Denver Public Schools
Also known as Denver County School District 1.
Contents
Denver Public Schools District Info
Students | County | Graduation Rate | # of Schools | Operating Budget | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
92,331 | Denver | 64.80% -14.1% to CO average |
199 (incl. 2 charters) |
$929.5M ~ $10,067/student ~ $4.67M/school +$4,767/student to CO average |
Adopted Budget 2016/2017 |
Denver Public Schools Superintendent
Name | When First Voted In | Salary | Contract Ends | Contact |
---|---|---|---|---|
Tom Boasberg (Registered Democrat) |
Jan. 2009 | $236,222 (Spring 2017) |
Annual extensions | 720-423-3300 superintendent@dpsk12.org |
- Boasberg has no formal teaching experience or training. Closest experience is serving as an introductory English language instructor in Hong Kong for one year in the 1980s.
- Boasberg's background is largely law and telecommunications, with also having served a stint in the Clinton Administration at the same time as his childhood friend Michael Bennet.
- Boasberg is a "graduate" of The Broad Center, an offshoot of The Broad Foundation. TBF has among its grantees as pro-charter organizations and organizations that see donations from the Walton Family Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. These three organizations are among the top funders of education reform efforts.
- Boasberg is a Fellow of the education-focused Pahara Institute where Reed Hastings, a major reform proponent, sits on their Board of Directors.
Previous Superintendents
Michael Bennet
Bennet was appointed to DPS Superintendent in 2005, upon the recommendation of then-Mayor of Denver John Hickenlooper. Prior to his DPS Superintendency, Bennet had no background in education, either in teaching or administration. He never attended a public school, nor did his children.
Bennet's background is of being an aide to political figures, law clerking, Counsel to the U.S. Deputy Attorney General in the Clinton Administration, Managing Director for the Anschutz Investment Company, and Deputy Chief of Staff for Mayor Hickenlooper.
Bennet stepped down to be appointed to the open U.S. Senate seat in 2009, which Ken Salazar vacated to become the U.S. Secretary of the Interior in the new Obama Administration. The Bennet pick came collectively as a surprise in Colorado.
Prior to his Senate appointment, Bennet's name was floated as a possible pick for the U.S. Secretary of Education for the incoming Obama Administration, specifically citing Bennet's implementation of his teacher merit pay program.
Bennet also is a Fellow of the education-focused Pahara Institute where Reed Hastings, a major reform proponent, sits on their Board of Directors.
Denver Public Schools School Board
- No compensation
- Terms are 4 years
- 2 term limit
- VERY expensive seats.
- DCTA = Denver Classroom Teachers Association (Union)
- DFER = Democrats For Education Reform
District | Name | Party | Next Election | Contact | 2017 Results |
2015 Results |
2013 Results |
2011 Results |
2009 Results |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Anne Rowe | Democrat | 2019 (Termed Out) |
720-423-3210 Anne_Rowe@dpsk12.org |
X | 23.8% (61.9%) Kristi Butkovich 38% |
X | 30.4% (65.2%) Emily Sirota 34.70% |
X |
2 | Angela Cobian | Democrat | 2021 | 720-423-3210 angela_cobian@dpsk12.org |
6.32% (53.16%) Xochitl Sochi Gaytan 46.84% 1 1 (Union-endorsed) |
X | 23.6% (61.8%) (Rosemary Rodriguez) Rosario C. de Baca 37.9% 1 1 (DCTA and AFL-CIO-endorsed) |
