Adam Slutzker

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Adam Slutzker

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 7, 2023

Education

Bachelor's

University of Colorado, Boulder, 2006

Graduate

University of Colorado, Denver, 2010

Personal

Birthplace

Burlington, Vt.

Profession

Project manager

Contact

Campaign website

Adam Slutzker ran for election to the Denver Board of Education to represent District 5 in Colorado. He lost in the general election on November 7, 2023.

Slutzker completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Adam Slutzker was born in Burlington, Vermont. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 2006 and a graduate degree from the University of Colorado, Denver in 2010. His career experience includes working as a project manager.

Elections

2023

See also: Denver Public Schools, Colorado, elections (2023)

General election

General election for Denver Public Schools Board of Education District 5

Marlene De La Rosa defeated incumbent Charmaine Lindsay and Adam Slutzker in the general election for Denver Public Schools Board of Education District 5 on November 7, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Marlene De La Rosa (Nonpartisan)	58.6	15,787
	Submit photo	Charmaine Lindsay (Nonpartisan)	25.1	6,750
		Adam Slutzker (Nonpartisan)	16.3	4,387

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 26,924
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Slutzker received the following endorsements.

• Everytown for Gun Safety

Pledges

Slutzker signed the following pledges.

• Everytown for Gun Safety

Campaign themes

2023

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Adam Slutzker completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Slutzker's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Adam Slutzker. I am a father of 3 school age children (3yrs, 6yrs, 8yrs). I have served the last 2 years as the chairperson of the Columbian Elementary Collaborative School Committee. I have lived in NW Denver since 2019 but have been a Denver resident since 2009. I have my Master's in Education (emphasis in elementary math and science) from UC-Denver and taught in Jefferson County elementary schools from 2010-2014. Since 2014 I have been self-employed as a realtor, carpenter and contractor and focused much of my time on being the primary parent as my wife attended graduate school and has continued work as a nurse practitioner.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Solving Our Declining Enrollment and Budget Issues
• Teacher and School Staff Recruitment & Retention
• Amending our School Choice Program

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

As a former teacher and parent of DPS students I am very passionate about our public school system and want to work to help our community overcome the issues we face now and in the future.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Being honest, communicative, empathetic and willing to work collaboratively to solve challenging problems.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am a passionate, practical, problem-solving optimist.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Always communicating effectively with schools and constituents.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Seeing quality educational opportunities at the elementary, middle and high school levels in all neighborhoods of the city while also setting a balanced budget up for our future.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I was a classroom teacher mainly in Jefferson County from 2009-2014.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, my personal favorite of the best series ever written.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Antihero - Taylor Swift

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Managing 3 children at home during the Covid-19 pandemic.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

To create meaningful policy guidelines to help guide the central office staff towards improving student learning outcomes across the district and auditing the work of the central office staff in trying to meet those executive guidelines.

Who are your constituents?

Students, families and school staff.

How would you support the diverse needs of your district’s students, faculty, staff, and community?

Always maintaining an open door for all constituents to have their voices heard.

How will you build relationships with members of the broader community? Which groups, organizations, stakeholders will you specifically target?

Working with the DCTA, central office and any non-profit education groups working to improve our school system.

What constitutes good teaching? How will you measure this? How will you support advanced teaching approaches?

Helping to make sure we are giving students the ability to be passionate learners, critical thinkers and problem solvers and teaching them the skills needed to find solutions to problems.

In what areas would you like to expand curriculum? For example, do you see a need for advanced technical training or apprenticeships? What sort of innovative programming would you advance if given the opportunity?

At the high school level I would love to see more real world apprenticeship and technical training opportunities,

What strategies or plans would you advance to ensure the schools are properly funded?

Working with out city/state legislators around legislation that would boost educational funding. I strongly support Prop HH in this November 2023 election.

What principles drive your policies for safety in schools?

We must fund and staff mental health and social services roles across the district.

How might you support the mental health needs of students/faculty/staff?

By allocating funding to recruit and retain mental health and social service roles across the district.

What existing district policies would you like to change, or what new policies would you like to implement?

I would like to see our school choice program changed to allow first options for lower income families and students with documented educational or social/emotional needs.

Describe your ideal learning environment for students.

Smaller classroom sizes and allowing teachers/administrators to cater their curriculum to the needs of their student population.

How do you feel like your school district handled the coronavirus pandemic? What, if anything, would you do differently in the future?

DPS handled the pandemic as well as they could through a very challenging time.

What will you do to build a relationship with parents in the district?

Maintain an open ear and be present with the 38 schools located in District 5 to make sure their needs are being addressed.

What are your preferred strategies for faculty, staff, and administration recruitment?

Making sure we are providing quality competitive wages, working to provide meaningful professional development opportunities and listening to staff input prior to implementing new policies that will directly impact their jobs.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Other survey responses

Ballotpedia identified the following surveys, interviews, and questionnaires Slutzker completed for other organizations. If you are aware of a link that should be added, email us.

• Chalkbeat Colorado
• Denver Gazette
• Chalkbeat Colorado
• Denver Gazette
• League of Women Voters
• Denver Gazette
• Chalkbeat Colorado

See also

2023 Elections

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Newsletters

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External links

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Candidate

Denver Public Schools Board of Education District 5

Website