With four of seven board seats on the ballot this fall — and frustrations simmering over school closures, low test scores and board transparency — November’s election could reshape Denver Public Schools and chart a new course for the state’s largest school district.

It’s a crowded field.

Thirteen candidates have filed, according to the Colorado Secretary of State’s office. One of them — Samari Royal Jelks Sr., who filed to run for the at-large seat held by Director Scott Esserman — said he has withdrawn from the race, but as of Monday remained listed as a candidate.

Esserman, a former educator elected at-large in 2021, is now running in District 3, represented by board President Carrie Olson. Olson, in her eighth year, is term-limited and cannot seek re-election.

Discontent with district leadership was on full display two years ago and in public meetings since.

Eight months after an East High School student shot two administrators, raising safety concerns, voters elected three new members — Vice President Marlene De La Rosa and Directors John Youngquist and Kimberlee Sia — in an anti-incumbent sweep.

The election two years ago saw an infusion of cash that doesn’t typically characterize school board races.

Denver Families Action, the political arm of Denver Families for Public Schools, spent more than $1 million on the campaign — including a $250,000 TV campaign featuring Denver Mayor Mike Johnston — to elect Youngquist, Sia and De La Rosa.

In the weeks leading up to the 2023 election, local polls showed that 70% of likely voters held an unfavorable view of the school board.

The public has been deeply critical of the board for a series of missteps that include school closures, gun violence and an executive session the court ruled illegal, among others.

The dissatisfaction also gave rise to a “Resign DPS Board” effort to vote out incumbents.

Now, voters face a choice from a roster of newcomers and familiar names vying for a say in the district’s future. From educators to community organizers, the candidates in the race offer different visions for how to tackle Denver’s challenges.

Here are the candidates running for school board:

At large

Deborah Sims Fard, 62

Family: DPS graduate and mother to former DPS students.

Occupation: Part of DPS’s Elevate Schools Network, providing support for teachers at schools with low test scores.

Education involvement: Longtime classroom volunteer, paraprofessional and teacher.

Top issues: Student mental health, recruiting and retaining teachers of color, and teachers’ pay.

Why running: Fard says she wants to close the achievement gap for historically marginalized students.

Samari Royal Jelks Sr.

Withdrawn

Alex Magaña, 56

Family: Married with two DPS graduates.

Occupation: Executive principal of Grant Beacon and Kepner Beacon middle schools.

Education involvement: Longtime DPS educator and principal; co-creator and executive director of the Beacon Innovation Zone.

Top issues: Creating safe and welcoming environments, ensuring the academic and emotional success of students.

Why running: Magaña says he is running to help the board regain community trust by setting aside political agendas, prioritizing transparency, and focusing on improving academic outcomes for all DPS students.

Amy Klein Molk, 41

Family: Wife and mother of two DPS students.

Occupation: Former ed tech entrepreneur and special education para professional.

Education involvement: Led a mentoring program for local youth, worked with the Boys and Girls Club; supported at-risk youth through advocacy; fundraising for organizations for the arts and education.

Top issues: Protecting strong neighborhood schools, supporting educators with fair pay and smaller class sizes, and ensuring safe, future-ready schools that prepare students for the world ahead.

Why running: Molk says she is running because “education is the great equalizer” and she wants to ensure every child has an equitable education.

District 2

Mariana Del Hierro, 43

Family: Single; one child in 3rd grade at DPS

Occupation: Executive director of Re:Vision (nonprofit tackling food insecurity and economic justice).

Education involvement: Ran food and nutrition programs, oversees DPS high school apprenticeship program.

Top issues: Transparency and community voice, overcrowded classrooms, achievement gaps for Latinx, multilingual and special education students.

Why running: She says her community-based leadership will ensure every student, family and educator is seen, heard and supported.

Director Xóchitl Gaytán

Family: Married with a DPS graduate and student.

Occupation: Licensed real estate agent.

Education involvement: Currently serves on the DPS board of education, former president of the board.

Top issues: Protecting public education, keeping resources in classrooms, supporting teachers and staff, and strengthening neighborhood schools so every student can succeed.

Why running: Gaytán says she wants to continue the work the board has accomplished.

Incumbent accomplishments: She points to her record as a DPS parent, graduate, and Harvey Park community leader working to strengthen neighborhood schools.

District 3

Caron Blanke, 50

Family: Married with two DPS graduates.

Occupation: Director of the JCC Early Learning School in Denver.

Education involvement: Volunteered to serve on the collaborative school committee at Denver School of the Arts and on the board of the Hebrew Educational Alliance synagogue in southeast Denver. 

Top issues: Expanding school choice, protecting teacher autonomy, strengthening special education and multilingual services, closing achievement gaps, securing more funding, increasing early interventions and ensuring safety, accountability and transparency across DPS.

