Kwame Spearman made it official Monday.

He’s running – after a failed Denver mayoral bid -for the at-large seat on the Denver Public Schools Board of Education.

Early last month, Spearman stepped down as CEO of the Tattered Cover to explore a run for school board in November.

The board has two at-large seats. The one held by Board Vice President Auon’tai M. Anderson is up for re-election in November.

Anderson – whose election in 2019 helped flip the board majority to members supported by the teachers’ union – announced his candidacy for re-election last fall.

“I think the board dynamic needs to change,” said Spearman, 39. “When you’re focused on drama, which is probably the simplest way to say it, you don’t have the capacity to focus on more meritorious things.”

This board has had its share of personality clashes that in the wake of the shooting of two deans in March at East High School is unseemly, Spearman said, noting the focus should be on students.

And safety.

Particularly after the board voted to remove school resource officers (SRO) from campuses in the aftermath of police brutality protests in 2020, when the board first called for an update to the district’s safety plan. He’s also been critical of the school board having met in secret to approve the return of SROs and what he called “politics and grandstanding” that Spearman believes has been a stumbling block for this board.

He further cited the taxpayer money spent on conflict resolution.

Since Aug. 31, DPS has paid at least $33,600 on counseling sessions, invoices obtained by The Denver Gazette under the Colorado Open Records Act show.

“The district needs new leaders,” Spearman said.

On Monday, Spearman told The Denver Gazette that he learned a lot in his shortened bid for mayor, specifically how critical neighborhoods are to the lifeblood of a city.

“It’s impossible for us to have great city without great schools,” he said.

While Spearman doesn’t have any children, as a Denver native who graduated from East High School in 2002 he is a product of DPS. Additionally, Spearman’s mother, Janice Spearman was a former DPS educator and principal, before retiring in 2019.

According to Denver fundraising data, Spearman raised roughly $302,000 for his mayoral bid, of which he had nearly $600 on hand as of April 30.

None of the money he raised for the mayoral race can be used for his school board run.

A school board post – which is nonpartisan – is for four years.

The seats held by Directors Scott Baldermann, in District 1, and Charmaine Lindsay, District 5, are also up for grabs in the fall.

The deadline for candidates to file their intent to run is 67 days before Election Day, which for this election cycle is Sept. 1, said Lucille Wenegieme, a spokesperson for the with the Denver Clerk and Recorder’s Office.

Candidates can begin circulating petitions 90 days before the election, which is Aug. 9.

Spearman, who has not yet filed, said he intends to do so within the next 10 days.