School safety and board transparency emerged as common themes for Douglas County School District candidates vying for four seats in Tuesday’s election.

Eight DCSD Board of Education candidates are running on similar issues, like safety and education. However, some candidates highlighted other issues surrounding not just the school district of 92 schools, but education issues arising nationwide.

DCSD is comprised of more than 61,000 students in the affluent county of over 400,000 residents.

Common issues mentioned in a Denver Gazette candidate survey included safety in schools, board transparency, curriculums and debates surrounding extra curricular activities.

School safety

No matter what respective candidates are running on, school safety remains top of mind.

Not just with candidates, all parents, but for each parent in the district, some candidates said.

District D candidate Keaton Gambill said the issues that matter most are maintaining support systems in schools, addressing conduct policies and trauma counseling.

“I understand the impact that a traumatic experience can have on a student’s success,” Gambill said during a student-led panel sharing his story. 

“As a parent, I don’t chase headlines or follow party scripts. I use common sense: start with the truth, strip away the noise, and focus on what actually works,” Gambill said in his Denver Gazette questionnaire.

District B candidate Kyrzia Parker said she is running to protect students and their needs to succeed.

“As a licensed social worker, I worked alongside special education teams and served on threat assessment teams,” she said. “I saw both the challenges and the incredible difference that strong schools and caring adults make in a child’s life.”

School board transparency

Multiple DCSD candidates mentioned transparency on the board, an issue constantly raised during school board meeting public comment sessions.

The issue, some have said, needs to address how the school board shares information to the rest of the district, as it pertains to student performance and allocated resources.

“I decided to run because I wanted more educator representation on the board,” District G candidate Kelly Denzler said.

“I became really frustrated watching board meetings starting a year ago because it was clear that decisions were being made without more than lip service to their potential effects on teachers,” she said. “I want teachers in our district to make it to 10 years and beyond, and that won’t happen if they don’t have a seat at the table.”
Meanwhile, District E candidate Deborah (Dede) Kramer, said she believes “parents and the community should have a strong voice in shaping our schools.

“I’m committed to bringing transparency, accountability, and common-sense leadership to the board,” she said.

Mentioning transparency as well was District B candidate Matthew Smith.

“I promise to bring transparency, accountability, and common sense to our school board,” he said on his campaign site. “I will listen to parents, stand up for students, and ensure our schools focus on education, not agendas.”

District E candidate Clark Callahan said he is running to “champion excellence, expand opportunity, and build trust in our schools.”

‘Protecting girls sports’

Some candidates during their campaign mentioned the issue of transgender athletes, or boys competing in girls sports.

In her questionnaire, Kramer said one of her priorities is “keeping boys out of girls sports.”

On his campaign site, District G candidate Stephen Vail said he is also prioritizing the same issue.

“I’m running to defend parental rights, expand school choice, and protect girls’ sports,” he said. “Families deserve transparency, options, and fairness in every aspect of education.”

Extra curricular activities

In general, District D candidate Tony Ryan said extra curricular activities need to be prioritized.

“I would also expand on my hope to promote a robust system of extracurricular activities by saying that I want to set a standard that programs like the arts, clubs, and athletics should be funded fairly and should not be seen as financial cut points when our schools are struggling financially,” Ryan said.

On the topic, some candidates raised questions over staff compensation.

Some candidates raised the question of whether DCSD staff are compensated enough.

Callahan, in a student-led panel, said his three priorities are creating multiple pathways for success, disciplined financing, providing students resources and having “competitive educator compensation.”