Aurora Public Schools
Same as Adams-Arapahoe School District 28J.
Contents
Aurora Public Schools District Info
| Students | County | Graduation Rate | # of Schools | Operating Budget | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34,942 | Adams Arapahoe |
65% -13.9% to CO average |
61 | $368M ~ $10,531/student ~ $6.03M/school +$5,231/student to CO average |
Adopted Budget 2016/2017 |
Aurora Public Schools Superintendent
| Name | When First Voted In | Salary | Contract Ends | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demetri "Rico" Munn (Registered Democrat) |
May 2013 | $226,433 | (Cannot confirm) | 303-365-7800 supt@aps.k12.co.us |
Aurora Public Schools School Board
- No compensation
- Terms are 4 years
- 2 term limit
| District | Name | Party | Next Election | Contact | 2017 Results |
2015 Results |
2013 Results |
2011 Results |
2009 Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| At-Large | Monica Colbert | Republican | 2019 | 720-937-2063 mrcolbert@aps.k12.co.us |
X | Won with 16.2% | X | ||
| At-Large | Kevin Cox | Democrat | 2021 | 303-505-9841 kcox@aps.k12.co.us |
Won with 16.58%% | X | Won with 19.5% (Amber Drevon) |
||
| At-Large | Dan Jorgensen | Democrat | 2019 | 303-345-8981 ddjorgensen@aps.k12.co.us |
X | Won with 17.6% | X | ||
| At-Large | Debbie Gerkin | Democrat | 2021 | 303-364-3794 degerkin@aps.k12.co.us |
Won with 16.25% | X | Won with 20.6% (Eric Nelson) |
||
| At-Large | Kyla Armstrong-Romero | Democrat | 2021 | 303-557-8977 karmstrong-romero@aps.k12.co.us |
Won with 15.12% | X | Won with 22.5% (JulieMarie Shepherd) |
||
| At-Large | Beulah "Cathy" Wildman | Republican | 2019 | 303-884-6095 cwildman@aps.k12.co.us |
X | Won with 17.2% | X | ||
| At-Large | Marques Ivey | Democrat | 2021 | 720-270-9660 mivey@aps.k12.co.us |
Won with 12.9% | X | Won with 18.9% (Barbara Yamrick) |
- Eric Nelson was censured due to lying about his education and military background.
- Beulah "Cathy" Wildman Board Director Cathy Wildman has come under fire for what some referred to as racist comments she made while discussing undocumented immigration at a May 16, 2017 meeting.
Expanded Historical Election Results
| Ward | 2017 Results | 2015 Results | 2013 Results | 2011 Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| At-Large | Kevin Cox 16.58% (union-endorsed) Debbie Gerkin 16.25% (union-endorsed) Kyla Armstrong-Romero 15.12% (union-endorsed) Marques Ivey 12.9% (union-endorsed) Gail Pough 9.77% (reform IEC-supported) Miguel Lovato 8.92% (reform IEC-supported) Jane Barber 7.15% Barbara Yamrick 7.06% (incumbent defeated) Lea Steed 6.25% (reform IEC-supported) |
Local Special Interest Groups
2017 Election
Candidates
On November 7th, 2017, there are 4 seats are up for vote. 2 Dem seats, 1 Unaffiliated, and 1 Republican. Only 1 incumbent is running (Barbara Yamrick), the other 3 seats are wide open. All are elected At-Large from a single candidate pool. A total of 9 candidates are running for 4 seats.
2017 Campaign Issues
Sources: RISE Questionnaire and Chalkbeat Survey
DSST is a charter school system within Denver Public Schools. It is referenced a couple times in answers below.
