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October 11, 2005 08:00 AM UTC

Big Money in Denver School Board Race

  • 66 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

UPDATE: The Denver Post is running a story on this very subject, one day after Colorado Pols ran it. Once again, you heard it here first.

Campaigns are just getting more and more expensive anymore, and it’s not just for top-ticket races. We hear that Brad Buchanan, who is in a hotly contested Denver School Board race against Jill Conrad, will begin running TV spots any day now. To our knowledge, this would be the first time any candidate for local school board has run TV ads in Denver.

Conrad picked up the all-important endorsement of Denver Public Schools staffers two weeks ago (in six years DPS staffers have never endorsed a losing candidate), which may be prompting Buchanan to go all out at this point in the race. Still, that’s a hefty price to pay for an elected position that, you could argue, might not be worth it politically.

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66 thoughts on “Big Money in Denver School Board Race”

  1. Not just a Denver phenomenon.  School board races in Colorado are drawing hundreds of thousands of dollars–much of it hidden from public scrutiny–to fight/defend the voucher issue.

  2. That’s sad really.  Buchanan’s spending money on ads when DPS schools are falling apart.  Is this because he is an architect and doesn’t have experience in education?  Maybe this is the only way he thinks he can win.

  3. Out of curiosity, politico, how much experience in education did Michael Bennett have before they made him Supt?  I’m undecided in the board race, but if your point is educational establishment uber alles, you seem to be swimming against the tide.

  4. Voyageur, good point.  You might note that both Buchanan and Conrad back Michael Bennett.  I think our focus in this race should be what is best for the kids in DPS schools.  Jill understands how schools work and how to engage kids, parents, teachers, and communities in the educational process. 

    I’m sure Brad is a nice guy but I’ll take my chances and entrust my kids’ education with someone who’s been in the trenches and has results to back her up. I also want someone who shares my values and passion for engagement by the community in DPS schools.  I want someone who will look at the situation in an informed, educated, and experienced manner and make decisions based on the best interests of the kids, not just a yes vote for the majority.

  5. Voyageur,
    I too was totally undecided in the Denver school board races in the beginning. It is one of the few times where I had only the presentation from the candidates to guide me in a race. (The truth is I don’t pay as close attention to the education seats as I probably should.)

    I have have heard both Brad and Jill speak on two occassions each and was impressed with both. I am planning to vote for Jill for two reasons:
    1. She seems more knowledgable about the issues facing the school board.
    2. In Brad’s speech he said something like the school board should not be setting the circulum, the teachers should. In my mind it is the primary function of the school board to set circulum.

    I live in School board district 3 and there we have an obvious choice: Jeanne Kaplan. The guy running against her is clearly running only to be “anti-establishment” and does not appear to have any clue what he would do as a school board member or any real resire to be there. Not really sure why he is running.

    Just my $.02

  6. Thanks to both politico and Dan for thoughtful responses.  My wife knows Kaplan well as they are both members of the East High Mafia. As to curriculum, the state constitution stipulates it must be set by the locally elected board.  Admittedly, we honor that provision in the breach, with our state standards, but that is what the constitution says.

  7. Hmmmmm. . .The school board picking curriculum?  I seem to have read that Bennett just hired Jaime Acquino from NYC to be the district’s new chief academic officer. It seems patently absurd for a volunteer board (which is intended to have a representative, broadened view of our school system, representing Denver citizens) to be picking reading and math and science curriculum programs.  Buchanan’s experience and resume tells me that he has experience in assisting change and producing tangible results.  That’s what the school board needs, because change has got to happen immediately.

  8. I’ve also heard both candidates speak, and I’ve decided to back Buchanan.  He has the kind of abilities to lead that will have the most impact on the board. I also think he can bring a whole new constituency to the topic of our public schools, and a constituency with the power and resource to really make things better.