X | 1.2% (50.6%) 1,2 (Andrea Merida) Ismael C. Garcia 49.30% 1 (Listed in CO Green Party) 2 (DCTA-endorsed) (Garcia DFER-endorsed) |
3 | Carrie A. Olson, PhD | Democrat | 2021 | 720-423-3210 carrie_olson@dpsk12.org |
6.56% (53.28%) Mike Johnson 46.72% 1 1 (Reform incumbent defeated) |
X | 14.2% (57.1%) (Mike Johnson) Meg Schomp 42.8% 1 1 (DCTA-endorsed) |
X | UNOPPOSED 1 (Jeanne Kaplan) 1 (DCTA-endorsed) |
4 | Jennifer Bacon | Democrat | 2021 | 720-423-3210 jennifer_bacon@dpsk12.org |
8.83% (42.07%) 1 Rachele Espiritu 33.24% Tay Anderson 24.69% 1 (Reform incumbent defeated) |
X (Landri Taylor resigned in Feb 2016 for family reasons, Rachele C. Espiritu appointed) |
31% (65.5%) 1 (Landri Taylor) Roger Kilgore 34.4% 2 1 (DFER-endorsed) 2 (DCTA-endorsed) |
X (Easely recall failed at petition) |
5.6% (33.8%) 1 (Nate Easley) Vernon Jones 28.20% 2 Andrea G. Mosby 18.70% Jacqui Shumway 11.10% Alton Clark 7.90% 1 (DCTA-endorsed} 2 (DFER-endorsed) |
5 | Lisa Flores | Democrat | 2019 | 720-423-3210 lisa_flores@dpsk12.org |
X | 7% (53.5%) Michael Kiley 46.5% |
X | 1% (50.5%) (Arturo Jimenez) Jennifer Draper Carson 49.60% 1 1 (DFER-endorsed) |
X |
At-Large | Barbara O'Brien | Democrat | 2021 | 720-423-3210 barbara_o'brien@dpsk12.org |
5.82% (41.31%) 1 Robert Speth 35.49% Julie Bañuelos 23.2% 1 (Total Pro-Public Ed Vote: 58.69%) |
X | 28.1% (59.3%) Michael Kiley 31.1% 1 Joan Poston 9.3% 1 (DCTA-endorsed) |
X | 41.9% (70.9%) 1 (Mary Seawell) Christopher Scott 29% 2 1 (DFER-endorsed) 2 (DCTA-endorsed) |
At-Large | Allegra "Happy" Haynes | Democrat | 2019 (Termed Out) |
720-423-3210 Happy_Haynes@dpsk12.org |
X | 0.8% (50.4%) Robert Speth 49.5% 1 1 (DCTA-endorsed) |
X | 47.8% (59.2%) Roger Kilgore 11.30% 1 Jacqui Shumway 10.80% Frank E. Deserino 9.70% John Daniel 8.70% 2 1 (DCTA-endorsed) 2 {Source) |
X |
- 2009 Note: (Andrea Merida had 3 recall attempts within a couple months. All failed to get enough signatures.)
- Lisa Flores is a Fellow of the education-focused Pahara Institute where Reed Hastings, a major reform proponent, sits on their Board of Directors.
Local Special Interest Groups
2017 Election
Candidates
2017 Election Issues
Channel 8 Candidate Forum Video from 10/12/17.
Seat | Candidate | School Choice (General) | Vouchers, Tax Credits, Education Savings Accounts |
Charter Schools | Accountability | Transparency | School Closures |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
District 2 | Angela Cobian Our Denver, Our Schools survey |
Positive | "It is important to ensure that charter schools, like all public schools receiving taxpayer dollars are being good stewards of public funds." | Leans positive | |||
District 2 | Xochitl "Sochi" Gaytan Our Denver, Our Schools survey |
Focus on neighborhood schools "We also need to support neighborhood schools and teaching as a career to truly retain options for families" |
Negative "[Private corporations should play] No Role." |
Negative "Closing a school disrupts the education, sense of security in our communities for every child and family who has their school taken away." | |||
District 3 | Carrie Olson | ||||||
District 3 | Mike Johnson (i) | ||||||
District 4 | Tay Anderson | ||||||
District 4 | Jennifer Bacon | "Yes" Clip of DPS interview April 2016 | |||||
District 4 | Rachele Espiritu (i) | ||||||
At-Large | Julie Bañuelos | ||||||
At-Large | Barbara O'Brien (i) | ||||||
At-Large | Robert Speth |
Campaign Finance
There were 3 main reports: 10/17/17, 11/3/17, and 12/7/17.
