Michael Grage

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Michael Grage

Nonpartisan

Cheyenne Mountain School District 12 Board of Education at-large

Tenure

2023 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

1

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 7, 2023

Education

High school

Cheyenne Mountain High School

Bachelor's

Texas A&M University, 1986

Graduate

Dallas Theological Seminary, 1988

Personal

Birthplace

Rapid City, S.D.

Religion

Unaffiliated

Profession

Educator

Michael Grage is an at-large member of the Cheyenne Mountain School District 12 Board of Education in Colorado. He assumed office on November 27, 2023. His current term ends in 2027.

Grage ran for election for an at-large seat of the Cheyenne Mountain School District 12 Board of Education in Colorado. He won in the general election on November 7, 2023.

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

Biography

Michael Grage was born in Rapid City, South Dakota. Grage earned a high school diploma from Cheyenne Mountain High School, a graduate degree from the Dallas Theological Seminary in 1988, and a bachelor's degree from Texas A&M University in 1986. His career experience includes working as a educator.

Elections

2023

See also: Cheyenne Mountain School District 12, Colorado, elections (2023)

General election

General election for Cheyenne Mountain School District 12 Board of Education at-large (3 seats)

Incumbent Susan Mellow, Betsy Kleiner, and Michael Grage defeated Rick Gillit and Celeste Fitzpatrick in the general election for Cheyenne Mountain School District 12 Board of Education at-large on November 7, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Susan Mellow (Nonpartisan)	25.8	5,020
✔		Betsy Kleiner (Nonpartisan)	25.4	4,943
✔		Michael Grage (Nonpartisan)	19.1	3,706
		Rick Gillit (Nonpartisan)	16.5	3,201
		Celeste Fitzpatrick (Nonpartisan)	13.2	2,574

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 19,444
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Grage in this election.

Campaign themes

2023

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Michael Grage completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Grage'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 am a former Cheyenne Mountain High School educator and a long time business owner and professional in Colorado Springs. I taught AP courses in World History, American Government and Politics, Comparative Government and Politics, and other courses. A 1981 graduate of CMHS, and long time business owner in southern Colorado.

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?

• Safe Schools
• Continued Academic Excellence
• Educator Autonomy

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am personally passionate about all aspects of school safety—physical safety, emotional safety, and educational safety. I support stringent gun safety in schools as well as cell phone removal from all district classrooms during class time. I support enhanced emotional support for all students through the increased funding for mindfulness and positivity instruction and training for classroom teachers. I support continuing excellence in education through rigorous curriculum and support of the arts in our district. Finally, I support teacher autonomy in the classroom giving teachers freedom to reach mandated curricular goals through their own creativity and ongoing research. I do not support the introduction of one-size-fits-all behavioral programs (I.e., Capturing Kids’ Hearts).

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Once and Future King by T.H.White. In addition to being a beautiful fantasy novel, it was a book that my sophomore English teacher promised that if I completed, I would become a lifetime reader. She was right and that forever etched in my mind the importance of educators who direct students to life beyond high school.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

What Was I Made For by Billie Eilish

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

To follow the lead of the Superintendent of Schools and to give objective input to the Superintendent, the Board of Education, and the community.

Who are your constituents?

Teachers, parents, business and residential taxpayers.

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

• League of Women Voters

Grage completed a survey for Vote411. In it, he said, “Parents continue to tell teachers and dministrators that their top priority is the social and emotional well-being of their children,” adding that “we must continue to build upon the in-district developed programs around mindfulness and positivity while rejecting canned national programs … which are expensive to implement and do not address the local needs of our student population.”

See also

2023 Elections

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Government

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External links

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