  9. I am pleased to support Jill Conrad. As a Denver Teacher I know first hand the importance of having a school board that knows something.  Just look at her website and read her information.  She is the real thing and will understand the needs of teachers and the kids. Kids are not a stock exchange commodity, they are our future. We don’t need another business person on the board.

  10. How do I send money to Jill Conrad?  I heard her speak at Morey Middle School and she knows her stuff.  She answered my questions and had a plan for DPS.

  12. Government closest to the people is the most influential and effective.  It’s nice to see the comments on this thread are civil and not a bunch of bomb throwers trying to undermine the personal credibility of the candidates.
    Wish the R primary for Governor was the same way.

  13. Yes, I’m a soccer mom (minivan and all).  I talk to Ms. Conrad when she was walking my neighborhood in Wash Park.  She seemed very nice and well informed.  She said that she has worked on statewide and national education issues. We need someone like Jill in DPS.

  14. Government closest to the people is the most influential and effective.  It’s nice to see the comments on this thread are civil and not a bunch of bomb throwers trying to undermine the personal credibility of the candidates.
    Wish the R primary for Governor was the same way.

  15. Yes, I’m a soccer mom (minivan and all).  I talk to Ms. Conrad when she was walking my neighborhood in Wash Park.  She seemed very nice and well informed.  She said that she has worked on statewide and national education issues. We need someone like Jill in DPS.

  16. Yes, I’m a soccer mom (minivan and all).  I talk to Ms. Conrad when she was walking my neighborhood in Wash Park.  She seemed very nice and well informed.  She said that she has worked on statewide and national education issues. We need someone like Jill in DPS.

  17. Business person? It is clear that you have not been paying attention.  Brad Buchanan is a change agent, a leader, someone who can create impacts, not delve into the jobs of the experts we already have in DPS.  He has a plan, the right one, which gets to the real issue; the fact that our city is not engaged in education and does not support our schools.  That’s the real job of the board of education.

  18. Yes, I’m a soccer mom (minivan and all).  I talk to Ms. Conrad when she was walking my neighborhood in Wash Park.  She seemed very nice and well informed.  She said that she has worked on statewide and national education issues. We need someone like Jill in DPS.

  19. Brad’s expereice???? Remember this race is for school board not City Planner.  Let’s compare bios for both.  Look at their websites, it’s no competition, Jill wins hands down with education experience and as a business woman and education consultant.

  20. While I’ve got nothing against Buchanan, Conrad is obviously much more qualified.  Seems like BB’s qualifications end with having kids in DPS.  In contrast, Conrad has lots of education experience and a masters in the area.

    Since Bennet doesn’t have any K-12 experience, shouldn’t he work with a board that does?

  22. Interesting that I?m seeing such support for Buchanan for his experience ?in assisting change and producing tangible results,? because Jill?s experience and resume show that she is a change agent too, but specifically in EDUCATION!  I am pleased to see the community involvement Brad touts, but I?m still not sure it translates to true school reform.  Jill has seen it, assisted with it and even better actually helped to create it, around the nation!  As far as business skills, look at her client lists!  She’s dealt with business, budgeting and nonprofits too! Let’s help her WIN so Denver can benefit from her skills and experience to implement what works, because she has seen, first hand, for over 10 years, what doesn?t.

  23. I’m a teacher in DPS, and for years I’ve been told that our schools would get better, our resources improve, and our parents will be more involved.  From what I can tell, Brad Buchanan brings fresh ideas, and a powerful approach to the problem. I’m impressed with Jill’s knowledge of education, I just don’t think that is what is needed right now.

  24. I do chuckle at the statement in the Rocky, echoed by the dead govs, that
    “Denver classroom teachers, bus drivers, custodians and secretaries have NEVER missed on their endorsements – in SIX YEARS (emphasis added), they’ve never backed a losing school board candidate.”

    The first reference to “never missed” would seem to cover a much longer time than six years.  I’m old enough to remember when the teachers have backed losing candidates.

  25. Hate to admit it but both Brad Buchanan and Jill Conrad are exceptionally, well qualified, have their hearts in the right place and would do a fine job. They have also striven to talk about issues.