Seat | Name | Total Contributions | Total Expenditures | Total Cash On Hand | Total PACs/IECs (See details below) |
Notable Individuals |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
District 2 | Angela Cobian 1, 2, 3 |
$123,144.00 | $105,200.02 | $17,943.98 | $104,507.49 | Arthur Rock (Anti-DeVos; pro-charters that are non-profit) - $10,000 Bruce Benson (President of CU; former 1994 GOP governor nominee; has given to reformer candidates in the past) - $5,000 Daniel Ritchie (former Chairman of Daniels Fund; previously donated to DPS reformers; member of Colorado Concern, which lists education reform as a value) - $5,000 Scott Reiman (Charter school proponent) - $5,000 Alice Walton - $3,000 Jim Walton - $3,000 Samuel Gary (founded the Piton Foundation) - $2,500 Patrick Hamill (Real Estate Developer; donates to reform candidates; member of Colorado Concern, which lists education reform as a value) - $2,500 Catherine Abarca (was a committee member of Latinos for Education Reform; "Champions Circle for STRIVE Prep) - $2,500 Marco Abarca (was President of Latinos for Education Reform; "Champions Circle for STRIVE Prep) - $2,500 Kimothy Pikor (Artist in Denver]) - $1,800 Total, of those employed at Leadership for Educational Equity (18 individuals; with the exception of Jennifer Bacon, Angela Cobian, and Kate Chapek) - $1,800 Steve Halstedt (Managing Director at Centennial Ventures, a venture capital investment firm) - $1,500 James Crowe (Attorney; Holland & Hart) - $1,500 Democrats for Education Reform - $1,000 Justin Jaschke (on the board for DSST schools, a charter system) - $1,000 Caroline Matthews (known as "Caz". She gave a Silverthorne address, but this permits issued listing leads to a Denver address, searching that address confirms Caroline S. Mattews, who serves as a director for Qwest Communications International, an Anschutz company) - $1,000 Leadership for Educational Equity - $1,000 Cathey Finlon (at the Colorado Scholarship Fund) - $1,000 Leslie Larson (has served on the BoE in Montclaire, NJ; husband owns a chain of charter schools) - $1,000 David Younggren (Gary Community Investments; Stapleton Foundation; Piton Foundation) - $1,000 Jeanne Saunders (on DPS Foundation Board of Directors, which receives funding from reform groups including Education Reform Now) - $1,000 John Fry (listed employer as DVSM, but a John Dietz Fry was matched to the same address and works at Endeavour Capital; serves on Board of Trustees for STRIVE, a network of public charter schools) - $750 Margaret Sue Allon (formerly on the board of directors of Denver Public Schools Foundation) - $500 Steve Sherick (ran for the Democratic nomination for SD 31 in 2015) - $500 Kate Chapek (Leadership of Educational Equality; "oversee campaign development") - $500 Angela Cobian (self) - $200 Jennifer Bacon (DPS candidate) - $100 Jen Walmer (State Director, Democrats for Education Reform) - $100 Moira Cullen (Capstone Group LLC; founding Colorado State Director of Democrats for Education Reform; on Board of Trustees for STRIVE, a network of public charter schools) - $83.34 |
District 2 | Xochitl "Sochi" Gaytan (1, 2), 3 |
$28,977.81 | $28,934.10 | $43.71 | $117,474.60 | CEA Public Education Donor Committee (union) - $6,000 DCTA Fund (Denver Classroom Teachers Association - union) - $8,000 (1, 2) Xochitl "Sochi" Gaytan (self) - $1,771.26 AFL-CIO (union) - $1,000 Fran Natividad-Coleman (form State Rep. for HD 1) - $847.55 Jeanne Kaplan (former DPS board member) - $550 Scott Gilpin (Campaign Manager for Robert Speth's DPS run) - $350 Margaret Atencio (served as Registered Agent for Rosario deBaca's 2013 DPS run where deBaca was endorsed by DCTA) - $300 Joseph Halpern (Attorney at Holland & Hart) - $100 Veronica Barela (President/CEO of Newsed Community Development Corporation, which aids in affordable housing and foreclosure counseling) - $100 Rebecca Tanglen (Attorney, U.S. Dept. of Education, Office for Civil Rights) - $100 Alan Kennedy-Shaffer (lawyer; candidate for Dem nom in SD 34) - $27 State Rep. Adrienne Benavidez - $25 Robert Speth (DPS At-Large candidate) - $12 |
District 3 | Carrie Olson 1, 2, 3 |
$35,470.10 | $35,470.10 | $0 | $3,289.37 | DCTA (Denver Classroom Teachers Association - union) - $8,500 (1, 2) Will Paterson (LOGOS Consulting; LinkedIn Page) - $3,500 Jack Thompson (Help us properly identify him) - $1,500 Niren Christian Foundation (No information, but that they may be delinquent) - $1,000 Yolanda Calderon (pblic school teacher who protested Secretary DeVos) - $1,000 Susan Barnes-Gelt (former Denver City Council member; civic activist) - $700 Amy Carrington (public education activist) - $650 Carrie Olson (self) - $120 |
District 3 | Mike Johnson (i) 1, 2, 3 |
