Rebecca McClellan

Rebecca McClellan

Democratic Party

Colorado State Board of Education District 6

Tenure

2017 - Present

Term ends

2029

Years in position

8

Prior offices

Centennial Colorado City Council

---

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 8, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

San Diego State University, 1989

Contact

Official website

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Rebecca McClellan (Democratic Party) is a member of the Colorado State Board of Education, representing Colorado's 6th Congressional District. She assumed office in 2017. Her current term ends on January 9, 2029.

McClellan (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Colorado State Board of Education to represent Colorado's 6th Congressional District. She won in the general election on November 8, 2022.

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

Biography

Rebecca McClellan earned a bachelor's degree from San Diego State University in 1989.

Political career

Colorado State Board of Education (2017-present)

McClellan was first elected to the Colorado State Board of Education in November 2016, unseating incumbent Debora Scheffel (R). She took office the following January.

Centennial, Colorado City Council (2006-2014)

McClellan served on the city council of Centennial, Colorado from 2006 until 2014. During her time on the council, McClellan acted as mayor pro tempore and was the council's liaison to the area's schools.

Elections

2022

See also: Colorado State Board of Education election, 2022

General election

General election for Colorado State Board of Education District 6

Incumbent Rebecca McClellan defeated Molly Lamar in the general election for Colorado State Board of Education District 6 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rebecca McClellan (D)	58.3	159,191
		Molly Lamar (R)	41.7	113,955

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 273,146
= 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.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Colorado State Board of Education District 6

Incumbent Rebecca McClellan advanced from the Democratic primary for Colorado State Board of Education District 6 on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rebecca McClellan	100.0	58,303

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 58,303
= 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 District 6

Molly Lamar advanced from the Republican primary for Colorado State Board of Education District 6 on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Molly Lamar	100.0	48,888

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 48,888
= 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 McClellan's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.

2016

On November 8, 2016, Rebecca McClellan won election to the office of Colorado State Board of Education, District 6. She defeated Debora L. Scheffel in the general election.

Colorado State Board of Education, District 6, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Rebecca McClellan	50.2%	179,722
	Republican	Debora L. Scheffel	49.8%	178,462
Total Votes				358,184
Election results via Colorado Division of Elections.

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

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

Representing the 6th District on the State Board since 2017, I ask for your vote for a second term to continue working for academic excellence and opportunity for every Colorado student. As Legislative Liaison, I worked to help pass the bipartisan full day kindergarten bill. Working with parents, I've helped to ensure implementation of the bipartisan READ Act to deliver evidence-based literacy instruction to more Colorado students including those with dyslexia. I've partnered with local school districts and legislators to support pathways to success that align with opportunities after graduation including concurrent enrollment, Career & Technical Education, STEM & STEAM programs, and programs like ASCENT, allowing high school students to earn marketable qualifications and college credits through community colleges.

I was selected as a 2017 Gates Fellow to the Harvard Kennedy School of Government program for Senior Leaders in State and Local Government and have represented our State Board at the National Association of State Boards of Education.

Our children study medicine and aviation at Colorado public universities. As public-school parents, Jim and I volunteered in our children's K-12 years, including service as Liaison to the CCSD during my eight years on Centennial City Council. Working with PTCO leaders and legislators, I developed and passed measures to improve school funding and brought Safe Routes to Schools to local schools. McClellanforColorado.com

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?

• Academic growth and achievement are my top priority. I'm pleased to have successfully advocated to prioritize our state's ESSER funds on proven strategies like high impact tutoring. As a legislative liaison, I worked to help pass the bipartisan full day kindergarten bill to support Colorado's youngest learners with a strong foundation for success.
• Working with parents, I have supported the bipartisan READ Act to deliver evidence-based literacy instruction to more Colorado students, including students with dyslexia. This follows my experience working with the Special Education Advisory Committee parents as well CO Kids parent advocates of students with dyslexia.
• I am endorsed by parents, teachers, and school leaders for my demonstrated commitment to academic excellence and opportunity for all Colorado Students. I would be grateful for your vote to continue this essential work.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Academic growth and achievement must be our continued focus to support Colorado students as they prepare for a bright future. I support the work of ensuring that our academic offerings are connected to the needs and opportunities that exist in Colorado. I have partnered with districts and legislators to support the many pathways to success including concurrent enrollment, Career and Technical Education, STEM & STEAM opportunities, and the ASCENT program which allows high school students to gain marketable qualifications and college credits through community colleges. I'm pleased to have successfully advocated to prioritize our state's ESSER funds on proven strategies like high impact tutoring to maximize academic growth and achievement. Working to ensure that our accountability system is fair and effective is important to me because we have limited resources with which to target supports for schools and districts most in need. We've seen successes when districts have put in the work to leverage these supports to lift academic growth and achievement. When improvements happen where they're needed most, it can positively change the trajectory of students' lives while also helping our state flourish when students graduate as well-prepared citizens, ready for well-paying jobs. We must meet the challenge of attracting and retaining teachers without lowering standards and qualifications. I encourage voters to support competitive wages for teachers and support staff.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

The Colorado State Board of Education acts as an accountability backstop to ensure that schools and districts most in need of improvement, are provided supports to lift academic growth and achievement.

