Thursday Churn: Debates underway

What’s churning:

Candidates for the Douglas County school board are slated to gather at 7 p.m. tonight at Mountain Ridge Middle School in Highlands Ranch. Last night’s board event was in Denver, where the five candidates for the citywide at-large seat answered questions.

It’s school board candidate debate season – or forum may be the better word, since debate between candidates tends to be minimal. With Election Day less than six weeks away, candidates are popping up at schools, churches and community centers to talk about why they’re the better choice on the ballot.

Education News Colorado will soon be launching its election center, providing information on candidates in the state’s three largest school districts as well as school district tax questions and the statewide initiative for education funding, Prop 103. In the meantime, here’s where you can catch up with candidates in the next week:

Denver Public Schools:

  • Tuesday, Sept. 27 – A forum for the board’s at-large citywide seat and for its District 1 or southeast Denver seat begins at 7 p.m. at Thomas Jefferson High School. Co-sponsored by the Partnership for Southeast Denver Schools, the League of Women Voters and the Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation.

Douglas County School District:

  • Thursday, Sept. 29 – A debate sponsored by the American Association of University Women and moderated by the Arapahoe League of Women Voters begins at 6:30 p.m. at Cresthill Middle School in Highlands Ranch.

Jefferson County Public Schools:

  • Monday, Sept. 26 – A forum featuring all four Jefferson County candidates as well as two Douglas County candidates, Susan McMahon and Justin Williams, plus what’s billed as a status report on DPS. It starts at 7 p.m. at Colorado Christian University in Lakewood.

In addition, two Adams County districts with board elections are profiling candidates and/or publishing their responses to questions. Check out the candidate pages in Adams 14 Commerce City and Adams 50 Westminster.

What’s on tap:

The St. Vrain board holds a 6:00 p.m. study session at Longmont High School, 1040 Sunset St. The brief agenda lists two items – community outreach and facility restructuring.