The four Denver school board races have drawn more than $1 million in campaign money in a spending sprint to the Nov. 4 election that will determine a board majority for at least the next two years.
The single biggest contribution is $600,000 from Denver Families Action to the political committee Better Leaders, Stronger Schools, to support Alex Magaña, Mariana del Hierro, Timiya Jackson and Caron Blanke. DFA is an education nonprofit funded by grants including City Fund, a deep-pocketed national group that promotes more autonomy and innovation for urban schools, including charters.
On the other funding side are the teacher unions, Denver Classroom Teachers Association, Colorado Education Association, and the American Federation of Teachers. Their combined contributions total about $300,000 – much of that from DCTA/CEA through its Victory Fund political committee– supporting incumbent Xóchitl “Sochi” Gaytán and candidates Amy Klein Molk, Monica Hunter and DJ Torres.
This week marked the latest filing deadline by the Colorado Secretary of State that covers contributions and expenditures through Oct. 8. By comparison, spending on the election two years ago for three board seats totaled more than $2 million. The three candidates in 2023 backed by DFA – John Youngquist, Kimberlee Sia, and Marlene De La Rosa – were all elected to the board.
Money can make or break a campaign
The high cost of school board campaigns illustrates what has become a political reality in Denver – a candidate needs the financial support of either Denver Families or the teacher unions to gain traction from voters.
For example, two incumbents who lost DCTA endorsements this year – Scott Esserman and Michelle Quattlebaum – have raised a combined $26,316, a sum dwarfed by the cash amounts from the unions and Denver Families.
The money pays for advertising, direct mail, digital media, brochures, consultants, voter canvassing and other costs. Considering that most Denver voters don’t return their mail ballots until closer to the Nov. 4 deadline, most candidates report they still have tens of thousands in campaign money to spend over the coming days.
Besides the committee contributions, direct contributions big and small to the 11 candidates total more than $340,000.
Some of the biggest individual donors include: Philip and Jill Anschutz ($44,000 to Better Leaders, Stronger Schools); Bruce and Marcy Benson ($20,000 to BLSS, Blanke, Jackson and del Hierro), David Carlson ($11,000 to BLSS) and David Scanavino ($7,500 to BLSS and Jackson). The maximum individual direct candidate donation is $2,500, but contributions to organizations do not have similar restrictions.
Leaders of DCTA and Denver Families respond
DCTA President Rob Gould said in an interview that he expects the campaign funding gap to grow as the election nears.
“The money that supports Denver Families is coming straight from out-of-state billionaires from City Fund, the Walton family (foundation) and the rest,” he said. “The money that goes to (CEA) Victory Fund is coming straight from teachers and DCTA members.”
Despite being outspent by a widening margin, Gould said, “I’m hoping that voters will see the money coming from out-of-state billionaires and decide they don’t want that and instead listen to the teachers who know their students the best.”
In interviewing all candidates earlier this year, he said, DCTA chose the four who were the most specific about strategies to support teachers, reduce class size, advocate for neighborhood schools, bolster mental health services and enhance student success.
Denver Families CEO Clarence Burton Jr. rejects the “us vs. them” narrative, pointing to educational priorities that are shaped by local engagement, not by donors.
“Through surveys, door-to-door canvassing and public polling, we engaged more than 100,000 DPS parents, students, educators, alumni and community members,” he wrote in an email.
He said a panel of 37 parents, teachers, school leaders, and community members “not political insiders” based their candidate endorsements on achieving better academic outcomes, mental health support, school safety, and “a focus on what really matters: making sure that every student in Denver has access to a great public school that meets their needs.”
For example, he said in a previous interview that DPS leadership clearly needs a new direction “when you have a system where 40% of kids are not reading at grade level, (where) only one in four Black students is reading at grade level.”
At-large race wins money sweepstakes among board races
Amy Klein Molk, a Denver parent and education entrepreneur, reported $49,148 in contributions and $10,691 in spending. The DCTA has donated $6,668, its Public Education Committee $12,883 and American Federation of Teachers $2,500.
Alex Magaña, a longtime DPS educator and principal of Kepner and Grant Beacon Middle Schools, reported $52,486 in direct contributions, and the BLSS committee reported an additional $210,000 toward support for his campaign.
Blanke tops fundraising in Central Denver’s District 3
Besides support from BLSS, Caron Blanke raised nearly $60,000 from individual donors, the largest amount among all 11 board candidates, and she has spent nearly $25,000. She is a parent activist and former director of early learning at the Jewish Community Center. Her biggest donors were Bruce and Marcy Benson at $5,000 (other contributions by Bensons noted elsewhere).
D.J. Torres, a former DPS educator who works for a gun violence prevention-focused nonprofit, reported $34,369 in individual contributions and has spent nearly half that amount. The DCTA donated $4,000, AFT $2,500 and most of the rest were small contributions.
Scott Esserman, the incumbent who switched from his current at-large seat to run in his home District 3, has raised $18,914 and spent $13,773. He was endorsed four years ago by DCTA but the teacher unions are backing Torres this time. His largest donation is $1,500 from Elizabeth Walker.
Gaytán edges del Hierro in donations in Southwest District 2
Incumbent “Sochi” Gaytan reports raising $20,203 and has spent $7,144. The DCTA donated $13,434 and most of her other contributions came from smaller donors.
Mariana del Hierro, a parent activist who directs a Southwest Denver health and food-security nonprofit, raised $17,910 and has spent $5,822. Besides support from BLSS, her contributions include $5,000 from Bruce and Marcy Benson and $2,500 from Steven Talley.
Jackson leads fundraising in Northeast District 4
Timiya Jackson, a DPS parent who works for the city of Aurora as a youth violence and prevention administrator, raised $27,241 from individual contributions and has spent nearly half of that. Donors included $5,000 from Bruce and Marcy Benson and $2,500 from David Scanavino. She also was supported by BLSS for an additional $31,200.
Jeremy Harris, a DPS parent and funeral director, reported the most individual contributions totaling $28,900 plus in-kind donations valued at $9,735. He has spent nearly $5,000. Donors include $2,500 from his wife Andrea Harris, $2,500 from Miranda Austin of Baltimore, $2,500 from Garland Willingham of Washington state and Roland Witherspoon of Texas at $2,500.
Monica Hunter, a parent and former DPS teacher who is director of human and civil rights for the Colorado Education Association, reported $8,140 in individual contributions plus in-kind donations valued at $5,151. She has spent nearly $5,000. Her donations include $3,000 from the DCTA and $2,500 from AFT. Details of specific support from the CEA Victory Fund was not itemized on the Secretary of State site.
Incumbent Michelle Quattlebaum, who was endorsed by DCTA four years ago before the union switched to Hunter this year, raised $7,402, spent $6,734 and reports $5,760 cash on hand. Most of her contributions are small, with the two largest at $1,000 each from Dwight Jones and Leah Vanlandshoot.
What’s next
Candidate and committee spending will grow by Nov. 4, with the final report on campaign money prior to the election due October 27. Post-election reports that track all spending are due in December.