| Candidate | Top 3 Issues | Charter Schools/Vouchers | Budget Constraints/Funding | Academic Achievement & Proficiency | Teachers | Accountability/Transparency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyla Armstrong-Romero | Quality is #1 priority (performance). Budget shortfall. Board responsibility for program evaluation including private contracts. Transparency and communication about budget cuts. |
Charters don't make education accessible to all students, but is aware of Denver families that speak highly of DSST model. Board must hold them accountable to same or very similar standards. |
Cuts shouldn't impact overall service delivery a/o access to education for ALL students. | Problems due to student issues (e.g. housing, transportation; school (resources, facilities, teacher t/o). Focus on programs to strategize improvement and student growth - no uniform fix so identify issues impacting low performing schools individually. Important to bring families/teachers/students into plan for improvement and give them step. Need to support all students and families. |
Build a mentor/partnership for educators & administrators to support student learning. Listen to teachers about what's working. | Very important. Slowly improving A&T w/ the community. |
| Jan Barber | "Transparency: board, superintendent, community Charters - especially for profit Teachers - let them teach, not prepare for test & don't evaluate on the basis of scores |
Concerned about trend toward privatization (and for-profit charters). Critical of process used to bring DSST into the district. Biyearly financial reviews of charters needed. Neighborhood schools are the foundation of school system. |
No funding cuts with direct student impact. Look at top heavy programs (& admin. Costs) |
Low performing schools need more mentoring from successful and retired teachers. Give new programs a chance. |
More support for teachers. Let them teach not just prepare for tests. | Meetings are well publicized. |
| Kevin Cox | Stop encroachment of charters Budgets Exposure to trade professions |
"Opposed - taking $ from tradiditonal schools. Focus on building (traditional) public schools up - don't divert student funding to charters. Hold them to exact same standards (no waivers; don't drop underperforming students). |
"Charter funding is creating budget crisis. Need to fund system properly. Spend $ intelligently so needed programs started, others expanded. Budget cuts won't stop district flight or improve learning conditions" |
"Expose kids to alternative career paths (e.g., trades)" "Low performance partly due to flight to charters & Cherry Creek schools" |
Bring talented teachers - pay competitive wages | "Hold people overseeing schools accountable. Board members should disclose $ they received from pro-charter organizations." |
| Debbie Gerkin | Achievement (student, retain high quality teachers, prepare for post HS success) Equity - need culturally responsive classrooms, prioritize classrooms in budget decisions Community - bring all voices to the table, open community dialogue |
Charters don't offer a clear advantage for students, but there are some good ones (DSST e.g.). Charters pull $ from traditional schools while there have been huge budget cuts. Lack transparency, accountability, receive wavers. Need to carefully scrutinize proposals, require transparency. |
Don't cut teaching/support staff or increase class size. We must look for ways to be more efficient [rather than cutting the budget]. |
Apply best practices for attendance & instruction, match teaching to needs. Use ongoing assessment. Match students with teaching methods. Need equitable learning opportunities. |
Need to retain teachers, hire more diverse group. Provide professional development opportunities. | Needed for board agendas/minutes, financial info - it's available but could be easier to find. Community members should know how tax dollars are spent (using an APS tool). |
| Marques Ivey | Diversity Funding cuts - not at the expense of teachers. Reduce amount of tests so teachers can teach the subject, not for the test. |
Charters not sound strategy - give traditional, pilot & innovation schools resources to succeed. Charters pull per-pupil funding from traditional schools. Has concerns about the process used to approve DSST. |
Find ways to fund programs that have been cut (such as extracurricular programs). "...transferring some [administrative] salaries from the general fund to the bond fund." Look for operational inefficiencies. |
If accountability clock is running out, getting innovation status preferred over Charters, management change & district reorg. Need to better meet needs of students. Improvement plans need to be school by school. |
More professional training. | Need transparency in operations of board, town hall meetings, include stakeholders in discussions. |
| Miguel Lovato | Student achievement "single most pressing issue" Concerned about state intervention due to low proficiency. |
