Ballots have arrived, and its time to be sure you know where each candidate stands on critical issues that will affect DPS schools and students before you cast your vote.
The best way to learn about the candidates is directly from them. You have an opportunity to do so on Tuesday, October 18 from 6pm – 7:30pm for a Candidate Forum at the University of Denver Davis Auditorium. Read full details about the Candidate Forum here: DPS School Board Candidate Forum
What kinds of things do you need to know about each candidate? Follow this link to read a resource provided by the US Chamber of Commerce. It offers guidance and lists important questions the people who will be deciding the future of Denver’s schools must answer: School Board Candidate Questionnaire.
If you can’t make it to the forum, you can pose these questions directly to the candidates, or research previously released completed questionnaires that will help you determine the qualifications and priorities of each candidate.
Read this introduction from the questionnaire:
School boards play a unique role in school district governance and provide a venue for communities to have democratic input into local education decisions. To effectively execute their responsibilities, school board members must clearly understand district governance and have a strong commitment to advancing student outcomes. Because the majority of school boards in the United States are elected, it is up to voters to select the most informed and competent individuals to fulfill these roles. During school board elections, candidates must demonstrate their knowledge of both the conditions that allow boards to be effective and the specific challenges facing their district.
Enclosed is a list of sample nonpartisan questions that voters, editorial boards, or other stakeholders can use to gauge the views and knowledge of school board candidates. These questions, developed in consultation with national education governance and policy experts and school board veterans, can be included in a written questionnaire or asked at public forums.