Douglas County School District elections (2017)

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2019 → ← 2015
Douglas County School District Elections
General election date
November 7, 2017
Enrollment (14-15)
66,702 students

Four of the seven seats on the Douglas County School District Board of Education in Colorado were up for nonpartisan general election on November 7, 2017. The election ended an eight-year governing majority on the board that voted to implement a pay-for-performance system for teachers and a voucher program for private schools.

Two slates of candidates ran to either continue the existing majority's policies or to change them, and the slate that advocated to change policies won the election. No incumbents filed to run in the race, which guaranteed four new members were elected to the District B, D, E, and G seats on the board. The winners of the 2017 election were also tasked with appointing the district's next superintendent. The board voted in January 2017 to extend the contract of interim Superintendent Erin Kane through the 2017-2018 school year.

A list of the candidates and the board majority at the time of the election can be found in the table below. Members of the Elevate Douglas County slate said that they were not linked to the board's majority members, but they did come out in support of some the majority's policies. Members of the Community Matters slate were endorsed by an organization that also endorsed candidates who opposed the governing majority in 2015. For details on candidates' individual stances on the voucher program, superintendent, special education, and teacher pay click here.

Electing newcomers was not unusual for the district. Newcomers swept the ballot in the district's 2015 election, and another two newcomers were elected to the board in 2013. For information on election trends in the district, click here. Despite the new members added each year, a specific majority controlled the board from 2009 to 2017. They maintained a 7-0 majority on the board for six years. In the district's 2015 election, three incumbents were defeated, and the board's majority decreased to 4-3.

Elections

Voter and candidate information

The Douglas County Board of Education consists of seven members elected to four-year terms. Board members are limited to serving two consecutive terms. Elections are held on a staggered basis so that three or four seats are up for election every odd-numbered year in November. Though members run for seats in specific geographic districts, elections are held at large.

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.

Colorado voters were allowed to register to vote through election day. Photo identification was not required to vote in Colorado.

District B

Results

Douglas County School District, District B General Election, 4-year term, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Anthony Graziano	58.65%	52,937
Ryan Abresch	41.35%	37,321
Total Votes		90,258
Source: Colorado Secretary of State, "Official Results," accessed August 28, 2023

Candidates

Ryan Abresch		Anthony Graziano
	Member, Elevate Douglas County slate Graduate, James Madison University and Valparaiso University School of Law Legal analyst		Member, Community Matters slate Graduate, State University of New York at Albany and Colorado State University Director of business development

District D

Results

Douglas County School District, District D General Election, 4-year term, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Chris Schor	58.23%	52,545
Randy Mills	41.77%	37,697
Total Votes		90,242
Source: Colorado Secretary of State, "Official Results," accessed August 28, 2023

Candidates

Randy Mills		Chris Schor
	Member, Elevate Douglas County slate Business owner and electrician		Member, Community Matters slate Mentor and teacher coach, Mapleton Public Schools

District E

Results

Douglas County School District, District E General Election, 4-year term, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Kevin Leung	58.00%	52,314
Grant Nelson	42.00%	37,889
Total Votes		90,203
Source: Colorado Secretary of State, "Official Results," accessed August 28, 2023

Candidates

Kevin Leung		Grant Nelson
	Member, Community Matters slate Graduate, University of Utah and the University of Colorado at Denver Owner, Magic Rabbit Carwash, Detail & Lube Co.		Member, Elevate Douglas County slate Graduate, University of Colorado at Boulder Owner, commercial real estate business

District G

Results

Douglas County School District, District G General Election, 4-year term, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Krista Holtzmann	57.62%	52,018
Debora Scheffel	42.38%	38,267
Total Votes		90,285
Source: Colorado Secretary of State, "Official Results," accessed August 28, 2023

Candidates

Krista Holtzmann		Debora Scheffel
	Member, Community Matters slate Graduate, University of Missouri Attorney		Member, Elevate Douglas County slate Graduate, University of Denver and Northwestern University College dean, Colorado Christian University’s School of Education

Additional elections on the ballot

See also: Colorado elections, 2017

The Douglas County Board of Education election shared the ballot with a ballot question for the city of Castle Rock. The question appeared on the ballot as follows:

“

Shall the Town of Castle Rock Home Rule Charter be amended to provide that the Town Council, the seven-member governing body of the Town, consist of a Mayor elected by all of the electors of the Town for a four-year term, with the Mayor's service limited to two four-year terms, and six Councilmembers who are elected for four-year terms by the electors of the district where each Councilmember resides? Yes _____ No _____

”

Key deadlines

The following dates were key deadlines for the 2017 Colorado school board elections.

Endorsements

The organization Douglas County Parents endorsed the members of the Community Matters slate: Anthony Graziano, Chris Schor, Kevin Leung, and Krista Holtzmann. They were also endorsed by 12 former Douglas County Board of Education members. Click here to read their letter of support that was published in The Denver Post.

