Watch: Denver school board election candidates debate

Denver Public Schools’ logo, with “Discover a World of Opportunity” imprinted on glass.
Four seats on the seven-member Denver school board are up for election on Nov. 4. (Melanie Asmar / Chalkbeat)

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All 11 candidates vying for seats on the Denver school board discussed school closures, how Denver Public Schools has responded to the Trump administration, Superintendent Alex Marrero’s performance, and more in a series of debates at Regis University Tuesday.

The debates were co-hosted by Chalkbeat Colorado, CBS Colorado, and Educate Denver.

Four seats on the seven-member Denver school board are up for grabs on Nov. 4.

The debate for an at-large seat on the school board representing the entire city featured candidates Alex Magaña and Amy Klein Molk. That debate leads off the video below.

The debate for a seat representing northeast Denver’s District 4 featured candidates Jeremy Harris, Michelle Quattlebaum, Monica Hunter, and Timiya Jackson. That debate begins at about the 50-minute mark in the video.

The debate for a seat representing central-east Denver’s District 3 featured candidates Caron Blanke, DJ Torres, and Scott Esserman. That debate begins at about the 1:28 mark.

The debate for a seat representing southwest Denver’s District 2 featured candidates Mariana del Hierro and Xóchitl “Sochi” Gaytán. That debate begins at the 1:59 mark.

Watch the debates below.

Melanie Asmar is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Colorado. Contact Melanie at masmar@chalkbeat.org.

The Latest

The move will affect roughly 500,000 students who will be expected to log on virtually.

According to Saturday’s social media post, the district will continue to monitor weather conditions to see if additional cancellations are needed.

The family of Luis Garcia, a 16-year-old student who was shot and killed outside East, agreed to drop its appeal of a wrongful death lawsuit against Denver Public Schools, court documents show.

If weather requires schools to stay closed after Monday, students will learn remotely.

Superintendent Alex Marrero had originally recommended that the board vote no.

In his snow-day update, Mayor Mamdani confirmed that Monday will either be in-person or remote learning. He’ll make the decision by noon on Sunday.