KUSA - Jefferson County Schools will have an all-new board after three conservative members were recalled.
The five winners in Tuesday's election are two attorneys, Susan Harmon and Brad Rupert; two former teachers, Ali Lasell and Amanda Stevens; and a former principal, Ron Mitchell. They are scheduled to be sworn in at the school board meeting on Nov. 19.
The new board members call themselves the Clean Slate, and they say they want to re-unify the fractured school community.
"I hope we can return to non-partisan service," board member-elect Amanda Stevens said. "So labels like 'union-backed' and 'reform' - they miss the point we have real work to do."
9Wants to Know asked the board members-elect what they want to see done differently in the classroom over the next few years.
"My hope is that they see teachers stay," board member-elect Stevens said. "We've seen a lot of teachers leave over the last year or two, and that has been heartbreaking."
"I want to see teachers that are not walking on pins and needles," board member-elect Ali Lasell said. "I want to see a district who is not divided. I want collaborative efforts because a teacher's working environment is a child's learning environment."
School district leaders say there's a need for more classroom space in Jeffco's growth areas. The last board majority wanted to pay-as-you-go to build new schools, but this board could choose to go into debt to build more schools sooner.
"I would like to see some of the overcrowding go away -- that does impact learning for kids," board member-elect Susan Harmon said.
Then there's a question of who will be leading the state's second-largest school district. Superintendent Dan McMinimee's salary was an issue in the election. He was hired by the now-recalled board, and he is currently in the middle of his contract.
Several board members-elect told 9Wants to Know they would like to get to know McMinimee before making a decision.
"If I am doing what they ask me to do, then my expectation would be that I get an opportunity to stay here," McMinimee said. "I think it's always going to be around student growth and achievement, and I think my responsibility is to making sure the system is aligned to deliver on that promise to our community."
(© 2015 KUSA)