The Elevate Douglas County slate—Ryan Abresch, Randy Mills, Grant Nelson, and Debora Scheffel—were endorsed by the following organizations and elected officials:

• Colorado Republican Committee
• Colorado Women’s Alliance
• Denver Post Editorial Board
• The Gazette Editorial Board
• Douglas County Republicans
• Douglas County Young Republicans
• U.S. Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colorado)

• State Sen. Chris Holbert (R-30)
• State Rep. Pat Neville (R-45)
• State Rep. Kim Ransom (R-44)
• Colorado State Board of Education member Steve Durham
• Colorado State Board of Education member Pam Mazanec
• Colorado State Board of Education member Joyce Rankin
• Douglas County Treasurer Diane Holbert

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

Candidates received a total of $231,154.94 and spent a total of $223,332.78 in the election, according to the Colorado Secretary of State. Together, the four Elevate Douglas County slate candidates raised $147,586.03 and spent $139,913.35, while the four Community Matters slate candidates together raised $83,568.91 and spent $83,419.43.

Candidate	Contributions	Expenditures	Cash on hand
District B
Ryan Abresch (Elevate Douglas County slate)	$29,943.98	$29,907.67	$36.31
Anthony Graziano (Community Matters slate)	$20,217.16	$20,217.16	$0.00
District D
Randy Mills (Elevate Douglas County slate)	$36,918.98	$35,744.17	$1,174.81
Chris Schor (Community Matters slate)	$20,388.12	$20,388.12	$0.00
District E
Kevin Leung (Community Matters slate)	$19,991.61	$19,842.13	$149.48
Grant Nelson (Elevate Douglas County slate)	$44,647.98	$40,138.63	$4,509.35
District G
Krista Holtzmann (Community Matters slate)	$22,972.02	$22,972.02	$0.00
Debora Scheffel (Elevate Douglas County slate)	$36,075.09	$34,122.88	$1,952.21

Reporting requirements for candidates

See also: List of school board campaign finance deadlines in 2017

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.

Non-candidates

See also: Satellite spending

Organizations and committees that were not connected to candidates also raised and spent funds for the board of education election. As of October 31, 2017, the Douglas Schools for Douglas Kids committee, which supported the Community Matters slate of candidates, had spent $266,422. It received $300,000 from the American Federation of Teachers and $100,000 from Citizens for Integrity earlier in the election cycle. The organization Douglas County Parents, which endorsed the Community Matters slate of candidates, had spent $28,241 as of October 17, 2017.

An independent expenditure committee for the Colorado Republican Committee had spent approximately $79,000 to support the Elevate Douglas County slate of candidates as of October 31, 2017. The organization Americans for Prosperity did not contribute funds to a committee in direct support of candidates in this election, but it did pledge to give a six-figure amount to promote school choice in the district. The exact amount spent by Americans for Prosperity was unknown as campaign finance law did not require funds to be reported if they were spent on issues rather than on candidates.

Past elections

See also: Past elections in the Douglas County School District

To see results from past elections in the Douglas County School District, click here.

What was at stake?

Candidates on the issues

School district voucher program

In 2011, the Douglas County School District created the Douglas County Choice Scholarship Program, which sought to provide publicly-funded scholarships, or vouchers, to students to attend any school of their choice, including private and religious schools. The program never went into effect due to court challenges. The Colorado Supreme Court ruled that the program was unconstitutional in 2015, but the U.S. Supreme Court told the state court to reconsider its ruling on June 27, 2017. The state supreme court did not take up the case prior to the school board election. Click here to jump further down the page and read more about this case.

In a survey, Chalkbeat Colorado asked the Douglas County Board of Education candidates if they would continue to fight to legalize the voucher program. The table below shows the answers they provided.

