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Denver Public Schools elections (2017)
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Four of the seven seats on the Denver Public Schools Board of Education in Colorado were up for nonpartisan general election on November 7, 2017. In her bid for re-election, at-large incumbent Barbara O'Brien defeated challengers Julie Banuelos and Robert Speth. The open District 2 race included Angela Cobian and Xochitl "Sochi" Gaytan, and Cobian won the seat. District 3 incumbent Mike Johnson was defeated by Carrie Olson. District 4 incumbent Rachele Espiritu ran against Auon'tai Anderson and Jennifer Bacon, and Bacon won the seat.[1][2]
Banuelos, Speth, Cobian, Olson, and Anderson participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates. Click here to read their responses.
The 2017 election had a higher average number of candidates per seat compared to the district's previous two elections. For information on election trends in the district, click here.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Denver Board of Education consists of seven members elected to four-year terms. Five members are elected by district, and two members are elected at large. Elections are held on a staggered basis so that three or four seats are up for election every odd-numbered year in November.[3]
To qualify to run for school board, candidates had to be residents of the school district and registered voters for a minimum of 12 consecutive months before the election. They also could not have been convicted of a sexual offense against a child. To get on the ballot, school board candidates had to file nomination petitions containing 50 signatures of eligible voters in the school district by September 1, 2017.[4]
Colorado voters were allowed to register to vote through election day.[5] Photo identification was not required to vote in Colorado.[6]
Candidates and results
At-large
Results
| Denver Public Schools, At-large General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Barbara O'Brien Incumbent |
40.49% | 49,283 |
| Robert Speth | 35.23% | 42,878 |
| Julie Banuelos | 24.28% | 29,559 |
| Total Votes | 121,720 | |
| Source: Denver Elections Division, "Coordinated Election November 7, 2017 Final Official Results," accessed November 27, 2017 | ||
Candidates
Barbara O'Brien 
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 Julie Banuelos
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Robert Speth
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District 2
Results
| Denver Public Schools, District 2 General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Angela Cobian |
52.44% | 8,142 |
| Xochitl Gaytan | 47.56% | 7,385 |
| Total Votes | 15,527 | |
| Source: Denver Elections Division, "Coordinated Election November 7, 2017 Final Official Results," accessed November 27, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Angela Cobian
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Xochitl "Sochi" Gaytan | ||
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District 3
Results
| Denver Public Schools, District 3 General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Carrie Olson |
53.87% | 16,317 |
| Mike Johnson Incumbent | 46.13% | 13,975 |
| Total Votes | 30,292 | |
| Source: Denver Elections Division, "Coordinated Election November 7, 2017 Final Official Results," accessed November 27, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Mike Johnson | Carrie Olson
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District 4
Results
| Denver Public Schools, District 4 General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Jennifer Bacon |
41.88% | 10,471 |
| Rachele Espiritu Incumbent | 32.99% | 8,248 |
| Tay Anderson | 25.13% | 6,282 |
| Total Votes | 25,001 | |
| Source: Denver Elections Division, "Coordinated Election November 7, 2017 Final Official Results," accessed November 27, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Rachele Espiritu | Auon'tai Anderson
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Jennifer Bacon
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Colorado elections, 2017
The Denver Board of Education election shared the ballot with nine ballot measures. Click here for a list of those measures.
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the 2017 Colorado school board elections.[7][8]
Endorsements
For a list of official endorsements made by political parties, education organizations, and elected officials in the Denver Public Schools elections, click here.
Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Campaign finance
Candidates received a total of $662,546.23 and spent a total of $622,371.57 in the election, according to the Colorado Secretary of State.[9]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| At-large | |||
| Barbara O'Brien | $117,464.34 | $115,654.22 | $1,810.12 |
| Julie Banuelos | $20,314.24 | $16,835.41 | $3,478.83 |
| Robert Speth | $48,710.50 | $43,845.67 | $4,864.83 |
| District 2 | |||
| Angela Cobian | $123,144.00 | $105,200.02 | $17,943.98 |
| Xochitl "Sochi" Gaytan | $28,977.81 | $28,934.10 | $43.71 |
| District 3 | |||
| Mike Johnson | $106,536.00 | $103,782.57 | $2,753.43 |
| Carrie Olson | $35,470.10 | $35,470.10 | $0.00 |
| District 4 | |||
| Rachele Espiritu | $94,195.98 | $87,840.50 | $6,355.48 |
| Auon'tai Anderson | $18,766.01 | $16,865.87 | $1,900.14 |
| Jennifer Bacon | $68,967.25 | $67,943.11 | $1,024.14 |
Reporting requirements
School board candidates in Colorado were required to file three campaign finance reports. The reports were due on October 17, 2017, November 3, 2017, and December 7, 2017.[8]
Past elections
- See also: Past elections in Denver Public Schools
To see results from past elections in Denver Public Schools, click here.
What was at stake?
Report a story for this election
Ballotpedia researches issues in school board elections across the United States, but information availability is a challenge for us in many school districts. Please contact us about the issues that impact your local school district. Note that not all submissions may meet Ballotpedia's coverage requirements for inclusion.
Candidate survey
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Ballotpedia invites school board candidates to participate in its annual survey. |
Survey responses
Five candidates in this race participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display the responses to the survey questions from at-large challengers Julie Banuelos and Robert Speth, District 2 challenger Angela Cobian, District 3 challenger Carrie Olson, and District 4 challenger Auon'tai Anderson.
Ranking the issues
The candidates were asked to rank the following issues by importance in the school district, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. This table displays their rankings:
| Issue importance ranking | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issue | Banuelos' ranking (At-large) |
Speth's ranking (At-large) |
Cobian's ranking (District 2) |
Olson's ranking (District 3) |
Anderson's ranking (District 4) |
| Expanding arts education | |||||
| Improving relations with teachers | |||||
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |||||
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |||||
| Closing the achievement gap | |||||
| Improving education for special needs students | |||||
| Expanding school choice options | |||||
Positions on the issues
The candidates were asked to answer nine multiple choice and short answer questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. A link to their responses can be found below.
- Julie Banuelos' survey responses
- Robert Speth's survey responses
- Angela Cobian's survey responses
- Carrie Olson's survey responses
- Tay Anderson's survey responses
Election trends
- See also: School boards in session: 2015 in brief
The 2017 Denver Board of Education election attracted a higher average number of candidates per seat compared to the district's previous two elections. Ten candidates ran for four seats in 2017 for an average of 2.5 candidates per seat. In 2015 six candidates ran for three seats for an average of two candidates per seat, and in 2013 nine candidates ran for four seats for an average of 2.25 candidates per seat.
One newcomer was guaranteed to win election to the board in 2017 due to an open seat. Another two newcomers were also elected to the board in 2017 by defeating incumbents. Newcomers won open seats in 2013 and 2015. No newcomers defeated incumbents in those elections; every incumbent who ran for re-election won a new term.
| School board election trends | ||||||
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| Year | Candidates per seat | Unopposed seats | Incumbents running for re-election | Incumbent success rate | Seats won by newcomers | |
| Denver Public Schools | ||||||
| 2017 | 2.50 | 0.00% | 75.00% | 33.33% | 75.00% | |
| 2015 | 2.00 | 0.00% | 66.67% | 100.00% | 33.33% | |
| 2013 | 2.25 | 0.00% | 25.00% | 100.00% | 75.00% | |
| Colorado | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.77 | 30.77% | 55.38% | 83.33% | 53.85% | |
| United States | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.72 | 35.95% | 70.37% | 82.66% | 40.81% | |
Issues in the district
School board and teachers union agree on five-year contract
The Denver Board of Education and the Denver Classroom Teachers Association agreed on a five-year contract on September 1, 2017, the day after the former contract expired.[10] Both the board of education and the teachers union approved the agreement later in the month, with the board voting unanimously to accept it and the union ratifying it with 89 percent in favor.[11]
The new contract increased base salaries for teachers by $1,400 for the 2017-2018 school year, and it gave an additional $1,500 a year to teachers serving in schools with a high percentage of low-income students as long as they did not already receive incentive pay. Starting in the 2018-2019 school year, teachers received an additional $1,200 in benefits subsidies if they had children enrolled in their medical plans, and they added an extra day for lesson planning.[10][11]
