Editor’s note: Boardhawk will be providing news coverage of major Denver Board of Education candidate forums and debates between now and Election Day, which is Nov. 4.
Seven Denver school board candidates – including all three citywide at-large challengers – mostly stuck to general themes Tuesday night about their qualifications and support for students and teachers but many were light on specific strategies to raise achievement.
The 90-minute forum, organized by Central Park United Neighbors, drew nearly 60 people and can be viewed on YouTube. Mail ballots go out next month for the Nov. 4 election, which at this point has not drawn the kind of voter attention that the board election did two years ago.
Candidates responded to questions from moderators rather than a debate format.
At-large
The three-way race is open as incumbent Scott Esserman has switched to run in District 3 in central Denver. Deborah Sims Fard is a second-grade teacher and parent who lives in North Denver; Alex Magaña is a longtime DPS principal, educator and parent who lives in Central Park; Amy Klein Molk is a parent, entrepreneur and paraprofessional who lives in Park Hill.
All three agreed that priorities include school safety, raising achievement among Black and Latino students, increasing mental health services for students, and the continuation of educational choices for families within the district.
Fard cited her 30 years of teaching experience, describing her “superpower” as her skill as a classroom collaborator that would help defuse the infighting that often characterizes board relations.
On student achievement, she emphasized early childhood education and constantly reinforcing positive messages and outcomes.
“Half of this battle is to get students to understand that they are brilliant,” she said.
With budget cuts looming, Sims Fard said school safety is a top priority – “as a classroom teacher, there are times when I don’t feel safe” – and would rather funds go to teacher and student support than standardized testing.
Magaña stressed his student-centered knowledge and “proven track record” over 25 years as a teacher, principal and director of Kepner and Grant Beacon Middle Schools. He said he is running for the board because changes are long overdue across the district.
“DPS is in crisis,” he said. “We have teacher burnout … We have low academic results for too many of our students.”
He said that as a board member, he would work to find common values and set clear goals but believes the board and administration are not focused enough on closing the achievement gap.
“My responsibility is to the community, not to be buddies with other board members,” said Magaña, who is endorsed by Denver Families Action.
Klein Molk, who is endorsed by the Denver Classroom Teachers Association, said her priorities include “fair pay” for teachers and finding ways to reduce class sizes. She supports choice when it is equitable, and she prioritizes limited resources going to bolster neighborhood schools, particularly underperforming schools with students who need the most help.
She said a key to safer schools is providing adequate school-based mental health services and staff. She opposes police officers as school resource officers and prefers safety officers who are “part of the (school) community.”
Klein Molk said her skills in developing educational technology –she founded a company that brought live, interactive learning to students during COVID shutdowns – would help find more innovative ways to reach and support underserved students.
District 4
The Northeast Denver district covers dozens of schools in the Central Park, Green Valley Ranch, Montbello, North Park Hill, Five Points and Whittier neighborhoods. Incumbent Michelle Quattlebaum is community engagement manager for a Denver mental health center; Monica Hunter is a parent and former DPS teacher who is director of human and civil rights for the Colorado Education Association; Timiya Jackson is a DPS parent who works for the city of Aurora as a youth violence and prevention administrator; Jeremy Harris is a DPS parent and funeral director.
Quattlebaum is running for a second term because “more work needs to be done” in areas such as safety, achievement, equity and staff compensation.
“We are closing the gap in Denver Public Schools,” she said.
Recently released test score data show that to be a questionable claim. The spring 2025 K-12 Colorado Measure of Academic Success tests showed that a significant gap persists in DPS. In English Language Arts, for example, nearly 73% of white students scored proficient compared to nearly 27% of Black students and 24% of Latino students.
Her priorities include raising the hourly wage from $20 to $27 an hour for non-teaching employees, reducing suspensions for Black students and continued support for LGBTQ and undocumented immigrant students at a time the Trump administration has targeted both groups.
Hunter, who is endorsed by the Denver Classroom Teachers Association (the union endorsed Quattlebaum four years ago), stressed her work supporting teachers with her work as human and civil right director for the Colorado Education Association.
As a parent and former DPS teacher, “I witnessed the devastation caused by school closures,” and advocates for more resources going to bolster neighborhood schools to avoid future closures.
She echoed the need for more mental health services for students, not only to enhance school safety but arguing that “nurses, psychologists and therapists” are needed for student wellbeing.
Jackson, endorsed by Denver Families Action, pledged to bring “more accountability and transparency” to the board and the administration.
She said she would bring more attention to achievement strategies and reducing barriers to student success that are proven to work, touting her prior experience as a dropout prevention and intervention specialist for Douglas County schools.
“We’ve seen some progress with some of our students, but that is not good enough.”
Harris was the most provocative of the challengers, leveling harsh words at the board and advocating a few controversial ideas.
“We have simply lost trust in our school board and superintendent…We need to focus on student outcomes. We have to put aside ideology and political games.”
Harris called for an audit to consider potential cuts in the “top heavy” central administration that could avert classroom cuts.
He said the district should consider a year-round school calendar to help raise achievement.
And on making schools safer, he said “safety and discipline go hand in hand.” He said he supports police officers at SROs with more training and potential metal detectors installed at some schools to keep out guns.
