Melinda Carbajal

This page was last updated during the official's most recent election or appointment. Please contact us with any updates.

Melinda Carbajal

Nonpartisan

School District 27J Board of Education District 3

Tenure

2023 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

1

Predecessor

Lloyd Worth

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 7, 2023

Education

High school

Fruita Monument High School

Bachelor's

Colorado State University, 2012

Personal

Birthplace

Grand Junction, Colo.

Profession

CEO

Melinda Carbajal is a member of the School District 27J Board of Education in Colorado, representing District 3. She assumed office on November 29, 2023. Her current term ends in 2027.

Carbajal ran for election to the School District 27J Board of Education to represent District 3 in Colorado. She won in the general election on November 7, 2023.

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

Biography

Melinda Carbajal was born in Grand Junction, Colorado. She earned a high school diploma from Fruita Monument High School and a bachelor's degree from Colorado State University in 2012. Her career experience includes working as a CEO.

Elections

2023

See also: School District 27J, Colorado, elections (2023)

General election

General election for School District 27J Board of Education District 3

Melinda Carbajal defeated Shawna Hirter in the general election for School District 27J Board of Education District 3 on November 7, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Melinda Carbajal (Nonpartisan)	59.2	13,979
		Shawna Hirter (Nonpartisan)	40.8	9,622

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 23,601
= 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

Carbajal received the following endorsements.

• Colorado Education Association

Campaign themes

2023

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

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

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Melinda Carbajal and I am a mom of 5 27J students. I am a long time community servant and I’ve had the opportunity to work in many capacities in Brighton and 27J over the past 14 years. From bilingual para to office manager, I was able to see all sides of the district inside and out. I was the community liaison for the city of Brighton, providing resource mapping and cradle to career programs for youth. I am currently a small business owner and CEO. I believe in public education, and I believe that every student has the right to a high-quality education. My goal is to empower kids, to build bright futures!

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?

• EVERY student deserves the highest quality education, from high quality teachers who are valued.
• Career and technical education is so important and ensuring the CTE buildings that the bond afforded us continue to be utilized and have the resources needed to put out workforce ready students.
• Safety should, and will continue to be a top priority for myself when I am a community board member. Every child should feel safe and all parents at ease when their students are at school.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I love community work. I want to be a part of identifying gaps and issues within our systems and neighborhoods and come up programs and policies that drive measurable change. I am passionate about ensuring that their is separation of political agendas and religion from our school districts. I believe in public education, and therefore, I understand the importance of separating these items in order to make sure we serve every student.

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

I am well spoken, bold, and a leader. I am not afraid of controversy, but I am level headed and prepared to collaborate with people from all walks of life. I am only 38, but I have truly lived a life full of vastly different experiences. I am a mom of 5, a CEO, and am very active in our community. I am well rounded and versed in policy governance and I am prepared to give 100% in order to ensure ALL kids have the highest quality education.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

9/11 I was 16 years old and a junior in high school. I remember feeling like the world froze and everything seemed to stand still. As we watched the news from our classrooms, I remember feeling gut wrenched. The number of people who lost their life that day, the number of people who chose to serve, the impact that it created on our entire country was absolutely devastating. Not until I was a few years older and traveling through an airport did I realize what type of policies were built on the back of that event. I found it so interesting, thinking about the people who were in office making decisions regarding safety. Setting goals and policies around safety, figuring out how to navigate through fear while creating some sort of ease amongst the masses. It was fascinating and I knew then that one day I would want to serve. Identify gaps, face problems, and create policies for ALL that have measurable results.

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

To set goals and policies. To hold the Superintendent accountable. To allow the professionals on the ground the space to work and meet our goals and policies. To listen, hear from our constituents and provide the highest level of education to ALL students.

Who are your constituents?

Parents, families, students, community members, and staff.

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

• League of Women Voters
• School District 27-J

See also

2023 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel Union Station

External links

Search Google News for this topic