More candidates join the Douglas County school board election

BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Two new candidates are running for the seat on the Douglas County school board currently represented by David Ray, who is term-limited.

Valerie ompson and Maria Sumnicht have both registered with the Colorado Secretary of State’s O ce as candidates for the school board, which has three seats up for election this November. ompson and Sumnicht are running to represent District F, which covers south Parker and the Pinery.

ompson and Sumnicht join four other candidates running for the other two open seats on the board.

Incumbent board member Susan Meek is seeking re-election and will face candidate Andy Jones for the seat representing District A, which covers the western part of Highlands Ranch. In District C, the eastern part of Highlands Ranch, candidates Brad Geiger and David DiCarlo are running.

District C is currently represented by Jason Page, who was appointed to the seat in June following the resignation of former board member Elizabeth Hanson. Page has not registered to run for the seat this fall.

In a statement to Colorado Community Media, ompson said she is running for school board to support children’s academic futures.

“Supporting healthy communities and families is my life’s passion, and I believe strongly in our shared responsibility for civic engagement,” she said. “By running, I can do my part to provide stability for our district through informed decisionmaking, following processes and protocols, and operating in a manner that welcomes an engaged community.” ompson has served on the District Accountability Committee since 2021 and is also acting as the committee’s liaison to the Mill Bond Exploratory Committee. ompson works in community health and has two children. e candidate with the next highest amount of contributions is Geiger, who has raised around $2,600, followed by Jones, Meek’s opponent, who has received $50. e other candidates have not reported any contributions yet.

Sumnicht did not respond to a comment request from Colorado Community Media.

According to campaign nance records, Meek has far outraised every other school board candidate, reporting over $11,500 in contributions from May 28 through June 26.

In a statement, Meek said she was grateful for the support, which came from around 100 individuals.

“I am humbled and in awe of what a small group of dedicated people can achieve,” she said.

Reports show Meek has spent around $825 on her campaign, Geiger has spent $395 and Jones has spent $20. No other candidates reported expenses.