Four years ago, Aurora Public Schools and Cherry Creek School District scrapped their school board elections because there weren’t enough candidates interested.
That likely won’t be the case this fall, when each district has three seats on their five-person school boards up for grabs.
In APS, board members Cathy Wildman and Dan Jorgensen are both seeking second terms, while Mary Lewis’ seat is open because the long-time board member is term limited.
So far, just Jorgensen and Wildman have filed documents with the Colorado Secretary of State’s office to run in the November election.
But Georgia Duran, a spokeswoman for the district, said an informational meeting about the board elections last week drew about a dozen people, six of which said they were interested in running for one of the seats.
Packets for candidates interested in running for the APS board were made available Aug. 5 at the district’s legal offices, 15701 E. First Ave., Suite 100. The office is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Candidates have to file their paperwork by Aug. 28 to appear on the November ballot.
In APS, board members Cathy Wildman and Dan Jorgensen are both seeking second terms, while Mary Lewis’ seat is open because the long-time board member is term limited.
In Cherry Creek, board members Jim O’Brien and Claudine McDonald are term limited so their seats are open. Dave Willman is seeking a second term.
Packets for candidates interested in running in the CCSD election can be picked up at district headquarters, 4700 S. Yosemite St. Greenwood Village, Room 255.
CCSD candidates have until Aug. 28 to file as well.
Willman, who was the only candidate for his seat four years ago and was appointed following the scrapped election, said he hasn’t heard of any potential challengers yet.
“I’m not expecting one, but you never know,” he said.
According to the Secretary of State’s records, four people have filed paperwork to run in this fall’s CCSD election: Janice McDonald, Eric Parish, Matthew Batcho and David Arrestad.
Four years ago, Aurora Public Schools and Cherry Creek School District scrapped their school board elections because there weren’t enough candidates interested.
Willman said there seems to be more interest in this year’s race, albeit in the other two districts up for grab, not in his.
“I think there is just so much noise out there politically and people aren’t happy,” he said.
JulieMarie Shepherd, president of the APS board, said the elections often pass by with few people paying attention. Surveys of district staff show that even among people who work for the district, a hefty percentage say they aren’t sure what the school board does.
Hopefully, Shepherd said, with so much attention on Aurora Central High School, which is undergoing a major restructuring under state guidelines for under-performing schools, more community members will pay attention to this year’s race.
While they haven’t filed paperwork yet, Shepherd said she has heard from a handful of community members who say they are interested in running.
“I want to see candidates who are willing to help tackle some of the challenges in a really thoughtful way,” she said.