Denver School Board

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What do voters think about the Denver school board?

Insights & Analysis

• The Denver Public Schools Board of Education (-33 net fav) is unfavorable, and there is a high number of undecideds (87%) on the DPS At-Large ballot.

  • Voters are unified on their negative outlook on the DPS school board. There are some differences but nearly every major demographic category indicates a net- negative view of the school board. This extends to parental status, but DPS parents are even more negative (-35 net fav) than non-parents (-32 net fav).

  • A majority of voters rate the quality of education children are receiving in Denver's K-12 schools as fair or good, but there's also a little over a quarter of voters who are unsure. 18% rate it as poor, including nearly a quarter of parents.

  • DPS parents are considerably more upbeat about education quality than non- parents: 50% of DPS parents give ratings of excellent or good while 48% say fair or poor. While this is hardly a ringing endorsement, it far outpaces non-parents, who give ratings of 21% excellent/good and 46% saying fair/poor (33% of non-parents are undecided).

• When thinking about which two issues voters want DPS Board candidates to address most, recruiting and retaining good teachers (49%) and student safety in schools (49%) are tied as the top issues. Mental health of students (34%) and academic achievement (32%) are slightly less important for candidates to address.

  • DPS parents’ priorities largely reflect those of non-parents: 56% of DPS parents want to see student safety addressed, while 45% say teachers. Non-parents say 50% teachers and 47% safety.

• Even those who say they feel children are safe in schools want to see candidates address student safety: while they are more interested in hearing about teachers, 42% of those who think children are safe want candidates to address student safety.

  • African Americans stand out a bit on their priorities in that 44% say they want the school board candidates to address outcomes for students of color, more than twice what we find among Latinos or white voters.

• A slim majority (51%) think children are safe while attending Denver Public Schools while 38% think they are not safe, and an overwhelming majority (63%) support the new DPS policy to send School Resource Officers back into schools.

  • Both those with a favorable and unfavorable view of the DPS school board favor SROs. Interestingly, voters with a negative opinion of the Denver police are not necessarily all opposed to SROs: 42% of those with negative views of Denver police department favor SROs vs. 43% who oppose.

  • A majority of white, African American, and Latinos favor SROs returning: 62% of white voters, 52% of African Americans, and 68% of Latinos.

  • There is also support across party lines: 59% of Democrats favor SROs returning, 61% of Unaffiliateds, and 88% of Republicans.