Supports rights of students to choose best school. Has concerns about how DSST was brought into the district. Need a clear application process. Board needs a charter school strategy |
Engage constituent groups before making cuts. Keep cuts away from classroom. Explore school level budgeting. |
Board needs to figure out what's working and replicate. | ?? | Push for greater A & T to students, parents & community. Board needs to hold district leaders accountable. |
| Gail Pough | Student achievement / school quality Equal access to quality schools, equity Greater responsiveness to diverse community |
Needs clear/consistent way to approve charters. Parents have been seeking out better educational options for their kids. "...schools in our neighborhoods are failing our Black and Brown students." Board must hold charters to high contract approval standards. Concerned about online charter schools. |
State level funding a problem and knows of schools receiving less funding this year. Supports future mill levy measures. |
Don't just communicate with community/families in English. Eliminate inequities due to geography. Use data to drive instruction; implement alternative school models to ensure students have good choices. |
Wrong to reduce healthcare plans for teachers. | Agree more A&T needed - budgets are moral documents and show what our true priorities are. |
| Lea Steed | Achievement gap/Graduation rates Quality education Parents as partners & community involvement Classroom funding |
DSST is an option that best suits some kids. School board should have same measure of influence/authority as managing other schools. |
Given CO's tax laws (root cause of education funding problems), cuts needs to be made equitably. | Use equitable and innovative strategies - fund tutoring, school readiness, lower student:teacher ratio | ?? | Accountability is a virtue. Board responsible to parents to keep them informed about issues. |
| Barbara Yamrick (i) | N/A | Voted against the June 2017 DSST measure | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Campaign Finance
NOTE: Donations are not necessarily as they seem. Special interests are very aware that they are being watched far more now than in previous years. Consider in conjunction with the Campaign Issues and Independent Expenditure Committee Activity subsections. Click here for Reform vs. Union Monetary Breakdown
| Name | Total Contributions | Total Expenditures | Total Cash On Hand | Total IECs/PACs (See Subsection Below Table) |
Notable Individuals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyla Armstrong-Romero 1, 2, 3 (Has taken out $944.53 in loans) |
$7,418.83 (In-Kind: $17,171.10) |
$3,606.12 | $3,812.71 (but reports $0) (all $944.53 in loans repaid) |
$47,738.51 (When total is divided by 4, due to 4 being boosted together) |
Public Education Committee (Small Donor Committee for Colorado Education Association) - $16,791.74 Aurora Council for Teachers & Students (has the same filed address as the Aurora Education Association) - $3,996.50 Halisi Vinson For CBWPA (Colorado Black Women for Political Action) - $162 Democrats for Education Reform (See note below) - $100 (NOTE: The address used is the personal address of Rachel Gordon, rather than DFER's official Sherman St. address as it normally does in donations) Blueflower Fund (for Democratic pro-choice candidates) - $75 State Rep. Janet Buckner - $50 Halisi Vinson (Exec. Dir. of Rocky Mountain Employee Ownership Center) - $50 Kevin Cox (fellow APS candidate) - $40 Nicole Johnston (current Aurora City Council Ward 2 candidate) - $25 State Rep. Paul Rosenthal - $15 |
| Jane Barber 1, 2, 3 |
$1,510.32 | $1,510.32 | $0 | Middle Aged Democratic Women (MAD Women) - $100 Thomas Tobiasson (Aurora City Council At-Large candidate) - $25 | |
| Kevin Cox 1, 2, 3 |
$2,785.54 | $2,993.07 | (-$207.53) (-$38.22 given on report) |
$47,738.51 (When total is divided by 4, due to 4 being boosted together) |
Public Education Committee (Small Donor Committee for Colorado Education Association) - $17,149.06 Aurora Council for Teachers & Students (has the same filed address as the Aurora Education Association) - $3,996.50 Kevin Cox (self) - $245 "Anonymous" - $139.93 (7 separate donations of $19.99) Debi Hunter-Holen (current Aurora City Council Ward 3 candidate) - $100 David Aarestad (Dem. primary candidate for CD 6) - $40 Levi Tilleman-Dick (Dem. primary candidate for CD 6) - $40 Nicole Johnston (current Aurora City Council Ward 2 candidate) - $30 Jason Legg (Strengthening Democracy Colorado) - $25 Kristin Mallory-Westerberg (Aurora Residents for Transparency) - $25 Kyla Armstrong-Romero (fellow APS candidate) - $20 |
| Debbie Gerkin 1, 2. 3 |
$4,690.00 (In-Kind: $21,251.54) |
$4,516.21 (In-Kind: $922.13) |
$173.79 | $47,738.51 (When total is divided by 4, due to 4 being boosted together) |
Public Education Committee (Small Donor Committee for Colorado Education Association) - $13,843.44 Aurora Council for Teachers & Students (has the same filed address as the Aurora Education Association) - $3,996.50 Debbie Gerkin (self) - $922.13 DBA JRP Financial Services (Help us identify this) - $500 Ginger Hostetler (Office Administrator at Right Management) - $250 Democrats for Education Reform Small Donor Committee - $100 State Rep. Janet Buckner - $50 |
