Political groups, teacher unions pour more than $1 million into DPS school board election

Political groups and teacher unions have spent more than $1 million so far on candidates in the Denver school board election, which could shake up leadership of Colorado’s largest district next week. Four of the seven seats on the Denver Public Schools‘ Board of Education are at play this year. The election comes as DPS is facing financial challenges, including falling K-12 enrollment and scrutiny from the Trump administration regarding gender-neutral bathrooms in schools. “This election really sets forth the next 10 years for DPS,” said Daniel Aschkinasi, the registered agent for an independent expenditure committee called Better Leaders, Stronger Schools. “Getting the right board in place to be able to support students and teachers for the future planning of this district that has a lot of challenges, I think, is why it’s so critical.” Aschkinasi’s group is by far the biggest spender in the election, having already paid about $751,587 for mailers and television and digital advertisements to support candidates endorsed by Denver Families Action, which is hoping to cement its flip of the school board that began in 2023. Denver Families Action is the political arm of Denver Families for Public Schools and one of the largest donors to Better Leaders, Stronger Schools. The group has endorsed candidates for each of the seats that are on the ballot this election, including Alex Magaña, Mariana del Hierro, Caron Blanke and Timiya Jackson. “Denver Families Action is committed to ensuring the voices of public school families are front and center in this election,” said the group’s CEO, Clarence Burton Jr., in an email about the spending in this year’s election. “Every dollar we invest is reported and spent to ensure that voters know which candidates truly reflect what families want from their public schools.” Independent expenditure committees cannot work with candidates directly. The $1.2 million spent in the school board election as of Friday doesn’t include money candidates raised themselves, unless it was given by teacher unions. The Denver Classroom Teachers Association is backing its own slate of candidates, including incumbent Xóchitl Gaytán, Amy Klein Molk, DJ Torres and Monica Hunter. Notably, two incumbents — Scott Esserman and Michelle Quattlebaum — endorsed by the union in 2021 are not backed by DCTA this year. DCTA has given candidates about $76,809 directly. Separately, an independent expenditure committee — backed by the Colorado Education Association — has spent $191,496 on advertising in the DPS election. A second independent group backed by the Colorado Education Association, Public Education Committee, has given at least $73,750 to DCTA candidates, campaign records showed. The teacher unions in Boulder Valley School District, Jeffco Public Schools and Adams 12 Five Star Schools have also donated a total of $17,000 to candidates backed by DCTA. “We’re all trying to help each other,” said DCTA President Rob Gould. “A union is unified in making sure we protect public education.” He called the 2023 election a wake-up call to the millions of dollars that DPS school board elections are attracting. Better Leaders, Stronger Schools emerged as a major player in Denver school board elections two years ago, which saw $2.2 million spent and the ouster of two incumbents. But the group has drawn criticism from candidates and others for being a dark money group funded by donors outside of Denver. (Denver Families for Public Schools is partly backed by The City Fund, a national organization that supports charter and school reform, Chalkbeat Colorado reported.) “We keep seeing this significant increase in interest from wealthy individuals,” Gaytán said. “These millionaires and billionaires that are so interested in dumping these millions of dollars in school board elections, and it does leave people wondering why.” While Denver Families remains a major backer for Better Leaders, Stronger Schools, the group has expanded its donor pool since the 2023 election, Aschkinasi said. More than 40 donors, including Colorado billionaire Philip Anschutz, have given to the group, which is up from about a dozen two years ago, he said. “We were able to do something that folks didn’t think was possible in 2023,” Aschkinasi said of increasing the group’s donor base. As spending ramps up in the election, so is the arrival of negative advertising, especially in the at-large race. Better Leaders, Stronger Schools is circulating a digital advertisement that says Molk — who is endorsed by the union — fired teachers and replaced them with artificial intelligence. Molk said the clip that the ad uses to make the claim was taken out of context. Her startup, called Beanstalk, failed in 2021 and she had to let all — about 15 — employees go. The employees were producers, not teachers, Molk said. “I’m outraged and disgusted,” she said. “We need to have a serious conversation about campaign finance reform.” Related Articles Denver school board member John Youngquist accuses superintendent, district staff of retaliation Denver school board election: 11 candidates are vying for 4 seats Colorado voter guide: Stories and explainers for the 2025 election Aschkinasi said his group is mostly spending to uplift candidates it supports. Of the AI ad, he said, “We just shared her own words with voters at a much more amplified level.” The union’s committee — Students Deserve Better — has run a digital ad criticizing Magaña’s leadership of the Beacon Network Schools innovation zone, which was dissolved by DPS. Another independent committee called Colorado Families for Great Schools has also spent about $81,900 in the election, specifically the District 2 race where Gaytán is hoping to keep her seat. The group, which received a donation from the Colorado League of Charter Schools, spent the money on mailers supporting del Hierro and opposing Gaytán. Nicholas Hernandez, the registered agent for the group, said he doesn’t expect to spend much more on the election. “Our base is generally concentrated in marginalized communities, in places like southwest Denver,” he said. Get more Colorado news by signing up for our Mile High Roundup email newsletter.