$106,536.00 | $103,782.57 | $2,753.43 | $55,327.42 | Bruce Benson (President of CU; former 1994 GOP governor nominee; has given to reformer candidates in the past) - $10,000 Philip F. Anschutz (frequent education reform donor) - $5,000 Samuel Gary (founded the Piton Foundation) - $5,000 David Younggren (Gary Community Investments; Stapleton Foundation; Piton Foundation) - $5,000 Scott Reiman (Charter school proponent) - $5,000 Steve Halstedt (Managing Director at Centennial Ventures, a venture capital investment firm) - $2,500 Pat Hamill (Real Estate Developer; donates to reform candidates; member of Colorado Concern, which lists education reform as a value) - $2,500 (also provided additional $100 for food at an event) Ken Tuchman (CEO of Teletech, a call center) - $2,500 Daniel Ritchie (former Chairman of Daniels Fund; previously donated to DPS reformers; member of Colorado Concern, which lists education reform as a value) - $2,000 Michael Feeley (former State Senator; attorney at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, a high-powered law/lobbying firm) - $1,500 Robert Williams (president, Veritas HHS, a health and human services company with a focus on children) - $1,100 James Q. Crowe (Crowe Building Products; Bloomberg Filing - Roofing) - $1,000 Marco Abarca (was President of Latinos for Education Reform; "Champions Circle for STRIVE Prep) - $1,000 Diane Barrett (Chief Projects Officer for Mayor Hancock's office) - $1,000 Kendra Black (Denver City Council, District 4) - $1,000 David Clayton (President, Clayton & Company, a real estate appraisal and consulting firm) - $1,000 Cathey Finlon (at the Colorado Scholarship Fund) - $1,000 David Foster (attorney, FGMC, specializing in real estate and zoning; previously on Mayor Hancock's Housing Advisory Committee) - $1,000 Beverly Haddon (former CEO of Stapleton Foundation, which has current and former DPS members and ed reform donors) - $1,000 Justin Jaschke (on the board for DSST schools, a charter system) - $1,000 Kristin Richardson (former DPS Foundation board member; more info here) - $1,000 John Bales (Teach For America alum (reformer group); Attorney at Kutak Rock, where DPS reformer Mike Johnson is also an attorney) - $100 Rosemary Rodriguez (outgoing DPS member) - $100 Jen Walmer (State Director, Democrats for Education Reform) - $100 Bernard Douthit (Candidate for Democratic nomination for State Treasurer) - $50 |
District 4 | Tay Anderson 1, 2, 3 |
$18,766.01 | $16,865.87 | $1,900.14 | $1,280.09 | Susan Barnes-Gelt (former Denver City Council member; civic activist) - $1,500 Wellington Webb (former mayor of Denver) - $1,650 (including $150 of food provided) Kayvan S.T. Khalatbari (announced 2019 Denver Mayoral candidate; Wikipedia entry--not IFRR) - $1,000 Amy Rostocil - $750 Jeannie Kaplan (former DPS board member) - $654 Earleen Brown (public education activist; Uniting4Kids) - $650 Anita Lynch (Bernie Sanders delegate to the DNC) - $570 Nita Mosby Henry (Chief Human Resources Officer for Children's Hospital; Chief Catalyst at The Equity Project LLC; one of their first projects was "build systems of health equity in every school district in Colorado") - $500 Katherine McCormick-Murphy (had a GoFundMe set up in her name to protest the closing of the Gilpin Public Montessori School) - $350 Kevin Brauer (registered nurse; Bernie Sanders delegate to DNC) - $350 Chris Chiari (previous Denver City Council candidate) - $350 Scott Gilpin (Campaign Manager for Robert Speth's DPS run) - $150 State Rep. Joseph Salazar - $100 Joshua Hanfling (Lobbyist/Co-Founder/Principal at Sewald Hanfling, Public Affairs/Lobbying) - $100 Joseph Halpern (Attorney at Holland & Hart) - $100 Tim Krug (DougCo Activist) - $100 Amy Carrington (public education activist) - $100 Angela Engel (public education activist; Uniting4Kids) - $25 Kayla Wood (KIPP, 9th & 10th Grade College Counselor and 10th Grade Math Teacher) - $10 |
District 4 | Jennifer Bacon 1, 2, 3 |
$68,967.25 | $67,943.11 | $1,024.14 | $161,200 | DCTA Fund (Denver Classroom Teacher's Association - Union) - $10,000 Arthur Rock (Anti-DeVos; pro-charters that are non-profit) - $5,000 Dawn Bookhardt (served as legal council for major developer Forest City) - $4,000 Leadership for Educational Equity - $3,600 Total, of those employed at Leadership for Educational Equity (with the exceptions of Jennifer Bacon, Angela Cobian, and Kate Chapek) - $3,955 Jennifer Bacon (self) - $1,622.32 Antonio Pares (advises Mayor Hancock on education issues; Teach for America alum; more info) - $1,250 UFCW Active Ballot Club Education Fund Colorado SDC (a union, but cannot tell stance on education) - $1,000 Kimberly Patmore (Trustee of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds and others) - $1,000 Joyce Moorehead (attorney; former Miami-Dade School Board member; more info) - $1,000 Albus Brooks (Denver City Council member; Aspen Institute, Rodel Fellow) - $1,000 Total, of those employed at Teach For America - $775 Kate Chapek (Leadership of Educational Equality; "oversee campaign development") - $500 Total from Lockheed Martin Employees (Associated in STEM education programs in Denver with Project Lead the Way, which retains education reform connections) - $600 Nate Easley (former DPS board member who had a recall effort fail, with the failure assisted by DFER) - $250 Total from DaVita Medical employees (DaVita has a partnership with a network of charter schools) - $240 Taggart Hansen (Employee, CH2M Hill - Global engineering company; ran for State BoE District 2 Dem. nom. in 2014; Denver Post-endorsed) - $200 Total from DSST employees (DSST schools, a charter system) - $200 Total from RISE Colorado employees - $150 Full Democracy PAC (Cannot find info. Help us identify) - $50 Maisha Fields (Exec Dir. of the Fields Foundation) - $50 Angela Cobian (DPS District 2 candidate) - $50 Suzie Brundage (fellow Emerge alum; Thornton City Council Ward 4 candidate) - $25 |
