The seven candidates running for Jeffco Public Schools board of education seats met in front of a packed church on Monday evening to discuss both their ideals and what they plan to do if elected.

Jeffco PTA, Engage Jeffco and Jeffco League of Women Voters held the candidate forum Monday evening at the Jefferson Unitarian Church, where candidates Denine Echevarria, Tina Moeinian, Samuel Myrant, Mary Parker, Gloria Teresa Rascon, Peter Gibbins and Michael Yocum took questions from both the organizations and attendees.

Questions ran the gamut of issues Jeffco Public Schools parents and teachers have raised over the past few years, ranging from budget deficits to mental health amongst students and staff.

There are three different seats on the board up for grabs this year — districts 1, 2 and 5. Parker already serves as the representative for District 5 and is the school board president. She won the 2021 election with 55.4% of the vote.

“I don’t think anyone on the panel knows what they’re in for. I’ve been listening to these contentious issues for four years now,” Parker said with a laugh. “It’s truly something you can’t prepare for.”

Mental health and safety

The panel was asked about the safety of children and mental health resources available in the wake of the Sept. 10 shooting at Evergreen High School.

The alleged shooter, 16-year-old Desmond Holly, entered the school and fired around 20 rounds from a revolver, critically injuring two students before taking his own life.

“This might be the most important question we discuss tonight,” Gibbins, a candidate endorsed by the Jefferson County Education Association (JCEA) for District 2, said about mental health following the tragedy.

“One, we have a lot of parents and teachers and students who are suffering right now in the aftermath that occurred. We also have to ask ourselves how the shooter was able to grow up in our schools and go for years and not be identified as somebody who needed his own support,” he said.

Gibbins added that mental health needs to be something protected amidst budget cuts, making sure teachers are prepared to handle mental health issues when they arise. He also said the district needs to reach out to other community partners for help within the schools.

“I want to see more parents involved. I want to see more parents in the school, grandparents in the school, walking the halls, being friendly,” Myrant said.

Myrant, a long-time volunteer for the district, said multiple times throughout the two-hour event that parents and grandparents need to be brought back into the community, along with shop classes to teach students practical skills.

“The Evergreen High School shooting can teach us a lot because we haven’t learned and we’ve had over a dozen shootings in our state,” Rascon, an Army veteran with an MBA in accounting, said. “Why aren’t people using the Safe2Tell program?”

Safe2Tell — the anonymous reporting system — saw record use in Colorado during the 2024-25 school year, logging more than 31,000 reports. That was a 10.5% jump from the year before, according to the state Attorney General’s Office.

“We’re not doing nearly enough. We dropped the ball,” Yocum, a Jeffco alum and board member for the Career and Technical Education (CTE) at Warren Tech, said.

Budget plans

Another major issue discussed was the nearly $40 million budget deficit the district ran last year.

Myrant questioned why there were so many meetings for upper management, wondering if there was too much upper management in general. He also asked why there were residents paying taxes for the district but sending their kids to other schools.

Moeinian said that despite potential cuts, the district must keep them “as far away from our schools and educators as possible.”

“My goal is really clear: it’s to protect classrooms and kids from the harmful cuts,” Echevarria, a teacher and mother of three Jeffco students, said, pointing toward her time as a single mother stretching every dollar.

Parker highlighted the budget reduction blueprint that is already in play. The plan was developed by a district subcommittee, which Parker was on, earlier this summer that places students first and strengthens fiscal sustainability, she said.

Candidates

Ballots will be mailed to voters Oct. 10-13 and the election will be held on Nov. 4.

Michael Yocum faces Denine Echevarria in District 1.

Samuel Myrant faces Peter Gibbons in District 2.

Mary Parker faces Tina Moeinian and Gloria Teresa Rascon in District 5.

More information can be found at Jeffcopublicschools.org.