Voter guide: 2025 Denver school board candidates answer 6 questions

A Denver Public Schools school bus is parked with a little bit of a blue sky showing in the background.
Four seats on the seven-member Denver school board are up for election on Nov. 4. (Melanie Asmar/Chalkbeat)

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Voters will choose four Denver school board members on Nov. 4.

Eleven candidates are running for four seats. Denver Public Schools is the largest school district in the state, and the election comes at a key time. DPS is facing declining enrollment, threats from the Trump administration, and pressure to raise student achievement.

Political control of the seven-member school board is at stake. Board members backed by the Denver teachers union currently hold a majority, but the election could change that.

The Denver Classroom Teachers Association has endorsed candidates Amy Klein Molk, Monica Hunter, Donald “DJ” Torres, and incumbent Xóchitl Gaytán.

Denver Families Action, an advocacy organization with ties to charter schools, has endorsed candidates Alex Magaña, Timiya Jackson, Caron Blanke, and Mariana del Hierro.

Three other candidates — incumbents Scott Esserman and Michelle Quattlebaum and newcomer Jeremy Harris — were not endorsed by either organization.

To help voters make their decisions, Chalkbeat sent all of the candidates the same set of questions. Their answers are below.

Note: Former candidate Deborah Sims Fard dropped out of the race, but her name will still appear on the ballot. Votes for Sims Fard won’t be counted.

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

The Latest

Board Vice President Monica Hunter has been accused of allegedly using antisemitic language and member DJ Torres has been accused of missing multiple meetings, among other allegations.

Cornett was removed from the ballot in August after not meeting requirements to run as a Democrat. Now, she’s back on the ballot but without a political affiliation.

The Colorado Department of Education and district officials surprised finalists in their classrooms as part of the annual Colorado Teacher of the Year program.

Superintendent Aleesia Johnson said the district will switch to PowerSchool for families’ application, enrollment, and registration needs.

10 school districts in the county have school board seats up for election. Read our voter guides for candidates’ responses to our surveys in partnership with WFYI and Mirror Indy.

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