District 4 | Rachele Espiritu (i) 1, 2, 3 |
$94,195.98 | $87,840.50 | $6,355.48 | $177,433.09 | Bruce Benson (President of CU; former 1994 GOP governor nominee; has given to reformer candidates in the past) -
$10,000 |
At-Large | Julie Bañuelos 1, 2, 3) (incl. loans totaling $7,352) |
$12,962.24 | $16,835.41 | $3,478.83 (incl. $7,352 in loans) |
Sara Schoen (Instructional Designer, University of Minnesota) - $500 Julie Bañuelos (self) - $425 Audrina Aragon (LinkedIn; Project Manager at Measurement Incorporated, which deals in relation to scoring in education) - $400 Beth Bianchi (anti-Gilpin closing) - $250 Katherine (McCormick) Murphy (had a GoFundMe set up in her name to protest the closing of the Gilpin Public Montessori School) - $250 Stephen Molyneux (Musician and Blogger on activism) - $175 Jacquelyn Parkins (UniServ Director, Front Range Colorado Educator's Association) - $120 Laura Martin (Associate Director of Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada) - $100 Andrea Merrida (former DPS member) - $75 Merrily Mazza (Lafayette City Council member) - $25 David Schwab (Communications Director, Liberty Tree Foundation, where Jill Stein serves as a director) - $25 | |
At-Large | Barbara O'Brien (i) 1, 2, 3 |
$117,464.34 | $115,654.22 | $1,810.12 | $185,037.60 | Bruce Benson (President of CU; former 1994 GOP governor nominee; has given to reformer candidates in the past) - $10,000 Donald Aptekar (Ob-Gyn; Colorado Open Lands Director) - $8,541 (lists only one $100 donations, but has the aggregate as $8,541) Samuel Gary (founded the Piton Foundation) - $7,500 Patrick Hamill (Real Estate Developer; donates to reform candidates; member of Colorado Concern, which lists education reform as a value) - $7,650 (incl. $150 worth of food) Philip Anschutz (frequent education reform donor) - $5,000 Scott Reiman (Charter school proponent) - $5,000 Daniel Ritchie (former Chairman of Daniels Fund; previously donated to DPS reformers; member of Colorado Concern, which lists education reform as a value) - $5,000 James Crowe (Says employer "JQCROWE"; Crowe Building Products - Roofing) - $2,500 Susan Halstedt (wife of Steven Halstedt, who is (Managing Director at Centennial Ventures, a venture capital investment firm) - $2,500 Debra Tuchman (wife of Ken Tuchman, CEO of Teletech, a call center) - $2,500 |
At-Large | Robert Speth 1, 2, 3 (Took out $18,075 in loans) |
$30,635.50 | $31,845.67 | $4,864.83 (after $12,000 in loan repayments) |
$4,091.79 | Robert Speth (self; loan) - $18,075 (1, 2) Robert Speth (self) - $2,518.50 David Grash (lists Bucky's Car Wash, and a Texas address) - $1,986 Public Education Committee (Small Donor Committee for Colorado Education Association) - $5,000 DCTA Fund (union) - $1,500 Dee Chirafisi (Owner/Founder/Broker Kentwood City Properties; LinkedIn Page) - $990 Tim Darlington (Darlington Renovation) - $666 Craig Kaley (Senior VP of IT at ComputerShare; LinkedIn Page; Wisconsin person, like Speth) - $600 Scott Gilpin (Campaign Manager for Speth) - $525 Laura Curtis (DPS teacher) - $500 Larry Lovelace (On Lone Tree Arts Commission) - $500 Michael Kiley (previous DPS candidate, union-endorsed) - $400 Brad Pippert (lists Colorado PERA as employer) - $300 Joseph Halpern (Attorney at Holland & Hart) - $250 Susan Barnes-Gelt (former Denver City Council member; civic activist) - $250 Jon Van Roo (listed as "John"; physician at Madison Emergency Physicians; went to same alma matter as Speth) - $400 Amy Carrington (public education activist) - $250 Bernd Vilkus (listed as Financial/Investments for Denver Academy Inc., a private school) - $200 Jeanne Kaplan (former DPS board member) - $100 Jonathan Hartley (spelled "Heartley" on form; VP at Endeavour Capital; LinkedIn Page) - $100 Val Flores (State BoE member for the 1st Congressional District) - $100 Bernard Douthit (Candidate for Democratic nomination for State Treasurer) - $50Angela Engel (public education activist; Uniting4Kids) - $25 |
Independent Expenditure Committee Activity
By Group
Raising Colorado / Democrats For Education Reform
Jen Walmer is the registered agent of Raising Colorado and is additionally the Colorado State Director of Democrats for Education Reform (DFER). Raising Colorado is funded by Education Reform Now, which is the "sister group" of DFER.
