The Denver has grown more contentious in its waning days, with about the influence of outside money and attempts to tie candidates who back the districtap agenda to unpopular Republicans.
Although past Denver school board races have been marked by rancor, observers and participants alike agree that the tone this year is different — closer in tenor to the heated and this year’s divisive .
Several factors are at play: the controversial tenure of , long-simmering divides within the Democratic party over education policy, a more aggressive teachers union, and the growing influence of outside groups responsible for a torrent of mailers and digital advertising that can prove powerful in low-turnout elections.
At stake is control of a board that is 7-0 lockstep in support of Denver Public Schools’ strategies, which include offering families a choice among different schools including charter schools, rating schools with a system that heavily weights student progress on standardized tests, and closing schools that are persistently low-performing.
Four of the board’s seven seats are in play this election. Opponents of the districtap current path are running for all four seats.
.
Chalkbeat Colorado is a nonprofit news organization covering education issues. For more, visit chalkbeat.org/co.
