AURORA | Cherry Creek School District board member Karen Fisher announced she will run for a second term in this November’s election.
Fisher has filed paperwork to seek her second and final four-year term on the board of directors representing District E, which includes Grandview High School. Board members are term-limited.
Fisher is a 27-year resident in the district and a mother of six children who have all gone to schools in the district. Her youngest two children are still in Cherry Creek schools.
Her resume on the board since being elected in 2013 includes being in charge of the district’s most recent bond measure, approved by voters in 2016. She said the work on the campaign and coordinating the effort of volunteers provided her with invaluable experience.
“It was my first time leading it and it was a big job i was really honored to lead it,” Fisher said. “I love Cherry Creek Schools and doing that election. Everybody you talk to says, ‘Oh I bought my house because of Cherry Creek schools. I told my realtor I’d only look at homes in the district.’ That legacy is something I am so proud of and if I can do anything to help maintain that, then I’m going to do it.”
Fisher said one of the things she’s most proud of during her time is the work the board did in coming to the decision to switch to later start times for middle and high schools. The board worked not only to research the decision, it also did extensive outreach to adjust the plan to meet feedback.
Even with all the research and outreach, Fisher said she knew the change was still hard on some families. Fisher said she felt their pain, even if she believes board members made the right decision.
“It was a pretty major change and some families had to figure out how to deal with the new start times. However, the majority of the folks understand the research on sleep and why we did it,” Fisher said. “We’re definitely going to continue to research the change and tweak it to help the most people we can. The decisions we make on the board are always with the best interest of the children in mind.”
Fisher so far has no opponent. While she ran unopposed last time, it was by fluke that she didn’t have an opponent in 2013. The other candidate in the race announced intent early in the year, but as the election neared and paperwork was turned in, Fisher said her opponent’s address was not in District E.