Raising Colorado is boosting for the following candidates in 2017:
- Angela Cobian
- Mike Johnson
- Rachele Espiritu
- Barbara O'Brien
Money has been spent specifically in opposition to these candidates:
- Jennifer Bacon
Better Schools for a Stronger Colorado / Stand For Children
Registered agent is Katie Kennedy, who is registered with an email address connected to Stand For Children, an education reform organization. It also outright states on the filing that an affiliated organization is Stand For Children. SFC gave BSSC a $100k donation on 8/31/17.
Better Schools for a Stronger Colorado is boosting for the following candidates in 2017:
- Mike Johnston
- Barbara O'Brien
Brighter Futures for Denver
The registered agent is former Denver City Attorney David Scott Martinez.
Thus far, solely funded by teacher unions.
Brighter Futures for Denver is boosting for the following candidates in 2017:
- Jennifer Bacon
Every Student Succeeds
Every Student Succeeds is funded by teacher's union organizations such as Aurora Education Association, Denver Classroom Teachers Association, Colorado Fund for Children and Public Education (the funding arm of Colorado Education Association, a teacher's union). One Will Paterson also donated $5,000.
Supports:
- Sochi Gaytan
Our Denver, Our Schools
Supports:
- Sochi Gaytan
- Carrie Olson
- Tay Anderson
- Robert Speth
Leadership for Educational Equity
Jennifer Bacon has listed a position as Regional Director of LEE on her LinkedIn resume. Bacon's campaign paid LEE $2,527.80 for consulting services (1, 2).
Angela Cobian's campaign paid $2,900 for consulting services] with either the organization itself ($1,400) or with someone who lists an association with the organization ($1,500 to Audrey Kline). (1, 2)
Ready Colorado / Families First Colorado
Not to be confused with the site about Colorado Disaster Preparedness. Ready Colorado, a group focused on education reform, which has as their tagline on their website "Conservatives leading the charge for better schools in Colorado".
Ready Colorado funds the Independent Expenditure Committee Families First Colorado, and is thus far their sole contributor. Ready Colorado has gven Families First Colorado $20,000 as of the 10/30/17 Filing. Families First Colorado's TRACER page has this as their stated purpose: "To support candidates that believe in improving school choice and strengthening accountability to parents and taxpayers, and to oppose candidates that believe in limiting school choice or weakening accountability to parents and taxpayers."
Margo Branscomb is the registered agent of Families First Colorado and was at one point the Board President of Ready Colorado. She also is a 2006 alum of Leadership Program of the Rockies, a group that has awards called "Defenders of Capitalism" and "Defenders of the Declaration".
From their "What is LPR?" Page:
"LPR’s philosophy is firmly rooted in the classical-liberal traditions of the American Revolution and America’s Founding Fathers. These traditions clearly align with the modern conservative movement. America’s libertarian mores are often evident, too.
We stress the virtues of free-markets, Austrian-school economics, the elements of liberty stemming from Natural Law. We strive to fully understand why these principles inspired the Declaration of Independence and how they were woven into the U.S. Constitution.
To graduate, one must make a cogent moral case for capitalism. Concepts like private-property rights, personal responsibility, legitimate rights versus entitlements and more are dissected and understood to a rather full extent."
They have supported these candidates:
- Rachele Espiritu
By Candidate
Angela Cobian
- Mailers, from Raising Colorado (mailers stated "Not authorized by, coordinated with, or controlled by any candidate"), which totaled $18,669.86. (TRACER Report)
- Students For Education Reform lists in their 10/13/17 filing of design and printing ($4,855.85), T-shirts ($255.95), and phonebanking ($212.50) specifically for Angela Cobian. Totaling $5,324.30.