  26. Hmmm…  It seems to me that someone who is a parent, someone who has handled complex multi-faceted projects, someone who has managed multi-million dollar budgets, and someone who has served in leadership positions in the community is the right type of person for a school board.  That’s why I – as a future DPS parent – have to vote for Brad Buchanan.

  27. Hmmm…  It seems to me that someone who is a parent, someone who has handled complex multi-faceted projects, someone who has managed multi-million dollar budgets, and someone who has served in leadership positions in the community is the right type of person for a school board.  That’s why I – as a future DPS parent – have to vote for Brad Buchanan.

  28. It’s amazing how many of our diverse soccor moms/DPS parents/joe six packs all have the same talking points about their prefered candidate… its almost like they are the same people.

  30. You are right Vladimir – they are both very qualified candidates, and I appreciate all of the discussion here.  But, for various reasons, this blog being one of them, I just trust Jill’s motivation more.  It seems Brad may have different aspirations in a few years, and his timing and the amount of $$ he’s spending on a SCHOOL BOARD race seem overly competitive for all the wrong reasons.  He should stick to what he does best and continue his fantastic work in Denver from what he is already doing.

  31. But…but…but…that would suggest that someone is manipulating the posts for political advantage.  Could it be?  I don’t THINK so.
    The very idea is as unethical as talking up Marc Holtzman to make him seem like a credible candidate, when no other forum views him as such.

  33. I guess Dan Willis has not been reading about the dispute between evolution and intelligent design.  It goes back at least to Scopes.  The instructors are responsible for estabishing the curriculum.  The School Board is responsible for ensuring that the the instructors have the tools to deliver the curriculum.  At least, that’s my two sense.

  34. I guess Dan Willis has not been reading about the dispute between evolution and intelligent design.  It goes back at least to Scopes.  The instructors are responsible for estabishing the curriculum.  The School Board is responsible for ensuring that the the instructors have the tools to deliver the curriculum.  At least, that’s my two sense.

  35. Frank,
    Since you posted twice, does that give you $.04?
    Just kidding.

    I actually like Brad, but I think I would like him better in a legislative position such as City Council or maybe State House. From what I have seen, Jill has been in the trenches for quite a while now on school issues and would do better on the Board.

  36. Your “two sense” is 98 cents short of the legal test, Frank.  By law, the responsibility is with the locally elected school board, that’s in the Colorado Constitution.  What is confusing you is there is a difference between establishing curriculum “We will offer Spanish to all four grade and above students” and the daily detail of delivering that curriculum.  One would hope that, in setting the curriculum, the board would be guided by the best advice available, including but not limited to their own faculty.  But the responsibility is set in the constitution with the board and can’t be ducked.  The way they got around it with the state standards was to say that it is up to the Aurora School Board to decide whether to offer history in the curriculum.  But if it DOES offer history, these are the state-imposed standards that must be used to teach history.  Of course,the state pays about two thirds of the tab and who pays the piper usually does call the tune.  But it’s not a question of how you think it should be … by law, establishing the curriculum is up to the school board.

  37. I am involved in education as a teacher and administrator in the nonprofit sector,and have followed both candidates closely, hearing them speak more than once.  Brad Buchanan is an obvious choice for me. 

    He advocates getting the communities involved in creating change in the District.  He supports a greater role for the Teachers Union during strategic planning. His experience with city government, working with high level decision makers, gives him the skills to help create the momentum of change.

    Jill Conrad has educational background but is unable to affect the kind of change Brad can. 

    If I’m not mistaken, all City Council members and most of the Board members have endorsed Brad. 

    Dave Lewis, in my opinion, would not be the right person for a variety of reasons.

    Andrew Karsian would have made a good board member but didn’t have enough resources to run a strong campaign.

