School safety, board transparency and girls’ sports emerged as some of the common themes for Douglas County School District candidates vying for four seats in Tuesday’s election.

Eight candidates are running on similar issues, notably safety amid violence at schools in Colorado and elsewhere in the country, what’s in the curricula and how to deal with extra-curricular activities, notably girls’ sports.

Many noted the importance of listening to parents’ feedback.

The district is comprised of more than 61,000 students across more than 90 schools in a county of roughly 400,000 residents.

SCHOOL SAFETY

School safety is top of mind for the candidates.

For District D candidate Keaton Gambill, the issues that matter most include maintaining support systems at schools, addressing conduct policies and trauma counseling.

“I understand the impact that a traumatic experience can have on a student’s success,” Gambill said during a student-led panel. 

“As a parent, I don’t chase headlines or follow party scripts. I use common sense: start with the truth, strip away the noise, and focus on what actually works,” Gambill also said in a Denver Gazette questionnaire.

District B candidate Kyrzia Parker said she is running to protect students and their needs to succeed.

“As a licensed social worker, I worked alongside special education teams and served on threat assessment teams,” she said. “I saw both the challenges and the incredible difference that strong schools and caring adults make in a child’s life.”

PARENTS’ INPUT

Several candidates said the board needs to pay more attention to input from the community.

For District G candidate Kelly Denzler, it’s more “educator representation” on the school board.

“I became really frustrated watching board meetings starting a year ago because it was clear that decisions were being made without more than lip service to their potential effects on teachers,” she said. “I want teachers in our district to make it to 10 years and beyond, and that won’t happen if they don’t have a seat at the table.”

For District E candidate Deborah Kramer, it’s the need for parents and the community to have a “strong voice in shaping our schools.”

“I’m committed to bringing transparency, accountability, and common-sense leadership to the board,” she said.

District B candidate Matthew Smith as mentioned transparency.

“I promise to bring transparency, accountability, and common sense to our school board,” he said on his campaign site. “I will listen to parents, stand up for students, and ensure our schools focus on education, not agendas.”

District E candidate Clark Callahan said he is running to “champion excellence, expand opportunity, and build trust in our schools.”

GIRLS SPORTS

Some candidates noted the issue of transgender athletes competing in girls sports.

In her questionnaire, Kramer said one of her priorities is “keeping boys out of girls sports.”

On his campaign site, District G candidate Stephen Vail said he is also prioritizing the same issue.

“I’m running to defend parental rights, expand school choice, and protect girls’ sports,” he said. “Families deserve transparency, options, and fairness in every aspect of education.”

EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

District D candidate Tony Ryan said extra curricular activities need to be prioritized.

“I would also expand on my hope to promote a robust system of extracurricular activities by saying that I want to set a standard that programs like the arts, clubs, and athletics should be funded fairly and should not be seen as financial cut points when our schools are struggling financially,” Ryan said.

On the topic, some candidates raised questions over staff compensation.

At a panel, Callahan said his three priorities are creating multiple pathways for success, disciplined financing, providing students resources and having “competitive educator compensation.”