- In the 10/16/17 TRACER Filing, Raising Colorado spent $40,475.66 on mailers, digital media, and website hosting.
- In the 10/19/17 TRACER Filing, Raising Colorado spent $5,743.29 on social media.
- In the 10/24/17 TRACER Filing, Raising Colorado spent $20,540.31 on social media and mailers.
- In the 10/31/17 TRACER Filing, Raising Colorado spent $2,368.83 on social media.
- In the 11/03/17 filing, Raising Colorado spent $4,014.46 on digital media and website hosting.
- In the 11/07/17 filing, Raising Colorado spent $3,500 on phone banking.
- In the 11/07/17 filing, Raising Colorado spent $332.73 on phone banking.
- In the 11/07/17 filing, Raising Colorado spent $3,538.05 on social media.
Sochi Gaytan
- A major blitz occurred during the course of the 10/16/17 TRACER filing by Every Student Succeeds totaling $110,000, utilizing mailers, consultations, digital advertising, door to door canvassing.
- 10/20/17 Filing by Every Student Succeeds was $5,000 for mailers.
- 10/20/17 Filing, Every Student Succeeds spent $3000 collectively between 10 candidates, so $300 each, though one such charge was in opposition to Angela Cobian, so $600 was spent towards the election of Gaytan.
- In the 10/30/17 TRACER Filing a total of $916.69 was spent on Gaytan (when factoring her share of shared expenditures) by Our Denver, Our Schools on digital ads, mailers, and general advertising.
- 11/01/17 Filing, Every Student Succeeds spent $375 on consulting services (both for support of Gaytan and opposition to Cobian).
- In the 11/03/17 TRACER Filing a total of $582.91 was spent on Gaytan (when factoring her share of shared expenditures) by Our Denver, Our Schools on mailers.
Carrie Olson
- In the 10/30/17 TRACER Filing a total of $2,123.55 was spent on Olson (when factoring her share of shared expenditures) by Our Denver, Our Schools on digital ads, mailers, and general advertising.
- In the 11/03/17 TRACER Filing a total of $1,165.82 was spent on Olson (when factoring her share of shared expenditures, both in terms of support for her and opposition to Johnson) by Our Denver, Our Schools on mailers.
Mike Johnson
- In the 10/16/17 TRACER Filing, Raising Colorado spent $25,030.35 on mailers, digital media, and website hosting.
- In the 10/13/17 TRACER Filing Better Schools for a Better Colorado spent $6,271.72 on mailers.
- In the 10/19/17 TRACER Filing, Raising Colorado spent $3,096.76 on social media.
- In the 10/24/17 TRACER Filing, Raising Colorado spent $14,650.79 on social media and mailers.
- In the 10/31/17 TRACER Filing, Raising Colorado spent $1,531.96 on social media.
- In the 11/03/17 filing, Raising Colorado spent $2,134.52 on digital media and website hosting.
- In the 11/07/17 filing, Raising Colorado spent $2,611.32 on social media.
Tay Anderson
- In the 10/30/17 TRACER Filing a total of $114.27 was spent on Anderson (when factoring his share of shared expenditures) by Our Denver, Our Schools on digital ads, mailers, and general advertising.
- In the 11/03/17 TRACER Filing a total of $1,165.82 was spent on Anderson (when factoring his share of shared expenditures, both in terms of support for him and opposition to Espiritu) by Our Denver, Our Schools on mailers.
Rachele Espiritu
- Students For Education Reform lists in their 10/13/17 filing of design and printing ($4,855.85), T-shirts ($255.95), and phonebanking ($212.50) specifically for Rachele C. Espiritu. Totaling $5,324.30.
- In the 10/16/17 TRACER Filing, Raising Colorado spent $61,471.21 on mailers, digital media, and website hosting.
- In the 10/18/17 TRACER Filing, Raising Colorado spent $13,368.41 on mailers.
- In the 10/19/17 TRACER Filing, Raising Colorado spent $6,783.24 on social media.
- In the 10/24/17 TRACER Filing, Raising Colorado spent $15,547.81 on social media and mailers.
- In the 10/29/17 TRACER Filing, Raising Colorado spent $40,432.20 on mailers (including $13,765.83 spent specifically to oppose Jennifer Bacon, however it is doubtful that specific charge is for the benefit of candidate Tay Anderson).
- In the 10/29/17 filing, Families First Colorado spent $4,378.00 on mailers supporting Espiritu.
- In the 10/31/17 TRACER Filing, Raising Colorado spent $4,458.23 on social media.
- In the 11/03/17 filing, Raising Colorado spent $10,202.09 on digital media and website hosting.