  38. Change? We have had change and reform movements in DPS for the last twenty five years…and they all fail BUT, consultants, Foundations and business and most of all, politicans, seem to get their agendas through to their own benefit, which makes them all the more powerful in influencing the next magical “reform.”  It is a political system, not an educational one.  The mantra is always “We need change” and that sets up a whole new circus.  DPS should sell tickets and use the proceeds to buy textbooks for middle and highschool kids…for all kids, not just the privileged East Siders.

  39. I say don’t vote for the person, check out who has contributed to the campaign and decide who you really want calling the shots.
    I call DPS’s culture one in which political values dominate, not educational ones.  Let me give an example.  Four years ago, Cole Middle School was identified as a failing school under the State accountability system.  If DPS had an objective educational approach, then an audit would have been done to determine why students were arriving from feeder elementary school, unable to read.  There would have been remediation, not only at the middle school level, but at the various elementary schools, too.
    Having identified the problem, specialists would have monitored, closely, the solutions to see if the students were learning and corrected if the initial strategies were not working.  Ironically, that is what happens in well run business, also.
    What happened at Cole?  A Foundation interested  in pursuing a “reform agenda” decided to use Cole as an example, one of its client groups persuaded the Board to throw out all the existing staff and start over.  New staff had teachers committed to the so-called “reform” but not necessarily, for example, qualifed to teach English to English learners.  And every Saturday morning, every politican and would be politican showed up to “tutor” and get their picture taken.  Did these politicans have any expertise in tutoring?  Nope.  Did the reform work? Nope.  Did some of these politicans go on to greater glory? Yep.  One, Michael Bennet, is now Superintendent.  Another, Patterson, the Board Member who let this happen on his watch, is running for reelection, unopposed.  It is political, not educational.

  40. Dweyer is right, there is always talk of change and new policies and cultural shifts in the District and not much seems to change.  One thing I like hearing from the candidates, especially Buchanan is he is more interested in having the schools/principals on the forefront of what needs to get done, not the Board or the administration.  Conrad is too young and her message concentrates more on secondary education reform which the Board has already tackled.

  42. The money being spent for DPS races is peanuts compared to what’s being spent in the Colorado Springs area for school board elections.  What has the Post said about that?

  43. Too young?  Ms. Conrad is 36 years old and has over ten years of successful experience working in education trenches.  Call me naive, but is that REALLY too young?

  44. From my decrepit perspective, politico, 36 years old is barely out of the womb!  But your point is valid, assuredly a woman with her credentials and experience deserves to be taken seriously.  I’ve enjoyed the byplay here but am still undecided on Buchanan/Conrad.  I expect to watch them head to head soon and make up my mind.  I’m the father of DPS grads and have grandchildren coming up to the DPS pipeline — if the Holtzman/Caldara crowd doesn’t succeed in destroying education at all levels in this state.
    Yes on C and D, and may the best candidate win for DPS!

  45. The problem, as I see it, “Ed in Denver,”  with having the principals and schools more in charge is that you set up a new power base and a conflict between the principals and the superintendent and then the Board plays one against the other.
    This happened when the CDM system was established years ago.  The DCTA and the Board had one organization outlined in the contract and the Superintendent also had the right to organize the District.  Dennis, the then Superintendent, reorganized the District and hamstrung the CDM accountability setup.  In the resulting disorganization, the Chamber of Commerce stepped in, funded a study by Arthur Anderson and that company wound up with a $500,000 contract from DPS.
    The conflict between the Board and Zollinger (sp) hired in 1999 to work with the “community” was not resolved and it cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy out his contract.
    There are various advocacy foundations pushing the “principals in charge” theory and I think that is one reason that Wartgow left.  You elect a board, it hires the superintendent and the superintendent is responsible to the board, and every other employee in the district is responsible to the superintendent. That is the only way a democratic elected public school system can work.  DPS does not work that way.  There are all kinds of power bases, within the district, without the district, (look at the Mayor with his hands all over the District) and everyone tries to win.  Any housewife with time on her hands is down at the school plotting.  Parents have to play the game because if they are not on the winning side, then they don’t get the “pull” to make sure their kid gets a good chance at the best school or best teacher.  It is political.  I hate putting my tax dollar into this system.

