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Three seats on Colorado’s nine-member State Board of Education are up for election on Nov. 3. Democrats currently hold a slim majority on the partisan board.
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.
The board also sets statewide rules, and is currently in the midst of deciding how and when public funding should pay for enrichment programs for homeschooled students.
Board members are elected for six-year terms. They do not earn a salary.
One board member at large represents the entire state. The other eight members represent Colorado’s eight congressional districts. The seats representing Congressional Districts 1, 3, and 7 are up for election this year. All three races feature incumbents.
We asked the candidates about school safety, standardized tests, whether they support changing state tax rules to raise more money for education, and more.
Read their answers below. Some answers have been trimmed for length.
Melanie Asmar is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Colorado. Contact Melanie at masmar@chalkbeat.org.
