School board candidates backed and financed by teachers unions are in positions for convincing wins in Jefferson County and Douglas County, with strong leads on Wednesday morning.
In Douglas County, where eight candidates are running for four seats, the union-backed slate needs to flip only one race to gain control of the school board. If that happens, the new school board majority would likely abandon its defense of a controversial voucher program instituted by conservative school reformers. A legal challenge to that program is working its way toward the Supreme Court.
The union-backed candidates for the DougCo school board maintained double-digit leads over the so-called education reform slate into Wednesday.
An advocacy group, Douglas County Parents, celebrated early in an email statement celebrating the impending victory of the anti-voucher candidates.
“The results of the Douglas County Board of Education election show that the community has unequivocally rejected the education reforms forced on our schools in recent years,” said Douglas County Parents spokesperson Jason Virdin.
“The results of this election will have positive impacts on a district that has been mired in controversy for the last eight years,” Virdin said.
In Jefferson County, three of five Board of Education seats were up for grabs. Two of the races were contested by conservative candidates looking to unseat union-supported board members.
Both incumbents maintained double-digit leads into Wednesday.
