The District 1, 2, and 5 seats on the Jeffco Public Schools school board in Colorado were up for general election on Nov. 2, 2021. Incumbents Brad Rupert (District 1), Susan Harmon (District 2), and Ron Mitchell (District 5) did not run for re-election.
Danielle Varda defeated Jeffrey Wilhite in District 1. Paula Reed defeated David Johnson and Theresa Shelton in District 2. Mary Parker defeated Kathy Miks in District 5. Those victories maintained the board’s 4-1 majority of teachers’ union-backed members.
Varda, Reed, and Parker ran together as the Jeffco Kids Slate. The Jefferson County Education Association, the local teachers’ union, endorsed this slate. Another slate of candidates with no formal name, composed of Wilhite, Shelton, and Miks, was endorsed by the Jefferson County Republicans. According to Chalkbeat, the Jeffco Kids Slate prioritized staff hiring, teacher retention, and neighborhood schools, while their opponents ran on the issues of fiscal management and expanding school choice.