Why running: Blanke says she’s running because every student deserves the opportunity to thrive in an equitable and inclusive school system.

Director Scott Esserman

Family: Married with two children educated in DPS, one of whom is a current DPS senior.

Occupation: Denver Public Schools board member; former teacher.

Education involvement: Wrote initial innovation plan as well as serving on the founding faculty at Northfield High School; Collaborative School Committees and PTAs at his children’s schools.

Top issues: Protecting students and equity amid federal policy shifts under a second President Donald Trump administration; safeguarding immigrant and marginalized students; balancing federal mandates with local control; and addressing enrollment declines and school closures.

Why running: He says his commitment to equity, deep knowledge of DPS policy and collaborative leadership style make him best positioned to navigate both national and local challenges while maintaining community trust.

Incumbent accomplishments: Strengthened the district’s equity framework, pushed for transparency and more inclusive decision-making, improved community engagement, and prioritized educator compensation.

Donald “DJ” Torres, 41

Family: Married with one child, a 4th grader.

Occupation: Faculty and teacher coach at MSU Denver School of Education.

Education involvement: Chair of McMeen’s Collaborative School Committee; led DPS initiatives such as Know Justice Know Peace, Coaching for Equitable Practice and the Black Excellence Plans; served as Denver’s first deputy chief equity officer.

Top issues: Rebuilding public trust through clear goals, transparent budgeting and collaboration, strengthening special education and multilingual services, improving school safety and staff retention, monitoring literacy and math outcomes, and protecting students from culture-war politics and extremist attacks.

Why running: He says his experience as a DPS parent, former special educator and equity leader equips him to restore trust, improve outcomes and ensure every child feels safe, valued and supported. As a Latino, first-generation college graduate, LGBTQ-adoptive dad, he says these experiences shape his commitment to equity and representation.

District 4

Jeremy Harris, 33

Family: Married with a DPS student.

Occupation: Funeral director, mortician.

Education involvement: Communications chair for his son’s PTO.

Top issues: School safety, teacher retainment, fiscal transparency, prioritizing academics, and expanding career and college readiness.

Why running: Harris says it is to intervene in some of the systems that have historically underserved black and brown kids for decades in DPS.

As reported by Chalkbeat, Harris pleaded guilty in Tennessee to two counts of felony theft in 2014 for using his employer’s credit card machine to transfer $18,000 to his personal debit card.

A regrettable decision a decade ago, for which he had made full restitution, Harris said, will be an invaluable gift to DPS students — a chance to model resilience and redemption.

“I know what it means to face setbacks,” Harris said. “It’s not about how you start, but how you end your story.”

The Denver Gazette is publishing information about Harris’ case because it has been previously reported in news coverage. No comparable information has been reported about the other school board candidates.

Monica Lynn Hunter, 37

Family: Engaged; blended family of six children, all current or former DPS students.

Occupation: Director of Human & Civil Rights, Colorado Education Association; former DPS teacher.

Education involvement: Active parent and PTO volunteer; taught in Central Park, Montebello and Green Valley; founded the DCTA Black Educators Caucus; advocates for Black educator retention and stronger innovation school processes; runs mental health programs and a fellowship for educators.

Top issues: Protecting fully funded schools amid state and local budget pressures, safeguarding art, music and PE, and addressing literacy, student mental health and teacher retention without cutting classroom resources.

Why running: She says her experience as a DPS graduate, parent and former teacher gives her a deep understanding of how funding impacts students and she will fight to prevent cuts and secure equitable resources for classrooms.

Timiya Jackson, 35

Family: Mother of a DPS student.

Occupation: Dropout re-engagement specialist and former dean of students, nonprofit executive.

Education involvement: Nonprofit leader with experience supporting students as a dean and helping those who left school get back on track.

Top issues: Jackson says her priorities are elevating family and educator voices in decision-making and ensuring students are prepared not just to graduate, but to thrive.

Why running: She says she’s running because of community calls for a different type of leadership.

Michelle Quattlebaum, 54

Family: Wife and mother of three DPS graduates.

Occupation: Community engagement manager.

Education involvement: Before joining the board of education in 2021, Quattlebaum worked as a school liaison at George Washington High School.

Top issues: Focused on equity, safe learning environments, culturally responsive education and student mental health as well as protecting students under new federal policy changes.

Why running: Quattlebaum says she is running to expand access to quality educational options, create safe and healthy learning environments and increase culturally responsive programs that meet the diverse needs of students and families.

Incumbent accomplishments: Raising the minimum wage for DPS employees to $20 an hour, advocating for immigrant students, and her “commitment to dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline.”