"If elected, would you continue the district's legal fight to enact a private school voucher system? Why or why not?"
Candidate	Survey response
District B
Ryan Abresch (Elevate Douglas County slate)	“ Whether or not there is a fight for a new scholarship system depends wholly on the court case pending in the Colorado Supreme Court. I am in favor of continuing the case until a final decision is heard as it is a legitimate question of law with repercussions outside of our district and it needs to have a final answer. I support continuing the case so long as no taxpayer dollars are used, which has been the case thus far. ” —Ryan Abresch (2017)
Anthony Graziano (Community Matters slate)	“ I would not support any program that seeks to legalize vouchers and educational savings accounts. I oppose private school vouchers in any form, due to the fact that they divert public tax dollars to private schools. I am an advocate for public school choice, where accountability of tax dollars can be maintained and governmental oversight is not forced on private schools. Finally, there is no data indicating that the majority of our community supports vouchers. ” —Anthony Graziano (2017)
District D
Randy Mills (Elevate Douglas County slate)	Candidate did not respond to the survey.
Chris Schor (Community Matters slate)	“ I believe in public funds supporting public schools. Therefore, I would not continue to pursue the current voucher program. As a member of a public school board I would do my best to oppose any program that takes dollars away from public schools and puts them towards private schools. I adamantly support public school choice using public tax dollars. This would include public charter schools, online schools, magnet schools, neighborhood schools and alternative public schools. Public dollars supporting private schools creates inequity and lack of oversight and accountability. I do not support public tax dollars going to vouchers or educational savings programs. ” —Chris Schor (2017)
District E
Kevin Leung (Community Matters slate)	“ I have always supported choices within our public schools. My kids spent six years in a Douglas County charter school and 20 plus years in Douglas County neighborhood schools. Under my leadership, I will ensure that all public school options, including neighborhood, charter, magnet and online schools, vocational training, and home schooling are available and known to our parents. I do not support using public taxpayer money to fund the DCSD Choice Scholarship Program. I support parents sending their child to a private school if that is their desire. However, our board is the custodian of public funds. Our public schools currently do not have enough funding and we cannot afford to divert resources to private schools and jeopardize the quality of public education options. Furthermore, once public money is diverted to private institutions, our board has no ability to protect the civil rights of students and demand the level of accountability expected from our public schools. Therefore, I will not continue to support our district’s legal fight to enact a private school voucher system. Once this lawsuit is over, our district can refocus our efforts solely on our existing public school choices instead of promoting a national agenda. ” —Kevin Leung (2017)
Grant Nelson (Elevate Douglas County slate)	“ I support meeting the needs of every kid in the district and I feel that the community deserves an answer to the Choice Scholarship program. After six years, both sides of this issue should want an answer and it could come in the next twelve months. I am committed to seeing this case through as long as no taxpayer dollars are used, as has been the case thus far with this legal question. ” —Grant Nelson (2017)
District G
Krista Holtzmann (Community Matters slate)	“ Though I am a strong supporter of public school choice, I do not believe private school vouchers would be helpful to our community’s mission to provide quality public education for every child. As the board serves the public school students in the district and given the financial struggles of our own public schools, diverting funding from public into private schools would place a further strain on the district’s limited resources. Furthermore, private schools are currently able to choose whom they admit. As long as they do not accept public money, this is perfectly within their rights. However, if public money started to flow to these schools, we could be subsidizing discrimination against children for any reason the private school chooses. Taxpayers would lose all accountability as to how their tax dollars are spent. As a person of faith, I believe that religious institutions should be the ones to support the faith-based education they provide, thereby preserving their ability to teach without government restrictions. Additionally, since the voucher amount would not be enough to pay the full tuition of a local private school for most students, vouchers would really only be a subsidy for families wealthy enough to pay the remainder of the cost not covered by the voucher. Public money must provide opportunities for ALL children, not just some. ” —Krista Holtzmann (2017)
Debora Scheffel (Elevate Douglas County slate)	“ In 2011, Douglas County created the Choice Scholarship Program to help low-income families send their children to a private school that best suits their child’s needs, some of which are religious schools. Following a lawsuit from Douglas County taxpayers, the trial court found that the CSP violated the Public School Finance Act of 1994, as well as various provisions of the Colorado Constitution. After a number of other legal decisions, on June 27, 2017, the case was remanded to the Supreme Court of Colorado for further consideration in light of Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Inc. v. Comer. If elected to the Douglas County School Board, I would like to see the case decided for the many individuals and states who care about the outcome. In fact, both sides should welcome clarity on this issue. If it is declared constitutional, we will then have a community discussion in Douglas County about how to respond to the court’s decision and whether this is right for our community. ” —Debora Scheffel (2017)

Next superintendent

The Douglas County Board of Education voted in January 2017 to extend the contract of interim Superintendent Erin Kane through the 2017-2018 school year. Because of this, the winners of the 2017 election were tasked with appointing the district's next superintendent. Click here to jump further down the page and read about the decision to extend Kane's contract.

In a survey, Chalkbeat Colorado asked the 2017 candidates what characteristics they wanted to see in the district's next superintendent. The table below shows the answers they provided.

