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By Melanie Asmar, Chalkbeat
Four seats on Colorado’s nine-member State Board of Education are up for election on Nov. 5. The election is unlikely to change the board majority, which is currently held by Democrats, but it could narrow that majority and change the board’s dynamics.
The State Board of Education holds schools and school districts accountable for student test scores, hears appeals when school districts reject charter school applications, and sets standards for what students should learn and what schools should teach.
One at-large seat on the board represents the entire state. The other eight seats represent Colorado’s eight congressional districts. The seats representing Congressional Districts 2, 3, 4, and 8 are up for election this year. The other seats will be up for election in 2026 or 2028.
Board members are elected for six-year terms. They do not earn a salary.
Just one incumbent, Democrat Rhonda Solis, is running for reelection. She represents District 8.
Chalkbeat asked the seven candidates about school safety, immigrant students, restricting books in school libraries, what students should learn about health and science, and more. Their answers are exactly how they submitted them; Chalkbeat did not edit what they wrote. You can view the answers by candidate or by question.
View answers by candidate
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 8
View answers by question
- Why are you running for this office and what are your top three priorities?
- What is your connection to education in Colorado? Are you a parent? An educator? A community member?
- The State Board of Education is responsible for holding schools and school districts accountable for student test scores. In recent years, the State Board has largely let schools set their own improvement plans. Do you think this approach is working? What, if anything, would you do differently?
- The State Board sets the academic standards for Colorado, which detail what students should learn. The next standards up for review could include the standards for health education and science. What do you think students should learn about these topics — and is there anything students should not learn?
- Do you believe in restricting students’ access to books in school libraries? If so, what do you think that process should look like?
- School choice, or the ability for students to request to attend any public school in Colorado, is enshrined in state law. What do you think of the current system? What, if any, changes would you advocate for as a State Board member?
- The State Board hears appeals when a local school district denies a charter school the authorization to open. Would you consider overturning a district decision? Why or why not?
- Many students and parents are concerned about school safety. What do you think Colorado should do to make schools safer, and what would you advocate for as a State Board member?
- Colorado schools enrolled more than 8,000 new immigrant students last school year, many from Venezuela and other South American countries. How should Colorado schools serve these students, and what would you advocate for as a State Board member?