| Marques Ivey 1, 2, 3 (Has taken out $1,170.63 in loans) |
$5,496.50 (In-Kind: $16,925.33) |
$5,638.57 | $1,028.56 | $47,738.51 (When total is divided by 4, due to 4 being boosted together) |
Public Education Committee (Small Donor Committee for Colorado Education Association) - $16,791.74 Aurora Council for Teachers & Students (has the same filed address as the Aurora Education Association) - $3,996.50 State Rep. Janet Buckner - $50 Kyla Armstrong-Romero (fellow APS candidate) - $44 State Rep. Dominique Jackson - $25 Nicole Johnston (current Aurora City Council Ward 2 candidate) - $20 Kevin Cox (fellow APS candidate) - $14 Debbie Gerkin (fellow APS candidate) - $14 |
| Miguel Lovato 1, 2, 3 |
$16,856.00 (In-Kind: $98.27) |
$16,735.33 | $120.67 | $98,625.10 | Steve Halstedt (Managing Director at Centennial Ventures, a venture capital investment firm) - $2,500 Daniel Ritchie (former Chairman of Daniels Fund; previously donated to DPS reformers) - $2,500 George B. Marolt - $1,140.00 Daniels Fund employees (total) - $1,260 (16 separate employees) Hyon Chu Marolt - $1,000 (made in 10 $100 installments) Pat Hamill - $1,000 Saurabh Gupta (Founder and CEO of Gyan-I) - $500 Christopher Marolt (employed by Centura Health) - $500 Miguel Lovato (self) - $300 Democrats for Education Reform Political Action Committee - $250 Noah Atencio (LinkedIn Page - VP of Community Impact at Community First Foundation; previously employed at Daniels Fund) - $200 Alan Gottlieb (formerly worked as Education Program Officer at the Piton Foundation, a reformer group) - $200 John Bales (Teach For America alum (reformer group); Attorney at Kutak Rock, where DPS reformer Mike Johnson is also an attorney) - $200 Jen Walmer (State Director, Democrats for Education Reform) - $150 Nate Easley (former DPS board member who had a recall effort fail, with the failure assisted by DFER) - $100 Karen Nakandakare (Employee, CH2M Hill - Global engineering company) - $100 |
| Gail Pough 1, 2, 3 |
$12,756.32 (In-Kind: $43.27) |
$12,328.81 | $427.51 | $98,179.19 | Pat Hamill - $3,000 Daniel Ritchie (former Chairman of Daniels Fund; previously donated to DPS reformers) - $2,500 Democrats for Education Reform - $750 Gail Pough (self) - $244.89 Blueflower Fund - $150 Jen Walmer (State Director, Democrats for Education Reform) - $150 State Rep. Jeff Bridges - $100 Emily Cherniack (Founder, New Politics, a group that supports candidates from Teach For America and Americorps, which has Koch and Aspen people on its board) - $100 |
| Lea Stead 1, 2, 3 |
$1,965.00 | $1,396.16 | $568.84 | $3,672.40 | Ken Tuchman (CEO of Teletech, a call center, usually donates to DPS reform candidates) - $750 Democrats for Education Reform - $250 Blueflower Fund - $150 Jennifer Bacon (current DPS candidate) - $100 Maisha Fields (Exec Dir. of the Fields Foundation) - $100 State Sen. Rhonda Fields - $100 Miguel Lovato (fellow APS candidate) - $100 Gail Pough (fellow APS candidate) - $100 |
| Barbara Yamrick (i) NO TRACER REPORTS TURNED IN |
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Independent Expenditure Committees / PACs / Notable Individuals
Patrick Hamill
Patrick Hamill is a major real estate developer in Green Valley Ranch, which has also involved at least one charter school and has donated to Denver Public Schools education reform candidates (DFER endorsements).
Raising Colorado
Jen Walmer is the registered agent of Raising Colorado and is additionally the Colorado State Director of Democrats for Education Reform (DFER). Raising Colorado is funded by Education Reform Now, which is the "sister group" of DFER.
Raising Colorado has been boosting the following candidates with mailers, digital media, and website hosting:
- Miguel Lovato
- Gail Pough
- Lea Steed
TRACER Filings: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Every Student Succeeds
Every Student Succeeds is funded by teacher's union organizations such as Aurora Education Association, Denver Classroom Teachers Association, Colorado Fund for Children and Public Education (the funding arm of Colorado Education Association, a teacher's union). One Will Paterson also donated $5,000.
They collectively support 4 candidates:
- Kyla Armstrong-Romero
- Debbie Gerkin
- Kevin Cox
- Marques Ivey
10/13/17 Filing, spent $4,615.77 for mailers for all 4 candidates.
A major blitz of the 4 candidates occurred by the 10/16/17 TRACER filing. A total of $78,628.66 was spent between the 4 candidates together, with mailers, digital advertising, website design, and consultations.
Another major blitz occurred with the 10/20/17 Filing where $61,515.76 was spent between all 4 candidates on mailers, digital advertising, and consulting services.
10/20/17 Filing spent $3000 collectively between 10 candidates, so $300 each ($1,200 for the 4 APS candidates).
Spent an additional $8,179.98 on mailers for all 4 candidates in the 10/25/17 Filing.