"One of your most important tasks will be to select a new superintendent for the district. What characteristics will you seek in a new leader?"
Candidate	Survey response
District B
Ryan Abresch (Elevate Douglas County slate)	“ Here are the three characteristics that are important to me in a new superintendent: One that can unite all the people within our district, whether parents, students, teachers, or the taxpayer. One that elevates morale among the teachers and staff. For too long, our hardworking teachers lived under a cloud of fear and intimidation due to the previous superintendent. I am encouraged to see the strides that the Interim Superintendent Kane has made in this area. We must allow teachers to do what they do best - teach. One that can restore the trust in the public by working with the schools and being a good steward of our budget. We applaud Interim Superintendent Kane and school administration for finding over $20 million in savings already and hope to continue in this direction of responsible budgeting. ” —Ryan Abresch (2017)
Anthony Graziano (Community Matters slate)	“ The Superintendent for the Douglas County School District requires a strong vision for providing a quality, equitable education for every student. An effective leader possesses the ability to openly communicate with staff, accept and adapt to constructive feedback, and implement academic practices that facilitate a positive culture and climate throughout the school district. A solid background in school budgeting is also critical, along with a positive history for attracting and retaining quality educators. ” —Anthony Graziano (2017)
District D
Randy Mills (Elevate Douglas County slate)	Candidate did not respond to the survey.
Chris Schor (Community Matters slate)	“ Thank you for asking this important question. I believe that hiring a permanent superintendent will be one of the most crucial first steps the board of education will need to take. I would first ask for input from our community of parents and educators regarding the qualities and characteristics they define as important. I would seek a leader with the skills to: Bridge the divide that currently exists in our community. Build strong relationships and prioritize student needs while making difficult and critical decisions. Create a strategic plan to improve academic needs using a process for improvement that is research-based and proven effective. Understand and provide structures for ongoing teacher professional development including recruitment and retention practices. Develop a communication plan to provide our communities with a transparent understanding of budget needs and solutions. Most importantly, I would want a leader who is authentic in practice and can inspire excellence. With 40 years of experience in education, I have had the honor of working with extraordinary leaders who have these abilities and qualities. Douglas County children, teachers and parents deserve this kind of leader to serve tirelessly for our children. ” —Chris Schor (2017)
District E
Kevin Leung (Community Matters slate)	“ The reform-oriented board hired Dr. Elizabeth Fagen, a 'transformational' leader, who caused many problems for our district. I would prefer to have a pragmatic leader who will advocate for all teachers and students. I am looking for someone who is ethical, fair and has experience as an educator and can have credibility with our employees and educators. Our district also needs someone who maintains open communication with all parties involved in the education process and can build partnerships with people of differing views in educating children. All should feel included in the decision- making process. They should possess the experience, knowledge and understanding of the current environment in the district and have a specific plan to improve academic performance for ALL, including kids with special needs. Our district needs someone who is a consensus builder and will not implement something without real consultation with the community, parents, teachers and local business leaders. They would need to rely on educational research and reliable, valid statistics to make decisions. We need someone who can help develop curriculum that focuses on what students need to succeed in life without focusing solely on test scores ” —Kevin Leung (2017)
Grant Nelson (Elevate Douglas County slate)	“ I believe a superintendent needs to be a highly-effectively leader who has excellent communication skills. Any superintendent should continue to heal the culture of the district for its employees, its teachers, and, most importantly, for its students. In the one year that interim superintended, Erin Kane, has been in place I believe that she has made a difference. One principal who I recently spoke to said that the only reason that they stayed in Douglas County this year was because of the current interim superintended. ” —Grant Nelson (2017)
District G
Krista Holtzmann (Community Matters slate)	“ I will look for a superintendent who understands that the best leaders are servants first. The superintendent I would look for would have a deep commitment to serving our community and ensuring quality public schools for every child. He or she would be interested in hearing the voices of and building relationships with our parents, teachers and community members. Over the past few months as I have asked this question repeatedly of many community members, the one characteristic that every person has mentioned is a person who has a great deal of experience as a teacher and knowledge about education. It would also be important to me that this person has knowledge and experience that would help our district set financial priorities and best navigate financial challenges. ” —Krista Holtzmann (2017)
Debora Scheffel (Elevate Douglas County slate)	“ The superintendent for the District should be committed to ensuring every student in Douglas County can thrive and succeed and fulfill her/his potential. In addition, supporting teachers with the resources they need to do their best professional work, is essential. Further, parents are a child's first teacher and they know their child's learning needs best. Having many avenues to hear from parents about how best to work with each child and in what instructional context, is paramount. Listening, collaboration and vision are also important leadership characteristics central to the effectiveness of the superintendent. ” —Debora Scheffel (2017)

Special education

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District that public school districts had to meet higher standards in their special education programs in March 2017. Click here to jump further down the page to read about the case.

Chalkbeat Colorado asked the 2017 candidates how they thought the school district should reform its special education programs. The table below shows the answers they provided.

