Jeffco Board of Education: An Overview

The Jeffco Public Schools Board of Education plays a crucial role in shaping the educational landscape of Jefferson County, Colorado. As the policy-making body of the school district, the Board's powers and duties are defined by state law. This article provides an overview of the Jeffco Board of Education, its functions, recent elections, and key issues facing the district.

Structure and Function of the Board

The Jeffco Public Schools Board of Education consists of five members elected to alternating four-year terms. Elections are held every two years, and board members are not compensated for their service. After each election, the Board selects its officers for the subsequent two years.

The Board's primary responsibility is to develop policies that align with state and federal statutes, providing direction to the educational process within Jeffco Public Schools. These policies cover a wide range of issues, from curriculum and instruction to student conduct and district finances.

In addition to policy-making, the Board also oversees a recognition program that acknowledges individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the district. The Board also institutes committees and task force teams to focus on particular issues.

Recent Elections and Key Candidates

In Jeffco Public Schools, voters are selecting three school board members this year. Seven candidates are running in total. Two candidates, Michael Yocum and Denine Echevarria, are running for a seat representing Jeffco’s District 1. Two candidates, Peter Gibbins and Samuel Myrant, are running for the District 2 seat. Three candidates, Tina Moeinian, Mary Parker, and Gloria Rascon, are running to represent District 5. All Jeffco voters will have the opportunity to select one candidate for each race in the Nov. 4 election.

The three seats up for election are currently held by Danielle Varda (District 1), Paula Reed (District 2), and Mary Parker (District 5). With all three seats contested, the composition of the five-member board could shift depending on the outcome of the election.

Candidates' Views on Key Issues

Several pressing issues have emerged as focal points in the current election cycle. Here's a glimpse into some of the candidates' perspectives:

School Safety and Mental Health: Following a concerning incident, candidates have emphasized the importance of student safety and mental health resources. Gibbins added that mental health needs to be something protected amidst budget cuts, making sure teachers are prepared to handle mental health issues when they arise. Rascon cited the Evergreen High School shooting as a lesson yet to be learned. Yocum expressed concern that "We're not doing nearly enough. We dropped the ball".
Budget Deficit: Another major issue discussed was the nearly $40 million budget deficit the district ran last year. Myrant questioned why there were so many meetings for upper management, wondering if there was too much upper management in general.
Parent Involvement: Candidates like Rascon advocate for greater parent involvement in the district. “I want to see more parents involved."

Parker, the current District 5 board member, is seeking reelection. Parker won the 2021 election with 55.4% of the vote. Parker declined to participate in the JCEA interview and endorsement process.

Gibbins and Moeinian have the endorsement of the Jefferson County Education Association, the teachers union.

Challenges and Controversies

The Jeffco Board of Education has faced its share of challenges and controversies in recent years. These include:

Curriculum Review and Protests

In 2014, proposed revisions to the history curriculum sparked significant controversy. Board member Julie Williams proposed the creation of a nine-member "Board Committee for Curriculum Review" to ensure that instructional materials promoted citizenship, patriotism, and respect for authority while avoiding materials that encouraged civil disorder or disregarded the law.

These proposals led to widespread protests by teachers and students, who argued that they would censor students' history education. Students from multiple high schools staged walkouts in protest. Witt claimed that students were being misled by their teachers on the debate as insulting.

Ultimately, the board voted to revise the district's procedures for handling curriculum reviews using a compromise proposal. The College Board also announced that it had reviewed the AP history curriculum and made updates to the existing guidelines.

Teacher Compensation and Sickouts

Negotiations between the school board and the Jefferson County Education Association over teacher salaries were deadlocked in 2014. The primary point of contention was the proposal to tie salary increases to a four-step teacher evaluation system.

The school board approved a new pay system that granted raises to teachers based on their evaluation ratings. In response, district teachers planned a sickout that forced the closure of two high schools. A second teacher sickout occurred, also resulting in the closure of two schools.

Recall Election

Along with the general election, a recall election for three of the district's five board members was on the ballot on November 3, 2015. A group called Jeffco United for Action filed the petitions against Williams, Witt, and Newkirk in the summer of 2015. All three members said they had no intentions of resigning from the board.

District Leadership

Tracy Dorland is the superintendent of Jeffco Public Schools. Dorland was appointed superintendent on April 19, 2021.

Past Superintendents

Jason Glass (2017-2020)
Terry Elliott (Interim, 2017)
Dan McMinimee (2014-2017)
Cindy Stevenson

District Overview

Jeffco Public Schools (Jeffco) is a diverse and high-performing school district located in Jefferson County, Colorado. It is the state’s second-largest school district, serving 75,000 students across 145 schools. Its 14,000 employees make it the largest employer in the county. The enrollment count for the 2024-25 school year is just over 75,000.

Jeffco has approximately 5,097 teachers. All teachers meet the educator qualification requirements under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and state law.

Jeffco’s focus on investing in high-quality resources continues to yield results. Jeffco schools were recognized and celebrated during the Colorado Department of Education School and District Awards ceremony this May. Jeffco is proud to honor the incredible achievements of our students in 2025.

The school district is divided into 17 articulation areas that feed into one of Jeffco's high schools, providing assigned schools for each neighborhood served, as well as option and charter school choices.

District Values

Equity: In Jeffco, not all students, staff and families are starting from the same place nor do they need the same things to reach their fullest potential.
Focus on Students: In Jeffco, we make decisions and measure outcomes based on how well we serve our students.
Integrity: In Jeffco, acting with integrity creates honesty, trust, responsibility, and a spirit of transparency.

Budget Information

As of the 2023-2024 school year, Jeffco Public Schools had 4,448.94 full-time classroom teachers.

Additional Information

Safe2Tell - the anonymous reporting system - saw record use in Colorado during the 2024-25 school year, logging more than 31,000 reports. That was a 10.5% jump from the year before, according to the state Attorney General’s Office.

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