10/26/17 Filing, spent between all 4 candidates $25,029.74 in mailers.
11/01/17 Filing, spent between all 4 candidates $9,411 in telephone calls plus $750 in consulting services.
11/06/17 Filing, spent between all 4 candidates $1,623.11 in telephone calls.
Ready Colorado / Families First Colorado
Not to be confused with the site about Colorado Disaster Preparedness. Ready Colorado, a group focused on education reform, which has as their tagline on their website "Conservatives leading the charge for better schools in Colorado".
Ready Colorado funds the Independent Expenditure Committee Families First Colorado, and is thus far their sole contributor. Ready Colorado has gven Families First Colorado $20,000 as of the 10/30/17 Filing. Families First Colorado's TRACER page has this as their stated purpose: "To support candidates that believe in improving school choice and strengthening accountability to parents and taxpayers, and to oppose candidates that believe in limiting school choice or weakening accountability to parents and taxpayers."
Margo Branscomb is the registered agent of Families First Colorado and was at one point the Board President of Ready Colorado. She also is a 2006 alum of Leadership Program of the Rockies, a group that has awards called "Defenders of Capitalism" and "Defenders of the Declaration".
From their "What is LPR?" Page:
"LPR’s philosophy is firmly rooted in the classical-liberal traditions of the American Revolution and America’s Founding Fathers. These traditions clearly align with the modern conservative movement. America’s libertarian mores are often evident, too.
We stress the virtues of free-markets, Austrian-school economics, the elements of liberty stemming from Natural Law. We strive to fully understand why these principles inspired the Declaration of Independence and how they were woven into the U.S. Constitution.
To graduate, one must make a cogent moral case for capitalism. Concepts like private-property rights, personal responsibility, legitimate rights versus entitlements and more are dissected and understood to a rather full extent."
They have supported these candidates:
- Miguel Lovato
- Gail Pough
In the 10/25/17 filing, they spent $6,848.00 on both candidates for a set of mailers which stated, "Fighting for kids, not union interests", and "Champions for school choice".
In the 10/29/17 filing, they spent $6,134.00 on mailers supporting both candidates.
In the 11/06/17 filing, they spent $2,818.50 on phone calls supporting both candidates.
Reform vs. Union Monetary Breakdown
Ultimate winners, bolded.
"In-Kind Donations" aren't calculated in subtotals or totals in TRACER reports. They simply must be reported. So in this table they are only totaled within their column, but not included in the final calculation in each row. Likewise Direct Donations are not calculated, as the final column is about Expenditures.
| Slate | Name | Total Campaign Expenditures | Reform (Direct Donations) | Pro-Public Ed (In-Kind and/or Direct Donations) |
Reform IECs/PACs | Pro-Public Ed IECs/PACs | Total Spent (Campaigns + IECs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aurora's A-Team | Kyla Armstrong-Romero | $3,606.12 | $100 | $24,784.74 | $0 | $47,738.505 | $51,344.625 |
| Aurora's A-Team | Kevin Cox | $2,993.07 | $0 | $22,288.24 | $0 | $47,738.505 | $50,731.575 |
| Aurora's A-Team | Debbie Gerkin | $4,516.21 (In-Kind: $922.13) |
$100 | $20,788.24 | $0 | $47,738.505 | $52,254.715 |
| Aurora's A-Team | Marques Ivey | $5,638.57 | $0 | $20,788.24 | $0 | $47,738.505 | $53,377.075 |
| AURORA'S A TEAM TOTALS | ----- | $16,753.97 (In-Kind: $922.13) |
$200 | $88,649.46 | $0 | $190,954.02 | $207,707.99 |
| Raising Colorado | Miguel Lovato | $16,735.33 | $250 | $0 | $98,625.10 | $0 | $115,360.43 |
| Raising Colorado | Gail Pough | $12,328.81 | $750 | $0 | $98,179.19 | $0 | $110,508.00 |
| Raising Colorado | Lea Steed | $1,396.16 | $250 | $0 | $3,672.40 | $0 | $5,068.56 |
| RAISING COLORADO TOTALS | ----- | $30,460.30 | $1,250 | $0 | $200,476.69 | $0 | $230,936.99 |
| N/A | Jane Barber | $1,510.32 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1,510.32 |
| N/A | Barbara Yamrick (i) NO TRACER REPORT TURNED IN |
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| GRAND TOTALS | ---- | $48,724.59 (In-Kind: $922.13) |
$1,450 | $88,649.46 | $200,476.69 | $190,954.02 | $440,155.30 |