"What sort of reforms do you believe the district's special education program should consider?"
Candidate	Survey response
District B
Ryan Abresch (Elevate Douglas County slate)	“ Unfortunately the court did not provide much clarity outside of its ruling on the de minimis standard. In order to comply with this ruling we need to make sure that as a district when we re-evaluate our policy in this area we are doing so with input from teachers, parents, and the community at large to ensure that we are not only meeting, but exceeding, our goals for the special education services we provide to our students. Every student in Douglas County should have a high-quality education and we must continually rededicate ourselves to this promise. ” —Ryan Abresch (2017)
Anthony Graziano (Community Matters slate)	“ Special Education is an essential aspect of our public school system, serving our most vulnerable students. We need to re-evaluate our spending priorities districtwide, and ensure that our students are being sufficiently served above all else. We need to raise the bar and aim to guarantee our special education students make reasonable progress each year instead of "minimum" improvement. In addition, our current teacher turnover crisis negatively impacts all students, but even more so those receiving special education services. We can begin to solve this through improving our district’s culture and climate and determining an effective, long-term salary structure. Communication with parents is critical to the success of our special education programs. We must be fully transparent as we listen to and validate concerns of our parents. ” —Anthony Graziano (2017)
District D
Randy Mills (Elevate Douglas County slate)	Candidate did not respond to the survey.
Chris Schor (Community Matters slate)	“ In the Douglas County School District, we should provide more than the minimum for all our children. I would ask for a full review of how we are serving our special education population. I would verify our data and survey our parents asking our special education department for a solution-based process to serve our children in an equitable fashion. Looking for examples of how other districts are seeing successful results and providing structures to duplicate their success is a first step in this process. We have the solution in our parents and our teachers. Collaborating with experts, parents, and teachers to seek what is best for our children will help us to move forward to better meet the needs of our special education students. ” —Chris Schor (2017)
District E
Kevin Leung (Community Matters slate)	“ Over 10 percent of DCSD students were classified as special education students in the 2016-7 school year. Inadequate funding to implement Individual Educational Plans (IEPs) or 504 plans have caused student and parent hardship. The State of Colorado currently underfunds special education, meaning that they do not provide enough funding to cover the costs required to meet the requirements of special education students as defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The high teacher turnover in our district only makes the problem worse. We must recruit and retain the best special education teachers as possible and provide meaningful professional development for special education teachers, as well. And Douglas County needs to provide more public school choices for special education students. Our district must provide better accountability on how SPED money is being spent and what programming is available to meet the unique needs of all learners. Finally, we must rebuild trust with special education parents. By law, parents are required to be included on the IEP team. Many special education parents do not think that the district provides meaningful parental participation in the IEP program. ” —Kevin Leung (2017)
Grant Nelson (Elevate Douglas County slate)	“ Douglas County special services has over 9,000 students on some form of assistance, a budget of almost $50 million, and almost 900 dedicated professionals. We must continue to work diligently with our excellent staff to continue to strive to achieve our best for each kid, not just a minimum standard. Douglas County has great parents and families and we need to value each of their children. ” —Grant Nelson (2017)
District G
Krista Holtzmann (Community Matters slate)	“ This is a concern not just in Douglas County but in Colorado, as our state does not provide adequate funding to meet the needs of students with special needs. (APA Report) Douglas County School District should be leading in this area in order to shine a light on the importance of providing equitable funding for students with special needs. Some of the ways we can improve our special education services are also things that can be done to improve education for every child in Douglas County public schools. We must reduce teacher turnover. Instability is harmful to all students, especially those with special needs. We can do this by continuing to restore a culture where educators feel respected and supported. This includes paying teachers a competitive wage, including their voice in decision-making about curriculum and instruction for students, and promoting partnerships among teachers, parents, and administrators. We must provide teachers time to make these connections with parents and other educators. We must make student-focused decisions about prioritizing the use of our financial resources in other areas such as reducing class sizes and providing excellent professional enrichment opportunities for all staff and teachers specific to working with students with special needs. Ultimately, we must work to provide accessible, quality special education services to help all our students make reasonable progress. It would be helpful for Douglas County to review the practices of other districts where students in special education show more growth than ours. Finally, I would encourage Douglas County to expand and strengthen our efforts to provide support, education and collaboration to parents of students with special needs. ” —Krista Holtzmann (2017)
Debora Scheffel (Elevate Douglas County slate)	“ In the case Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of a higher standard of education for children with disabilities. The case posed the question: "Must schools provide a meaningful education where children show significant progress and are given substantially equal opportunities as typical children, or can they provide an education that results in just some improvement?" The court’s decision increases education expectations for children with disabilities and requires schools to consider each child’s individual strengths and weaknesses when writing an individualized education plan. The ruling puts parents in a better position to advocate for education programs and services for their children so the child makes progress based on challenging objectives. Special services teachers and providers in Douglas County deserve admiration and respect for how well they serve the needs of students with special learning needs. This ruling prompts a more thorough review of its services to students with special needs to enact even more effective policies and practices to meet this challenge. ” —Debora Scheffel (2017)

Teacher pay

The Douglas County School District started a pay-for-performance system for teachers in 2012. Salary levels for teachers for the 2017-2018 school year were based on expertise, education, and performance evaluations conducted by teacher supervisors. Click here to read about the teacher salary system in the district.

In a survey, Chalkbeat Colorado asked the 2017 candidates if they would change how the district paid its teachers. The table below shows the answers they provided.

