Kathy Plomer

Kathy Plomer

Democratic Party

Colorado State Board of Education At Large

Tenure

2023 - Present

Term ends

2029

Years in position

2

Prior offices

Adams 12 Five Star Schools Board of Education District 3

Successor: Courtney Potter

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Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 8, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

Albion College, 1987

Graduate

University of Michigan, 1990

Personal

Profession

Public health specialist

Contact

Official website

Campaign website

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Kathy Plomer (Democratic Party) is an at-large member of the Colorado State Board of Education. She assumed office on January 10, 2023. Her current term ends on January 9, 2029.

Plomer (Democratic Party) ran for election for an at-large seat of the Colorado State Board of Education. She won in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Plomer completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Kathy Plomer earned a bachelor's degree in political science and government from Albion College in 1987 and a master's degree in public health from the University of Michigan in 1990. Plomer's career experience includes working as a public health specialist in professional development for educators and public health professionals. She has served as a board member of the Five Star Education Foundation.

Elections

2022

See also: Colorado State Board of Education election, 2022

General election

General election for Colorado State Board of Education At Large

Kathy Plomer defeated Dan Maloit, Ryan Van Gundy, and Eric Bodenstab in the general election for Colorado State Board of Education At Large on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kathy Plomer (D)	53.4	1,296,355
		Dan Maloit (R)	43.0	1,044,303
		Ryan Van Gundy (L)	2.8	68,969
		Eric Bodenstab (Unity Party)	0.7	16,502

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,426,129
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Norahlyza Tung (Approval Voting Party)
• Kevin Lorusso (L)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Colorado State Board of Education At Large

Kathy Plomer advanced from the Democratic primary for Colorado State Board of Education At Large on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kathy Plomer	100.0	488,979

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 488,979
= 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.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Colorado State Board of Education At Large

Dan Maloit advanced from the Republican primary for Colorado State Board of Education At Large on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dan Maloit	100.0	498,379

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 498,379
= 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.

Approval Voting Party convention

Approval Voting Party convention for Colorado State Board of Education At Large

Norahlyza Tung advanced from the Approval Voting Party convention for Colorado State Board of Education At Large on March 26, 2022.

		Candidate
✔	Submit photo	Norahlyza Tung (Approval Voting Party)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= 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.

Endorsements

To view Plomer's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.

2017

See also: Adams 12 Five Star Schools elections (2017)

Two of the five seats on the Adams 12 Five Star Schools Board of Education in Colorado were up for nonpartisan general election on November 7, 2017. In her bid for re-election to the District 3 seat, incumbent Kathy Plomer defeated challenger Joshua Bastian. District 4 incumbent Brian Batz ran unopposed and won re-election.

Results

Adams 12 Five Star Schools, District 3 General Election, 4-year term, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Kathy Plomer Incumbent	69.18%	23,164
Joshua Bastian	30.82%	10,318
Total Votes		33,482
Source: Adams County Election Results, "Official Results," accessed August 28, 2023 and Broomfield County Election Results, "Official Results," accessed August 28, 2023

Funding

See also: Campaign finance in the Adams 12 Five Star Schools election

Plomer began the race with an existing account balance of $2,058.04 from her previous campaign. She reported $7,684.50 in contributions and $9,742.54 in expenditures to Colorado Secretary of State, which left her campaign with a $0.00 balance in the election.

2013

See also: Adams 12 Five Star Schools elections (2013)

Plomer defeated Joshua Bastian, David Elliott, and Debbie Christensen for the District 3 seat on the Adams 12 school board on November 5, 2013.

Results

Adams 12 Five Star Schools, District 3 General Election, 4-year term, 2013
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Kathy Plomer	38%	11,361
	Nonpartisan	Debbie Christensen	37.9%	11,333
	Nonpartisan	David Elliott	14%	4,183
	Nonpartisan	Joshua Bastian	10%	2,993
Total Votes				29,870
Source: Adams County, Colorado, "Election Summary Report," November 19, 2013

Funding

Plomer reported $5,975.00 in contributions and $3,916.96 in expenditures to the Colorado Secretary of State, which left her campaign with $2,058.04 on hand in the election.

Endorsements

Plomer received an endorsement from Dr. Frederick J. Schaefer, who was the previous board member for District 3. She also received endorsements from the Citizen’s Coalition 4 Children’s Success, the District Twelve Teachers Association, and state Reps. Joe Salazar (D-31), Dianne Primavera (D-33), and Cherylin Peniston (D-35).

Campaign themes

2022

Video for Ballotpedia

Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released Oct 3, 2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Kathy Plomer completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Plomer'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.

I have been married for 29 years and am a mom of three kids who all graduated from Colorado public schools. I have been deeply engaged in public education for 20 years beginning in the PTO of my children’s elementary school. In Adams 12, I served on the District Accountability Committee and then for eight years on the Adams 12 Board of Education. I also served for six years on the Board of Directors for the Colorado Association of School Boards. I am running for the State Board of Education because I believe all Colorado kids deserve to attend the best schools in the nation. I am a leader who believes in community service and bringing people together to solve problems.