Recently, the State Board worked to prioritize our state's ESSER funds. I am pleased to have successfully advocated for the prioritization of proven strategies like high-impact tutoring for boost academic growth and achievement.

Our State Board helps to implement education legislation through rulemaking to enable the Colorado Department of Education to carry out the legislature's priorities. The State Board also hires the Colorado Commissioner of Education. State funding is appropriated by the Legislature, not the State Board. The State Board does not decide on local school district budgets. But our CDE does provide financial transparency about school districts: https://www.cde.state.co.us/schoolview/financialtransparency/homepage

Our board votes on our broad Colorado Academic Standards but does not dictate curriculum nor prescribe textbooks.

The State Board of Education hears accountability cases and issues orders related to improvement plans.

Though most charter schools are approved by local district boards, when a proposed charter school application is denied, the applicant can appeal to the State Board which will act in a quasi-judicial role in hearing the appeal. Our obligation is to base decisions on the best interests of students and the community.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I admire our neighbors who step up to serve as unpaid volunteers on our local school district boards. For many, there was no way to know that they'd be serving through a public health crisis during which they would be the target of criticism no matter what decisions they made with respect to public safety efforts. They likely didn't realize that there would be efforts to pit parents against teachers. They're often neighbors who simply wanted to help their child's school district be the best it can be. Colorado is a local control state. All the way back to 1876, our state's constitution has prohibited legislators and your state board from prescribing textbooks or dictating curriculum. Nor do we decide on your local district's budget. But I've felt almost guilty pointing out these distinctions, knowing that some local board members would bear the brunt of criticisms they often do not deserve. Yet time after time, local boards meet these challenging conversations with grace and a constructive spirit of service. I think that's an example worth following because it prioritizes the best interests of students and the community.

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

Honesty and fidelity to the mission of the Colorado State Board of Education are vital. The mission of the Colorado State Board of Education is to provide all of Colorado’s children equal access to quality, thorough, uniform, well-rounded educational opportunities in a safe and civil learning environment.

The Vision of the State Board of Education is: All children in Colorado will become educated and productive citizens. Board Members must be prepared to honor this vision with fidelity to all Colorado students. 

I am pleased that my service and commitment to these priorities has been recognized by endorsements from The Aurora Sentinel, as well as parents, teachers, and school leaders, among many others.

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

I'm not sure if it's the very first memory of a historical event, but the Bicentennial celebration looms large in my memory. I was ten in 1976, and the Bicentennial Minute broadcasts brought history to life for me. The next year my family watched Alex Haley's Roots, which was groundbreaking and unforgettable. Viewing the depictions of the experiences of enslaved people provided an important window onto American history. Haley's genealogical connection to history also sparked a lifelong interest in genealogy and history for me, eventually leading to discoveries of New England Puritan and Pennsylvania Mennonite history. I'm grateful for the unspoken invitation to explore genealogy, but most of all for the thought-provoking window onto the stories of Black Americans during enslavement in America. We have more to reflect upon from this terrible chapter and the work that still must be done to stop racism and ensure that every child has the chance to reach their potential for a bright future. Every step we take on that journey benefits us all.

What responsibilities of this office do you personally consider the most important?

Every State Board responsibility is important. Some of the most impactful decisions are those which help to target limited resources where they can do the most to lift academic growth and achievement. Our decisions around the accountability system and on improvement plans are essential to the successes we've seen in districts like Aurora and Pueblo. I am especially pleased to have successfully advocated for the prioritization of high impact tutoring with our state's share of the federal ESSER funds to accelerate academic growth and boost achievement.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

I think this survey has covered many of the most important areas of leadership for the State Board of Education, but readers might appreciate the chance to see the Powers and Duties as outlined on the CDE site:

https://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeboard/about

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

My prior service on Centennial City Council, including a term as Mayor Pro Tempore, gave me the experience to be effective for my district from the beginning of my term. My service as Council Liaison to the Cherry Creek School District gave me some experience working with legislators and local PTCO leaders when I helped to develop and pass measures to improve school funding. This experience helped me as I prepared to serve as a State Board of Education Legislative Liaison.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

The ability to recognize what is and what is not a State Board power is essential. For example, the State Board does NOT decide local school district pay rates or other local budgetary matters. Those fall under the purview of your local elected school board.

The State Board of Education does NOT dictate curriculum, nor does the State Board prescribe textbooks, though we do vote on revisions to the broad Colorado Academic Standards.

When deciding quasi-judicial matters such as charter application appeals, it is improper to have a predetermined decision. State Board members are obligated to base quasi-judicial decisions on the facts and testimony in the record of each case, and with the best interests of students and the community in mind.

Understanding how service on an elected board works to serve the interests of the people we serve is essential.

The ability to communicate accurately to the public what we do and don't do, is important. Acting with fidelity to the best interests of students and the community is of paramount importance.

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.

See also

2022 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. Congress 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 Heart of the Primaries 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

Candidate

Colorado State Board of Education District 6

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Officeholder

Colorado State Board of Education District 6

Website

Personal

Facebook

LinkedIn

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by -	Colorado State Board of Education District 6 2017-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by -	Centennial Colorado City Council 2006-2014	Succeeded by -