Go to: Candidate Q&A home page · Denver Post Voter Guide
Lisa Escarcega (i) Democrat
Residence: Denver
Profession: Education
Education: Ed.S. School Psychology, Ph.D Quantitative Research Methods
Experience: Over 40 years of experience working in Education. First as a School Psychologist, then district administration. I retired as the Executive Director of the Colorado Association of School Executives.
What are your top three priorities, if elected?
1-After decades of tax cuts and the constraints of TABOR, it’s clear that Colorado must find revenue that ensures adequate and equitable funding for all Colorado public schools.
2-We continue to experience a critical shortage of educators and mental health professionals. Ensuring alternative pathways are available for all positions and supporting improvements to educator working conditions are the focus.
3-Ensuring an inclusive public education for all by advocating for the support and resources necessary to thrive.
What role do you see charter and online schools playing as K-12 enrollment declines statewide?
I see all schools and districts being impacted and having to address declining student enrollment. Schools and districts will have to balance and strategize on how to offer and maintain choice options with fewer students and less funding that comes with declining enrollment.
Whatap working and not working about the way Colorado measures school performance?
Having common measures across schools and districts helps to look at school performance but our state system is over reliant on our current measures. Room needs to be made for local performance information to be included for any interested party to see and evaluate. A state dashboard is currently being built and should include more metrics than what are currently included in the school performance reports.
Clayton Casciato and Frederick Espinoza did not return the questionnaire.