- In the 11/07/17 filing, Raising Colorado spent $6,155.07 on phone banking.
- In the 11/07/17 filing, Raising Colorado spent $4,706.55 on phone banking.
- In the 11/07/17 filing, Raising Colorado spent $4,605.98 on social media.
Jennifer Bacon
- Brighter Futures for Denver, which is funded by mostly teachers unions, spent a total of $139,000 on consultant fees in the 10/16/17 TRACER Filing.
- In the 10/30/17 TRACER Filing, Brighter Futures for Denver spent $22,200 on mailers.
Barbara O'Brien
- In the 10/13/17 TRACER Filing, Raising Colorado spent $25,245.99 on mailers.
- In the 10/16/17 TRACER Filing, Raising Colorado spent $37,364.21 on mailers, digital media, and website hosting.
- In the 10/13/17 TRACER Filing Better Schools for a Better Colorado spent $31,822.82 on mailers.
- In the 10/14/17 TRACER Filing Better Schools for a Better Colorado spent $45,000 on internet advertising.
- In the 10/19/17 TRACER Filing, Raising Colorado spent $5,620.14 on social media.
- In the 10/24/17 TRACER Filing, Raising Colorado spent $28,800.29 on social media and mailers.
- In the 10/31/17 TRACER Filing, Raising Colorado spent $2,194.95 on social media.
- 11/01/17 Filing, Better Schools for a Stronger Colorado spent $2,500 on digital advertising.
- In the 11/03/17 filing, Raising Colorado spent $3,361.88 on digital media and website hosting.
- In the 11/07/17 filing, Raising Colorado spent $632.10 on phone banking.
- In the 11/09/17 filing, Raising Colorado spent $2,495.22 on social media.
Robert Speth
- In the 10/30/17 TRACER Filing a total of $2,925.97 was spent on Speth (when factoring his share of shared expenditures) by Our Denver, Our Schools on digital ads, mailers, and general advertising.
- In the 11/03/17 TRACER Filing a total of $1,165.82 was spent on Speth (when factoring his share of shared expenditures, both in terms of support for him and opposition to O'Brien) by Our Denver, Our Schools on mailers.
Reform vs. Pro-Public Ed Monetary Breakdown
Ultimate winners bolded.
This is using money from organizations with specific stances on education reform, not from individuals. For details on individual donations, click here, or scroll up to the beginning of the Campaign Finance subsection.
Seat | Name | Total Campaign Expenditures | Reform (Direct Donations) | Pro-Public Ed (Direct Donations) | Reform IECs/PACs | Pro-Public Ed IECs/PACs | Total Spent (Campaigns + IECs) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
District 2 | Angela Cobian | $105,200.02 | $2,000 | $0 | $104,507.49 | $0 | $209,707.51 |
District 2 | Sochi Gaytan | $28,934.10 | $0 | $15,000 | $0 | $117,474.60 | $146,408.70 |
DISTRICT 2 TOTALS | ----- | $134,134.12 | $2,000 | $15,000 | $104,507.49 | $117,474.60 | $356,116.21 |
District 3 | Carrie Olson | $35,470.10 | $0 | $8,500 | $0 | $3,289.37 | $38,759.47 |
District 3 | Mike Johnson (i) | $103,782.57 | $0 | $0 | $55,327.42 | $0 | $159,109.99 |
DISTRICT 3 TOTALS | ----- | $139,252.67 | $0 | $8,500 | $55,327.42 | $3,289.37 | $197,869.46 |
District 4 | Tay Anderson | $16,865.87 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1,280.09 | $18,145.96 |
District 4 | Jennifer Bacon | $67,943.11 | $2,500 | $10,000 (Not incl. $1,000, as cannot find ed stances |
$0 | $161,200.00 | $229,143.11 |
District 4 | Rachele Espiritu (i) | $87,840.50 | $4,750 | $0 | $177,433.09 | $0 | $265,273.59 |
DISTRICT 4 TOTALS | ----- | $172,649.48 | $7,250 | $10,000 | $177,433.09 | $162,480.09 | $512,562.66 |
At-Large | Julie Bañuelos | $16,835.41 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $16,835.41 |
At-Large | Barbara O'Brien (i) | $115,654.22 | $600 | $0 | $185,037.60 | $0 | $300,691.82 |
At-Large | Robert Speth | $31,845.67 | $0 | $6,500 | $0 | $4,091.79 | $35,937.46 |
AT-LARGE TOTALS | ----- | $164,335.30 | $600 | $6,500 | $185,037.60 | $4,091.79 | $353,464.69 |
GRAND TOTALS | ---- | $610,371.57 | $9,850 | $40,000 | $522,305.60 | $287,335.85 | $1,420,013.02 |