Professionally, I have a Masters of Public Health degree from the University of Michigan and have worked public health for 30 years. I was an HIV/AIDS educator in the early years of the epidemic, I championed early detection of breast cancer and health literacy as part of my work in cancer research, and fought to keep big tobacco off school grounds. In my latest job, I connected COVID impacted people with resources to help with challenges like food, access to healthcare, housing, and basic necessities.

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?

• My first key issue as a State Board member is to ensure academic excellence for all Colorado Students. I believe all kids need 21st-century classrooms so they can compete in the global economy and become the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, and leaders.
• Second, we need to elevate the teaching profession to attract and retain the best educators. We need to pay our educators a living wage and make sure they have the tools they need to give our kids a great education.
• Third is promoting accountability and transparency through partnerships of students, parents and the community to create the best outcomes for all students by using student achievement data, budget priorities and shared goals.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

There are many education policy issues that I am passionate about. Making sure our schools are adequately resourced to meet the academic and mental health needs of our students is a key challenge we face. All students deserve to attend safe and supportive schools that meet a diverse set of student needs. Finding creative ways to meet the modern challenges in our schools is another issue I am passionate about. Having professional educators and school staff is key to student success and we must work together to find ways to attract and retain qualified staff to work in our schools.

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

The most important characteristics of an elected official are honesty, integrity, authenticity, a willingness to listen and make decisions with input from a variety of viewpoints, a service mindset and always, in the case of serving on the State Board of Education putting student needs first.

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

I am a listener and a problem solver. I believe in bringing many voices to the table when it comes to solving problems or achieving shared goals. I am running for office because I believe in community service and that we have an obligation to work together for the good of all. I am an experienced education leader and have a track record of bringing people together and putting the needs of students above all else when making decisions.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to leave a legacy of improved public schools for students across Colorado. There are challenges and successes in districts and schools all over our State. I would like to be part of work that unifies leaders in schools, businesses, nonprofits and the community in working to improve public education, amplifying and sharing the best of what we see in schools and banding together to help schools and districts educate and support all of their students.

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

The State Board of Education sets the vision and direction for public education in Colorado. Among other responsibilities, they supervise the academic standards and accreditation for all 1900 +public schools and the 900,000 students they serve. My primary job will be to be an informed board member who uses the requirements of the law, data, stakeholder input, and most importantly, the best interests of students, to make decisions on policy matters that come before the State Board. My job will also be to advocate for all students across Colorado so that no matter their income or zip code they get a high quality public education.

What issues get in the way of quality education? How would you address these obstacles?

Obstacles that get in the way of quality education are: 1) a lack of adequate resources for public education, 2) the teacher and staff shortages facing our schools and 3) the politicization of our schools by outside groups. In order to provide schools across our state with 21st century learning environments, we need to address the underfunding of education in general and the inequity of funding across the State. I would address the lack of funding in the State’s budget by prioritizing public education and advocating to fully buy down the Budget Stabilization factor. Teachers and staff shortages need to be addressed by increasing respect for school professionals, paying staff competitive wages and making sure teachers and staff have the tools they need to give our kids a great education. Finally, our public schools should be places where students learn to solve complex problems, and think for themselves. We need to make sure we keep politics out of our classrooms and allow them to be places where students can freely think, explore ideas, and learn the skills they need to be our next generation of leaders and innovators.

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?

I am a strong supporter of multiple pathways for students to learn and achieve careers that will lead to a good life. I am in favor of diverse course offerings, partnering with community colleges so interested students can get college credits before they graduate and expanding opportunities for students to get technical training and participate in apprenticeships while they are in high school. The State Board of Education does not choose curriculum but can be champions and support funding and legislation that expands these opportunities.

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.

2013

In response to a candidate survey, Plomer provided the following priorities of her campaign:

“	Provide exceptional learning opportunities for students that prepare them for life and foster a love of learning. Build and utilize strong school/community partnerships. Create a transparent budget process that includes a vision for the future and stakeholder input. Attract, support, and retain the best teachers. Listen to and serve Adams 12 stakeholders.	”
—Kathy Plomer (2013)

In the same survey, Plomer also stated that the following was the largest issue confronting the school district:

“	Preparing every child for success in life will remain the top issue. Engaging learning environments that build critical thinking and problem-solving skills are essential to prepare students for the future. Meeting students where they are at and challenging them to grow academically as learners is central in providing a meaningful school experience. Keeping current with technology in the classroom, continuing evaluation of teaching practice, and researching what motivates, inspires and increases student learning will make Adams 12 a top Colorado district.	”
—Kathy Plomer (2013)

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by -	Colorado State Board of Education At Large 2023-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by -	Adams 12 Five Star Schools Board of Education District 3 2013-2021	Succeeded by Courtney Potter