A new committee and a new task force were also created with the contract's approval. A joint collaborative committee was set up “to review and oversee ongoing improvements to the growth and performance system for teachers,” and a joint task force was set up “to review current and best practices, policies and recommendations for future improvements around the whole child.” The union also asked for a moratorium on the expansion of charter schools and for more transparency when schools were closed, but those were not added to the contract.[10]
Denver Superintendent Tom Boasberg said the contract was the strongest the district had offered in more than 10 years. “The (financial) incentive in and of itself doesn’t change behavior,” Boasberg said. “But when coupled with really good school leaders, positive school culture and a strong set of supports — social and emotional supports for students — all of those together help attract and retain great teachers at our higher poverty schools.”[10]
Pam Shamburg, executive director of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association, said that the contract was a good deal but not enough. “It is ridiculous as a society what we’re asking our teachers to do for nothing, for a pittance of pay, for the hours they put in,” said Shamburg.[10]
Prior to the $1,400 base salary increase, first-year teachers who had a bachelor's degree received a starting salary of $41,389. The union asked to increase that starting salary to $50,000, while the district initially offered to raise salaries by $600.[10]
The contract was negotiated in public in front of an audience of 300 people that included both teachers and community members. Boasberg said in-public bargaining made the process more transparent and accessible, but he also said it brought challenges. “Public bargaining makes it much harder for both sides to be vulnerable and engaged in the give-and-take and exploration of solutions, as opposed to statement and restatement of positions,” said Boasberg.[10]
About the district
- See also: Denver Public Schools, Colorado
The Denver school district is located in Denver County in central Colorado. The county seat is Denver. Denver County was home to an estimated 693,060 residents in 2016, according to the United States Census Bureau.[12] The district was the largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 88,839 students.[13]
Demographics
Denver County outperformed Colorado as a whole in terms of higher education achievement between 2011 and 2015. The United States Census Bureau found that 45 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 38.1 percent of state residents. The median household income in the county was $53,637, compared to $60,629 statewide. The poverty rate in Denver County was 15.7 percent, while it was 11.5 percent for the entire state.[12]
| Racial Demographics, 2016[12] | ||
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| Race | Denver County (%) | Colorado (%) |
| White | 80.9 | 87.5 |
| Black or African American | 10.0 | 4.5 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Asian | 3.9 | 3.3 |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Two or More Races | 3.1 | 3.0 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 30.2 | 21.3 |
Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Denver Public Schools Colorado election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Denver Public Schools | Colorado | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Denver Public Schools, "Running For School Board: Candidate Tracking," accessed September 2, 2017
- ↑ Denver Elections Division, "Election Summary Report," accessed November 7, 2017
- ↑ Denver Public Schools, "Get to Know the Board," accessed August 29, 2017
- ↑ Colorado Association of School Boards, "2017 Elections School Board Candidate Guide," accessed August 29, 2017
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "Voter Registration FAQs," accessed August 29, 2017
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "Acceptable Forms of Identification," accessed August 29, 2017
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "2017 Election Calendar," accessed August 28, 2017
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Colorado Secretary of State, "2017 Biennial School Election Calendar," accessed August 28, 2017
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "TRACER: Candidate Search," accessed December 15, 2017
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 Chalkbeat Colorado, "Denver school district, teachers union reach agreement on contract that includes $1,400 increase to base salary," September 1, 2017
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Chalkbeat Colorado, "New Denver teachers contract approved by school board and union," September 29, 2017
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 United States Census Bureau, "QuickFacts: Denver County, Colorado; Colorado," accessed August 30, 2017
- ↑ U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data, file ccd_lea_052_1414_w_0216161a, 2014-2015," accessed November 16, 2016
| Denver Public Schools elections in 2017 | |
| Denver County, Colorado | |
| Election date: | November 7, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Barbara O'Brien • Julie Banuelos • Robert Speth District 2: • Angela Cobian • Xochitl "Sochi" Gaytan District 3: • Incumbent, Mike Johnson • Carrie Olson District 4: • Incumbent, Rachele Espiritu • Auon'tai Anderson • Jennifer Bacon |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
