Preserving the State Board

One of the many consequential decisions being determined on Election Night earlier this week was the fate of the Colorado State Board of Education.

This was critically important to the Colorado charter school community because, as you know, the State Board hears appeals on charter school issues and serves as the final decision-maker when it comes to disputes between charter schools and local school districts.

If the election had gone a certain way, for the first time ever we would have had a majority State Board that was not inclined to support charter schools and give them the fair hearing they deserve. This could have had devastating impacts on the sector, because no longer would the State Board have been there to keep anti-charter decisions made by local school districts in check.

Instead – because of efforts led by CLCS Action and our partners – we’re excited to report that we were able to defend the State Board and preserve a charter-friendly majority with the election of Yazmin Navarro from Congressional District 8.

Yazmin, a charter school parent, won election to a six-year term on the State Board by defeating an incumbent who often voted against charter schools. Yazmin’s election will help preserve the board’s bipartisan, charter-friendly majority for at least the next four years.

The League founded CLCS Action for moments just like this. As our sister 501(c)(4) organization, CLCS Action is able to engage in elections in ways that the League and our schools cannot. In this election, CLCS Action identified more than 18,000 charter-connected voters in the 8th Congressional District and educated them on the importance of the State Board for the schools their kids attend. CLCS Action’s independent expenditure committee then made the case to these voters that Yazmin would be the best candidate to protect charter schools. 

What’s more, it appears that the charter school community was decisive in the outcome of this election. More than 11,000 charter-connected voters cast ballots in the 8th Congressional District. Although some ballots are still being counted, Yazmin is currently winning by over 9,000 votes. Additionally, Yazmin is significantly outperforming her party’s nominee for Congress in the district, suggesting that more than 4,000 voters were uniquely motivated to cross party lines to vote for her.

We’ve said it before, but it bears repeating in this context – the Colorado charter school community is a force to be reckoned with when we stand together and make our voices heard. That’s what happened in this election, and that’s what needs to keep happening as we prepare for another contentious legislative session ahead.

THANK YOU to all who stood with us and made their voices heard in this election. It was a momentous outcome, and we couldn’t be prouder that we were able to help deliver it for our schools and the sector.

—The League's Policy and Advocacy Team