Darleen Daniels

This page was current at the end of the official's last term in office covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Darleen Daniels

Nonpartisan

Prior offices

Colorado Springs School District 11 Board of Education At-large

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Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 7, 2023

Education

Bachelor's

Louisiana State University, 1992

Personal

Birthplace

New Orleans, La.

Profession

Teacher

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

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Personal LinkedIn

Darleen Daniels was an at-large member of the Colorado Springs School District 11 school board. She assumed office on December 4, 2019. She left office on December 6, 2023.

Daniels ran for re-election for an at-large seat of the Colorado Springs School District 11 school board. She lost in the general election on November 7, 2023.

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

Biography

Darleen Daniels was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Daniels earned a bachelor's degree from Louisiana State University in 1992. Her career experience includes working as a teacher.

Elections

2023

See also: Colorado Springs School District 11, Colorado, elections (2023)

General election

General election for Colorado Springs School District 11 Board of Education At-large (4 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Colorado Springs School District 11 Board of Education At-large on November 7, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Jill Haffley (Nonpartisan)	12.9	27,055
✔		Thomas Carey (Nonpartisan)	12.9	27,016
✔		Parth Melpakam (Nonpartisan)	12.5	26,106
✔		Jason Jorgenson (Nonpartisan)	12.1	25,366
		Rachel Paul (Nonpartisan)	11.5	24,000
		Darleen Daniels (Nonpartisan)	11.0	23,008
	Submit photo	Kathryn Singh (Nonpartisan)	10.5	21,899
		Shay Dabney (Nonpartisan)	9.8	20,574
		Mary Coleman (Nonpartisan)	4.0	8,357
		Jeremiah Johnson (Nonpartisan)	2.8	5,828

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 209,209
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Endorsements

Daniels received the following endorsements.

• Academy District 20 Sch. Brd. Memb. Angel Givler
• Colorado Education Association
• Colorado Springs Education Association
• Everytown for Gun Safety
• Joseph Shelton (D) - Frmr. Colo. State Brd. of Ed. cand.

2019

See also: Colorado Springs School District 11, Colorado, elections (2019)

General election

General election for Colorado Springs School District 11 Board of Education At-large (4 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Colorado Springs School District 11 Board of Education At-large on November 5, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mary Coleman (Nonpartisan)	19.3	24,977
✔		Darleen Daniels (Nonpartisan)	16.3	21,045
✔		Parth Melpakam (Nonpartisan)	13.8	17,814
✔		Jason Jorgenson (Nonpartisan)	12.9	16,727
		Chris Wallis (Nonpartisan)	12.5	16,169
	Submit photo	Vincent Puzick (Nonpartisan)	10.0	12,944
		Joseph Shelton (Nonpartisan)	7.9	10,237
	Submit photo	Conner Sargent (Nonpartisan)	7.2	9,373

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 129,286
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2023

Darleen Daniels completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Daniels' 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.

I am a mother of 4 boys, wife, teacher, and current school board director. I have lived in Colorado Springs for the past 22 years, and I believe in building schools and communities that support all students.

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?

• Support students, parents, and the community
• Fully fund schools and teachers
• Restore reason, credibility and transparency to the D11 school board

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

School funding: Colorado's per-pupil spending is significantly lower than the national average for education. Due to Colorado's budget-balancing method, which sacrificed education funding, we have lost nearly $10 billion. I'll support initiatives that aim to stabilize the budget. Boards must support lawmakers who are trying to address the problems with education funding.

Access for all students: It's critical to implement district-level regulations that permit access for all children. Each student brings a different set of tools to class. Our pupils are entering the classroom prepared for success. Additionally, there are students who join schools without the resources they need to succeed.

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

A school board member's primary responsibilities include considering and approving policies, hiring and collaborating with the superintendent, and upholding an accurate and true curriculum. School boards frequently lose focus and start navigating national problems that have no bearing on the daily school experience of kids and teachers. A well-functioning school board should concentrate on formulating policies and working closely with the superintendent. I'll nudge this board to concentrate on what matters most.

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

Good teaching occurs in environments that encourage creativity and critical thinking. I will support teaching methods that ensure teachers and educators have what they need to be successful. Rather than restrict teachers, we need to trust and empower them to do the job they have been trained to do. Teachers need support at all levels, from professional development to higher investment in resources. We need to ask teachers what they need.

Describe your ideal learning environment for students.

The ideal learning environment for students is one in which they feel safe and ready to learn. School was my safe place, and that's how many community members see it too. Learning can only occur when a student's basic physical and emotional needs are met. The needs of students should be the most important priority for our school boards.

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 Daniels completed for other organizations. If you are aware of a link that should be added, email us.

• Colorado Springs Indy

2019

Darleen Daniels completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Daniels' 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.

I have a heart to see students succeed in public education. I have a heart for service to the Colorado Springs community especially after participating in the D11 Leadership Classes, District Accountability Committee, School Accountability Committee, and substitute teaching for two years.

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?

• A quality public education for all kids.
• The physical and emotional safety for all kids.
• Parent and community involvement in public education.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Public Education, safety, equity.

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

The most important characteristics for an elected official are servant leadership and empathy. The most important principles for an elected official are seek first to understand then be understood, model the behavior you would like to see, and seek community engagement.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Even though the author was a eugenicist, I still

Love this poem:


"This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.

I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community, and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can.

I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no "brief candle" for me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations."

George Bernard Shaw

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

My very first job was in college as a cafeteria assistant. I held the job for a semester.

What is your favorite book? Why?

My favorite book is usually the last book I've read which was Waking up White by Debbie Irving and

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

The primary job of a school board member in my view is working with school district superintendent, fellow board members and legislation.

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

I will continue building relationships with members of the broader community as a board member. I have participated in various trainings, volunteering, committees, and networking organizations in the Colorado Springs community at large. listed below. Each opportunity has developed and sharpened my skills for community engagement and leadership.

Board Member: Women to Women Mentoring
Board Member: Colorado Springs Black Chamber of Commerce
CO Founder: Thrive Colorado Springs
El Pomar Emerging Leaders Development Program 
El Pomar Black Advisory Council 
Graduate Class 2012: Leadership Pikes Peak Women Community Leadership Initiative 
(WCLI)
District 11 Accountability Committee
Sub Committee District Accountability Committee Accreditation
Sub Committee of DAC: School Accountability Committee Training
Co-Chair Martinez Elementary School Accountability Committee 
District 11 Special Education Advisory Council
Daylily Society
Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Icehouse Entrepreneurial Graduate 
Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Next Level Graduate
El Pomar Board Governance Training 
El Pomar Leadership Plenty Training
El Pomar College Readiness and Success Program, Ambassador 
UCCS Pre-Collegiate Development Program, Ambassador
Leadership Pikes Peak Women Community Leadership Initiative (WCLI) Steering Committee 
Step Up to Success Networking Group
Pueblo Business Women Networking Group
Diversity University Training
Business Network International (BNI) Member and Ambassador 
Rodan + Fields Consultant

Actor

Do you believe it is important to intentionally recruit with the aim of diversifying the district’s faculty, staff, and administration? If so, what would be your policy to achieve this?

I do believe it is important to intentionally recruit with the aim of diversifying the district's faculty, staff, and administration. I would continue supporting the ongoing and consistent policy efforts for intentionally recruiting across the nation for District 11 in Colorado Springs.

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.

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