 includes $350 million for K-12 schools and $75 million for early childhood education. His overall ask would increase the state’s education budget by $497 million to $11.4 billion.

Mayor Brandon Johnson is yet to appoint the board’s final, 21st member.