"If elected, would you seek to make changes to the way the district pays its teachers? How?"
Candidate	Survey response
District B
Ryan Abresch (Elevate Douglas County slate)	“ I would like the board to take a further look at improving the steps involved in the county's current salary system so we can streamline the process, reduce or cut any inefficiencies or needless paperwork, and make the system work better for our teachers and staff. We also need to work to attract and retain the best and brightest teachers to our district. We must find ways to pay teachers competitively within the region. ” —Ryan Abresch (2017)
Anthony Graziano (Community Matters slate)	“ Teachers are the pillar of our public school system, and we must find a pay structure that is incentivizing, fair, and rewarding. This includes competitive pay, along with a work environment that encourages teamwork and collaboration among staff. We need to reconsider our current pay band structure that doesn't value many of the teachers who have a significant impact on our youngest students, determine if our evaluation system for teachers is fair and provides meaningful feedback mechanisms, and pursue options for a long-term viable funding source in order to offer competitive pay in an effort to attract and retain quality teachers. ” —Anthony Graziano (2017)
District D
Randy Mills (Elevate Douglas County slate)	Candidate did not respond to the survey.
Chris Schor (Community Matters slate)	“ I would first request feedback from our teachers regarding their pay structure. I would research what the community envisions as the best way to compensate our teachers and seek to balance the financial and cultural needs. Teachers deserve to be valued and respected. They are our greatest asset in education and their compensation should reflect that. The current pay-for-performance system in the Douglas County School District appears to have been a great strain on our professional educators and our resources. High principal and teacher turnover is expensive to an organization. Providing our teachers with the respect they deserve by bringing teacher voice into the conversation is a necessary first step in solving the pay structure concerns. ” —Chris Schor (2017)
District E
Kevin Leung (Community Matters slate)	“ The teacher evaluation system developed under Dr. Fagen has not been well accepted and has had a negative impact on our teachers’ morale. As an elected board member, I will ask parents and teachers to weigh in on how the district pays its teachers. I will make sure teachers’ pay relies more on student growth rather and teacher effectiveness. Classroom observations and teachers’ continuing education should also be factors in evaluating their performance. Multiple years of performance data for a teacher should be considered rather than only a one-year “snapshot” in evaluating a teacher’s performance. In addition, our school district’s average teacher salary is currently $17,000 less than Cherry Creek and $13,000 less than Littleton, and the gap continues to grow. If we want to attract and retain the best teachers, we need to offer them competitive wages. Another way to change how our district compensates our teachers is to explore additional funding mechanisms for better pay. ” —Kevin Leung (2017)
Grant Nelson (Elevate Douglas County slate)	“ The pay for performance system that has been previously implemented clearly needs to be reanalyzed to make it more logical and fair for the teachers on all levels. It must provide tangible rewards for our most effective teachers. We also need to find a way to pay our teachers more and close the pay gap that exists between DCSD and other districts. ” —Grant Nelson (2017)
District G
Krista Holtzmann (Community Matters slate)	“ Yes. Our community, including our teachers, agrees that paying teachers more for excellence is a good idea. We even led the nation in the mid 1990s in implementing one of the first such systems. Unfortunately, the changes made to this system since the reforms began eight years ago were based on a flawed evaluation system and an arbitrary structure of market-based pay bands which has not met the ultimate goals of supporting teachers or improving student learning. Our budget does not provide competitive salaries for our teachers. The reform board directed district leadership to create an arbitrary system that has failed. The district cannot claim to have a “market-based" pay system if a teacher can cross our county line and make $17,066 more in Cherry Creek or $12,873 more in Littleton CDE Average Salaries for Teachers. (https://bit.ly/2gtCNFA) In the past two years, progress has been made to improve the evaluation system but work remains to be done. As a board member I would support efforts to reward teachers for the hard work it takes to improve teacher instruction. Encouraging teachers to further their own education and become more adept at teaching and more knowledgeable in their subjects ultimately helps our students. Just as we encourage our students to be lifelong learners, we should also value this in our teachers. I would also continue the effort to reduce burdensome documentation requirements to prove one's worth, which created competition between teachers and negatively affected collaboration to improve student learning. ” —Krista Holtzmann (2017)
Debora Scheffel (Elevate Douglas County slate)	“ I believe that some combination of a step and performance compensation approach serves the district well. We need to have a candid discussion with teachers about how they wish to be compensated and they need to help flesh out the details of the compensation system. Conceptually, it makes sense to additionally compensate exemplary teachers and teachers in hard- to- fill positions; however, the current approach is perceived by some to be unfair and requires an unwieldy burden of paper work for minimal remuneration. Therefore, reviewing the whole system for fairness and how it is implemented, and letting teachers drive the discussion is important. ” —Debora Scheffel (2017)

Issues in the election

U.S. Supreme Court tells state court to reconsider ruling on school district voucher program

On June 27, 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court told the Colorado Supreme Court to reconsider its 2015 decision to rule a voucher program created by the Douglas County School District unconstitutional. The program, called the Douglas County Choice Scholarship Program, sought to provide publicly-funded scholarships, or vouchers, to students to attend any school of their choice, including private and religious schools. It was approved by the board of education in 2011, but it never went into effect due to court challenges.

