A rally at Clement Park in October. (Andy Cross, The Denver Post)
Regardless of the outcome of the , Americans For Prosperity say they will continue to work in the county.
“These are important changes. We’re still going to be here,” said Michael Fields, the state director for the conservative nonprofit.
The group, which is known to receive funding from the billionaire brothers David and Charles Koch, has been sending out mailers, doing door to door canvassing, and even paid for television ads to support changes the Jefferson County Public Schools board has implemented.
Among those, the that tie pay to evaluations, creating equal funding for charter schools, and increasing school choices.
One of the mailers paid for by Americans for Prosperity.
“We advocate competition. Education shouldn’t be different,” Fields says. “Competition really raises the quality of education. Incentives matter. Rewarding good teachers. When you look at it in general we believe in a society where people compete. Where you get the best solutions through free market principles.”
Of course, not everyone agrees. Teacher unions, for instance, call for collaboration between teachers. Other advocates say creating competition between schools means money is spent on marketing not in the classrooms.
Education and local school board politics are a big part of the broader economy, Fields said, and pointed out that they are not working exclusively in Jeffco.
The group has also been active in Douglas County school board elections in the past.
Because the group is not directly campaigning for or against any of the candidates, (just the issues, they say) they do not have to report their funding or spending with the secretary of state’s office. A spokeswoman for the group said their spending has been “in the low six-figures.”
