AURORA | In the race for three seats on the Aurora Public Schools Board of Education, two incumbents are leading the field of seven candidates.
Incumbents Dan Jorgensen and Cathy Wildman appear poised to be re-elected to their seats on the board, while newcomer Monica Colbert is holding on to the third spot.
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Unlike other districts, APS isn’t split into geographic areas, so the top three vote-getters win seats on the board.
Jorgensen and Wildman have close to 18 percent of the votes in Arapahoe County, while Colbert has about 16 percent. In fourth place is Billie Day with about 14 percent. The same three candidates are leading in Adams County.
Jorgensen said he was “honored and gratified” to see the results.
During the campaign, Jorgensen said voters seemed to want board candidates who were reasonable, not candidates who seemed particularly extreme.
“I really hope to bring a reasonable voice to the board, and I always have,” he said.
In a race with seven candidates, voters opted for the incumbents, something Wildman said she hopes is a sign that Aurora voters are happy with the changes new Superintendent Rico Munn has implemented.
“That is something that needs to be carried forward,” she said.
Colbert did not immediately return a call for comment Tuesday night.
While Jorgensen and Wildman sought re-election, the third seat on the board opened up because longtime board member Mary Lewis is term limited.
In addition to Colbert and Day, three other newcomers sought a spot on the board: Grant Barrett, Linda Cerva and Michael Donald.
Before being elected, Wildman taught form more than 40 years in elementary, middle and high schools. She retired from APS in 2010.
Jorgensen serves as the Accountability and Research Manager in the Accountability and Data Analysis Unit at the Colorado Department of Education and holds a doctorate in education from University of Denver.
During the campaign Colbert, who works for a nonprofit, said a few years ago she never would have considered running for office.
But after paying more attention to the schools because her two daughters attend APS, she said she changed her mind.
