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Republicans are poised to net another seat on the Colorado State Board of Education after last week’s election.
State elections returns on Monday show Republicans are leading the three contested races, including in the highly competitive Congressional District 8. In that race, the Republican candidate widened her lead, with conservative education group Ready Colorado already declaring victory. And a Democrat won in a fourth uncontested race.
The election won’t flip the majority, but if the results hold, Democratic Party members would hold a slimmer 5-to-4 majority on the board that helps set education standards and oversees accountability for the state’s education system.
More members on the board would also be friendlier to school choice, which would impact charter school appeals from the board. Conservatives would also have more say on upcoming health and science standards reviews.
Results show in Congressional District 8 that Republican Yazmin Navarro has a growing lead over Democratic incumbent Rhonda Solis. The two were separated by about 4,000 votes for most of Tuesday night and into Wednesday. Navarro has steadily run away from her opponent with a 16,000 vote lead.
In Congressional District 3, Republican Sherri Wright has a formidable lead that will likely propel her to a win over Democrat Ellen Angeles. Wright was recently appointed to fill the District 3 seat until January after former member Stephen Varela resigned last month.
Kristi Burton Brown, also a Republican, has a large lead and will likely beat Democrat Krista Holtzmann to represent Congressional District 4. Burton Brown will replace outgoing Republican board member Debora Scheffel.
And Democrat Kathy Gebhardt won election to represent District 2 over Libertarian Ethan Augreen, who mounted a write-in bid for the seat. Gebhardt will replace Democrat Angelika Schroeder.
State board members are elected for six-year terms and do not earn a salary.
The State Board of Education holds schools and school districts accountable for student test scores, hears appeals when school districts reject charter school applications, and sets standards for what students should learn and what schools should teach, among other duties.
Melanie Asmar is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Colorado. Contact Melanie at masmar@chalkbeat.org.
Jason Gonzales is a reporter covering higher education and the Colorado legislature. Chalkbeat Colorado partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage. Contact Jason at jgonzales@chalkbeat.org.