  46. Dwyer – you obviously have insight into not only the process but the system (and you can write!).  I am leaning very much towards Conrad for exactly the reasons you cite – she is in this for her whole life, not just as a stepping stone to higher political aspirations.  Education is her passion, and I don’t think she is being swayed by the “political machine”  I find that by itself refreshing.  I don’t see her as young and niave either, but rather willing to take it all on and try to make voices other than political ones heard. 

    I am curious – this race seems to hold some interest for you – which way are you leaning?

  47. I’ve had the opportunity to volunteer with School Board candidate Jill Conrad on state-wide education and civic engagement task forces.  She’s been a leader and visionary every time she steps up to the plate.  Her experience and contributions to Colorado’s federal grant writing has helped place us among the top ten states nationally in receiving funding from the Corporation for National and Community Service.  She’s smart and she follows through.  I’ll be voting for Conrad based on her experience and decade of contributions to public education.

  48. Well, most of the so-called “faith based initiative” grant money comes right through the Corporation for National and Community Service. That’s why Colorado is in the top tier of states.  So has Conrad funneled grant money through “faith based” institutions  to public education or policy making groups on public education?  How does Conrad feel about the role of religious institutions in public education? How does Conrad see the so-called “faith based institutions”  participating, via federal funding, In the  Delivery,  Policy making, or the ubiquitous, ambiguous, “community building?”  components of public education?  I bet I don’t get a str aight answer.

  50. Jill?s support of the Colorado Department of Education?s Office for Service Learning has been focused solely on public education.  If you?d like more information on these initiatives, I invite you to click on http://www.cde.state.co.us/servicelearning/  Colorado has been in the top tier of this grant making entity because of Jill?s hard work in designing surveys and gathering education data that illustrated the civic learning opportunity gaps throughout Colorado (CASB), as well as her well developed network of relationships with educators state-wide.  Your analysis of the agency, CNCS, is incorrect.  Its resources go to support service learning and civic education.  Colorado?s success with this agency is, in part, a result of Jill?s innovative strategies for civic education and involving local school district and policy makers with teachers, parents and students to create successful civic and service learning strategies that enhance retention and promote academic success for all. I also invite you to click on a civic group that Jill founded to better connect Colorado citizens in promoting our state?s civic health, http://co-civiccanopy.org/default.asp.  Lastly to better understand Jill?s views, as I do not speak for her, your best bet would be to click on http://www.vote4jill.org.

  51. I’ve enjoyed the discussions here and they did tip me. I voted today for Jill Conrad as the better of two well-qualified candidates.  It’s nice not to face the lesser of two evils every time.  Don’t forget to vote yes on c and d, and yes on 3a or it won’t much matter whose on the school board.

  52. Go to http://www.nationalservice.org, the web page for Corporation for National and Community Service; the link is “For Faith-Based and other Community Organizations.”  If I go to Colorado and look at where those grants are, there is a whole list of organizations, not all of whom I can identify; but Regis University is included.  Isn’t that catholic?  The federal government has combined the two types of organizations; “faith-based” and, I guess, “non faith-based.”  I think it is a logical question.  Does Conrad support the involvement of faith-based institutions in the delivery, policy formation or community building in public education?  Even if that is limited to “service learning”…and I am not even sure what service learning is. 
    My contention has been, that DPS is a political culture.  I am still just trying to identify all the players and their funding sources. Conrad’s supporters introduced the Corporation for National and Community Service and I am just trying to figure it all out.

  53. I went straight to the source and sent a e-mail to info@vote4jill.org, and here is what I received back:  “Jill stands firm in her commitment to the separation of church and state and would not support any policy that violates that principle of democracy in her role as a school board member. As the CNCS policy is set at the federal level, she has no control over that.”

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