The Douglas County Choice Scholarship Program was first blocked by the Denver District Court after Taxpayers for Public Education filed a lawsuit against its implementation. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Colorado also challenged the program. The school district appealed the decision to the Colorado Supreme Court, which ruled the program unconstitutional due to a law in the Colorado Constitution called the Blaine Amendment. The Blaine Amendment was written to not allow public funds to be used for religious purposes, including religious schools.

The U.S. Supreme Court did not address the state's Blaine Amendment directly when it sent the case back to the state supreme court. On June 26, 2017, however, it ruled in Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer that churches could not be excluded from state programs that were open to other charitable organizations when benefits met a secular need, such as repaving a playground. Supporters of the school district's voucher program approved that decision, and officials from the school district said they were encouraged by the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling. “We look forward to the Colorado Supreme Court’s second review and decision on this important matter,” said the district’s legal counsel, William Trachman. “As always, the Douglas County School District is dedicated to empowering parents to find the best educational options for their children.”

Meghann Silverthorn

“It’s our hope that a decision now by the Colorado Supreme Court will allow us to put kids into the conversation about the best way to deliver the best education possible for them,” said Douglas County Board of Education President Meghann Silverthorn. She was the only member of the 2017 board who had also served when the board voted to start the voucher program in 2011.

Taxpayers For Public Education said that prohibiting the payment of public funds to religious schools "upholds the vital principal[sic], enshrined in the anti-establishment clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, that the government cannot and should not be involved in the support of any religion.”

“The Supreme Court in Trinity Lutheran expressly noted that its opinion does not address religious uses of government funding,” said Mark Silverstein, legal director of the ACLU of Colorado. “Using public money to teach religious doctrine to primary and secondary students is substantially different than using public money to resurface a playground.”

The Colorado Supreme Court was given three options in reconsidering its 2015 decision. "It may revise its earlier opinion, request new arguments from both sides or ask a lower court to reconsider the case," according to Chalkbeat Colorado.

The newcomers elected in the district's school board election on November 7, 2017, joined the former governing minority of the board to vote to end the voucher program on December 4, 2017. The motion also directed the school district to end the legal case. The vote was 6-0, with newly elected member Kevin Leung recusing himself as he was a plaintiff in the case.

Board extends interim superintendent's contract

Erin Kane

The Douglas County Board of Education voted 5-2 on January 17, 2017, to extend the contract of interim Superintendent Erin Kane through the 2017-2018 school year. Kane took on the role of interim superintendent in July 2016, after former Superintendent Elizabeth Fagen resigned from the position. Before the January 2017 vote, Kane's contract was set to expire on September 1, 2017.

Board member Steven Peck argued in favor of extending Kane's contract. In a statement, he said:

“	Selection of a new leader a few months ahead of an election isn't fair to the newly elected board who will assume responsibility following the November 2017 election. The new board should be given an opportunity to shape the trajectory of the district. That may result in a permanent contract for Ms. Kane or it may not, but the voters should have their voices heard.	”
—Steven Peck (January 2017)

Board member James Geddes agreed with Peck. "If the board becomes substantially changed, then that board should choose the next superintendent," said Geddes.

Board members David Ray and Anne Marie Lemieux voted against the extension. Board member Wendy Vogel also initially opposed the extension, but she voted in favor after a 20 percent bonus for Kane was taken out of the contract. Those three board members made up the board's three-member governing minority prior to the 2017 election, which voted to hire a different candidate when Kane was first appointed to the interim superintendent position.

Ray said he was unprepared for the vote on Kane's contract extension. He said that there should have been better communication about the issue on the board and that it should have been voted on earlier in the school year. "It just didn't evolve the way I thought it should," said Ray.

Lemieux said she wanted to hear more input from the community before voting on the contract extension, and she also said she did not agree with keeping an interim superintendent for so long. "You want to know what creates chaos and instability? It's keeping an interim indefinitely," said Lemieux.

Kane said she did not expect to serve as interim superintendent for more than one year, but she said she would like to continue to help and bring stability to the school district. She also said she did not know if she would apply for the full superintendent position. "I can't predict what the district will look like in a year," said Kane.

U.S. Supreme Court rules in favor of special education student, against school district

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-0 in favor of a special education student in Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District on March 22, 2017. The case was brought against the school district by parents of a student with autism and attention deficit disorder. They said the district had not provided an adequate education plan for their son and sought reimbursement for the cost of sending him to a private school. The court ruled in favor of the student and his family and said that public school districts had to meet higher standards by designing programs for students to make progress in light of their disabilities.

