2021
Sept. 2021
- D-51 School Board candidate Voter Guide for the 11/2/2021 election | Anne Landman Blog
Oct. 2021
- Colorado school board contests, stoked by COVID, draw intense partisan fervor and big money | The Colorado Sun
- “Mesa County schools are likewise being challenged by the local right-wing Stand for the Constitution and Mesa County Concerned Citizen and the national Parents Defending Education groups. The latter recently sent a warning to members: “We need your help to make a stand against this attack on parents!”
- Yes, Colorado’s school board races are becoming more politicized. Here’s why | CPR
- Conservative political action groups, sometimes with religious affiliations, like “Stand for the Constitution” in Grand Junction, are also weighing in on races. The 1776 Project PAC is backing a slate of candidates in Douglas County, District 51 in Grand Junction, and Academy 20 and Falcon 49 in El Paso County. The group is dedicated to electing school board members willing to promote “patriotism and pride in American history,” and says it opposes “critical race theory.”
Nov. 2021
- Baby We Were Born for War: To Dominionist Christian Groups, No Election is Too Small — and Colorado is Just the Beginning | Religion Dispatches
- In the far Western city of Grand Junction, in Mesa County Valley School District 51, three candidates who answered correctly on the Coalition’s issues, swept the three open seats to take control of the five-member board. The races for Mesa 51 were the focus of a feature story on Buzzfeed News and critical reporting by local blogger Anne Landman. The slate was also endorsed by the Chamber of Commerce, the Republican Party, and by a far right group, Stand for the Constitution.
- “Us Vs. Them”: How A School Board Race Became About So Much More | Buzz Feed
- This was supposed to be a nonpartisan and sleepy election for the three open spots on Mesa County Valley School District 51’s five-member board, which is in charge of hiring a superintendent and establishing the district’s educational “philosophy, policy and guidelines.” But this year is different. A trio of conservatives ran together as a bloc with the same campaign adviser. The candidates were quickly endorsed by local Republicans and a right-wing group fighting vaccine mandates, mask requirements, and critical race theory — none of which is actually present in the district’s schools. The candidates’ signs were branded differently but all read “Vote Conservative” or “The Conservative Choice.”
- This was supposed to be a nonpartisan and sleepy election for the three open spots on Mesa County Valley School District 51’s five-member board, which is in charge of hiring a superintendent and establishing the district’s educational “philosophy, policy and guidelines.” But this year is different. A trio of conservatives ran together as a bloc with the same campaign adviser. The candidates were quickly endorsed by local Republicans and a right-wing group fighting vaccine mandates, mask requirements, and critical race theory — none of which is actually present in the district’s schools. The candidates’ signs were branded differently but all read “Vote Conservative” or “The Conservative Choice.”
Dec. 2021
- Mesa County School Board’s New ‘Conservative Bloc’ Proposes Replacing Legal Counsel Without Consulting Other Members | CTR
- “Miller Farmer Law describes itself as “a mission-driven law practice that provides comprehensive legal counsel to schools, non-profits, and ministries throughout the state of Colorado.” Founder Brad Miller formerly represented the Thompson School District in Loveland. He was hired as additional counsel by a new conservative majority that included his law clerk, Bryce Carlson, who is now an associate at Miller Farmer Law and the proposed lead attorney to represent Mesa’s District 51 School Board. Miller was also hired in 2015 by the Jefferson County School Board in a controversial process by a new conservative majority that took place with very little notice and no consultation with the board’s minority members.
- School board controversy isn’t new for law firm that D51 board is targeting | The Daily Sentinel
- “We are interested in Mesa 51 because we share the values and priorities of the Board in terms of engaging and respecting the role of parents in the education of their children. Should the Board choose to hire us, we look forward to the opportunity to serve such a great school district.”
- “The approval of the contract was tabled for a future meeting, but for some in Mesa County, the immediate attempt to oust the district’s current in-house legal counsel, John Williams, for Miller Farmer Law Firm came across as brazen and lacking in transparency.“
2022
Jan. 2022
- School District 51 board members move forward to hire new outside legal firm
- “Emails between D51 School Board members and the Miller Farmer Law Firm started back in early December. Conversations included drafting a new contract in order to represent the school board.”
Feb. 2022
- After much controversy, Mesa County’s largest school district has renegotiated a contract with its incoming superintendent
- “After weeks of tense school board meetings and demonstrations by parents and teachers, Mesa County’s largest school district has renegotiated a contract with its incoming superintendent, who many in the community worried would be fired by the conservative-majority board before he even started his new job.
May 2022
August 2022
- Mesa County School Board Members Attend Right-Wing Workshop Targeting ‘Equity’ & ‘Inclusivity’ | CTR
- “Twenty-two-year-old Noah Schindler, the Mountain West Regional Coordinator for Heritage Action for America, told a small group of western Colorado residents attending a “save our schools” workshop that words like “equity, anti-racism, social justice, culturally responsive teaching,” are “buzz” words for Critical Race Theory, which he said was based on a “Marxist Theory.”
Oct. 2022
- D51 Board Discusses How to Approach “Controversial Subjects” | KKCO
- “If a teacher wants to include a topic or resource that is considered controversial, the teacher will have to work with the school’s principal and may even have to let parents know, so they have the choice to opt their children out. “So that could be your hot topic items, like politics, religion, things like abortion, that really elicits a strong emotional response from people,” said D51 Board President Andrea Haitz. “We just need to have a very clear policy, if something like that is going to come up in a classroom, so that our parents are aware of what’s going on, and that our teachers also know, what’s what’s acceptable.”
- School District 51 board members move forward to hire new outside legal firm
2023
Feb. 2023
May 2023
October 2023
D-51 School Board candidate Barbara Evanson says creationism should be taught with scientific info
Nov. 2023
Christian Nationalist, Truth & Liberty/Transform Colorado Voter Guide, School Board
2025
Jan. 2025
Feb 2025
Mar. 2025
- Colorado’s Education Crisis: Broken promises and backdoor budget cuts | The Business Times
- “School District 51 supported HB 24-1448 under the explicit promise that it would include hold-harmless protections and enrollment averaging. Without these protections, we knew the financial impact would be severe. If D51 was forced to eliminate enrollment averaging today, we would face a $9 million shortfall. Coupled with ongoing declining enrollment, this creates a significant financial challenge for our district.“
- Hill talks Department of Education impact on D51; Weiser launches lawsuit | The Daily Sentinel
Oct. 2025
- GJ Lions Club and D51 Foundation partner to give math students what they need to succeed | Western Slope Now
- D51 candidate Q&A: Will Jones | The Daily Sentinel
Nov. 2025
- Hill discusses the good and the bad in D51 “State of the Schools” luncheon | The Daily Sentinel
2025 Election Results
- ANALYSIS: What happened in this D51 school board election? | The Sentinel
- Teachers association celebrates election of Cole, Woods to school board | The Daily Sentinel
- Progressive school board candidates make inroads in races across Colorado | Chalkbeat
- Colorado’s Education Crisis: Broken promises and backdoor budget cuts | The Business Times
2026
Jan. 2026
- D51 school board saw shake-up in election | The Daily Sentinel
- The Mesa County Valley School District 51 Board of Education saw a shake-up this year, as two of three incumbents were ousted by voters in the November election.
- Education funding issue creates $600,000 gap for District 51 | KKCO
- Mesa County Valley School District 51 officials said an error in state education funding led to a more than half-million-dollar gap for the district. The district said lawmakers are working on restoring that money.
Feb. 2026
March 2026
April
- D51 school board saw shake-up in election | The Daily Sentinel
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