Voter guide: Cherry Creek school board candidates answer 6 questions about their priorities

A photograph of a green locker with a combination lock.
Voters in the Cherry Creek School District will elect two school board members on Nov. 4. (Stacey Rupolo for Chalkbeat)

Four candidates are seeking two open seats on the Cherry Creek School District board this year.

Candidates Terry Bates and Amanda Thayer are running for the District D seat representing the area that includes Buffalo Trail Elementary School, Cherokee Trail High School, and Legacy Stadium. The district is currently represented by Kelly Bates, who can’t run for reelection due to term limits. Candidate Terry Bates is married to Kelly Bates.

In District E, candidates Mike Hamrick and Tatyana Sturm are running to represent the area that encompasses Rolling Hills Elementary, Grandview High School, and the Cherry Creek Innovation Campus. The district is currently represented by Kristin Allan, who is not running for a second term.

The local teachers union, the Cherry Creek Education Association, has endorsed Bates and Hamrick.

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

This voter guide was produced by The Aurora Sentinel in collaboration with Chalkbeat Colorado.

The Latest

This free printable resource is available in English and Spanish. Chalkbeat Chicago is also looking for submissions from CPS students on what issue they want the new school board to tackle.

The University of Colorado System agreed to a contract with OpenAI’s ChatGPT Edu this year. Now, the University of Colorado Denver has opened an AI Hub that aims to help students and faculty understand its responsible use on campus.

What Jefferson County voters need to know about two tax increases to benefit Jeffco Public Schools on the Nov. 3 ballot.

Chalkbeat Chicago wants to see the campaign material that Chicagoans have received during the 2026 school board election season.

What Denver voters need to know about a $44 million tax increase on the Nov. 3 ballot to benefit Denver’s public schools.

The district’s Office of the Inspector General closed an inquiry into an almost decade-old allegation that the Chicago Teachers Union-backed candidate made inappropriate comments to a former CPS student.