The case looked at requirements set up by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which requires special education students to be provided with a “free and appropriate public education.” The Supreme Court's ruling overturned a lower court's ruling by determining that the term appropriate went farther than the lower court had held.

“When all is said and done, a student offered an educational program providing merely more than de minimis progress from year to year can hardly be said to have been offered an education at all,” said Chief Justice John Roberts. “For children with disabilities, receiving instruction that aims so low would be tantamount to sitting idly awaiting the time when they were old enough to drop out.”

School officials said it could be costly to require higher standards for special education programs and said those higher standards could lead parents to make unrealistic demands, according to The Denver Post. Advocates for students with disabilities said schools had to be required to offer programs that went beyond the bare minimum.

Douglas County Board of Education candidates discuss building trust

All eight candidates who ran in the 2017 election participated in a candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Arapahoe and Douglas Counties on October 3, 2017. Candidates focused on the need to build trust in the district. You can see their statements in the table below.

Douglas County Board of Education candidates on trust
Candidate	Survey response
District B
Ryan Abresch (Elevate Douglas County slate)	"You need to make sure you are listening to the other side, even when you don't want to listen to them...and you need to make sure that you're both working collaboratively to come up with creative solutions to difficult problems."
Anthony Graziano (Community Matters slate)	Graziano spoke of the importance of working with the community to make decisions that drive action "versus continuing to deliberate and over evaluate things that have caused instability over the last eight years."
District D
Randy Mills (Elevate Douglas County slate)	Mills said that trust requires stability and community involved and said, "Trust starts where your actions match your words."
Chris Schor (Community Matters slate)	When asked about vouchers, Schor said, "If we want to build trust - and I keep hearing this word in this campaign - then let's answer this question honestly...I believe in public funds supporting public schools, therefore I would not support taxpayer-funded vouchers."
District E
Kevin Leung (Community Matters slate)	Leung said it was important for the board of education to listen to staff and advisory committee recommendations.
Grant Nelson (Elevate Douglas County slate)	"Before we would consider any kind of tax increase, the first goal is to restore trust with the community."
Note: No quotes were available from Krista Holtzmann and Debora Scheffel about trust from the candidate forum.

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Election trends

See also: School boards in session: 2015 in brief

Four newcomers were guaranteed to join the 2017 Douglas County Board of Education election as no incumbents filed to run to retain their seats. Newcomers also swept the ballot in the district's 2015 election, but they defeated three incumbents to win the seats. Two newcomers were elected to open board seats in the district’s 2013 election. Two incumbents also sought and won additional terms that year.

A specific majority faction governed the board from 2009 to 2017. Candidates who supported a pay-for-performance system for teachers and school vouchers were elected to the board that year and maintained a 7-0 majority until 2015. That year, three newcomers who opposed the majority's policies defeated incumbents, which changed the board majority to 4-3. All four seats held by the majority were on the ballot in 2017, and none of the majority members filed to run for re-election. A group of candidates opposed to the majority's policies won the race.

School board election trends
Year	Candidates per seat	Unopposed seats	Incumbents running for re-election	Incumbent success rate	Seats won by newcomers
Douglas County School District
2017	2.00	0.00%	0.00%	Not applicable	100.00%
2015	2.00	0.00%	100.00%	0.00%	100.00%
2013	2.00	0.00%	50.00%	100.00%	50.00%
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%

About the district

See also: Douglas County School District, Colorado

The Douglas County School District is located in Douglas County, Colorado.

The Douglas County School District is located in Douglas County in central Colorado. The county seat is Castle Rock. Douglas County was home to an estimated 328,632 residents in 2016, according to the United States Census Bureau. The district was the third-largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 66,702 students.

Demographics

Douglas County outperformed Colorado as a whole in terms of higher education achievement between 2011 and 2015. The United States Census Bureau found that 56.6 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 38.1 percent of state residents. During the same time period, the median household income in the county was $102,964, compared to $60,629 statewide. The poverty rate in Douglas County was 3.4 percent, while it was 11.5 percent for the entire state.

Racial Demographics, 2016
Race	Douglas County (%)	Colorado (%)
White	90.9	87.5
Black or African American	1.4	4.5
American Indian and Alaska Native	0.5	1.6
Asian	4.6	3.3
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0.1	0.2
Two or More Races	2.5	3.0
Hispanic or Latino	8.5	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 Douglas County School District Colorado election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Douglas County School District elections (2017) - Google News

See also

Douglas County School District	Colorado	School Boards
Douglas County School District elections (2015) Douglas County School District elections (2013) List of school districts in Colorado	Colorado school board elections, 2017 Public education in Colorado Local ballot measures, Colorado	School board elections, 2017 School board elections, 2016 School board election data analysis, 2017 School board election data analysis, 2016

External links

• Douglas County School District
• Douglas County Elections Department