February 14 marked seven years since the end of the 2019 Denver teacher strike.
I never planned to run for office in 2017. I was the PTA President at my kids' school, Lincoln Elementary. I began attending collective bargaining sessions between the DCTA (Denver Classroom Teachers Association) and Denver Public Schools to understand why our teachers were underpaid and could not afford to live in Denver.
Over two years, I watched negotiations stall while teachers worked under a bonus-heavy system tied to standardized test scores (ProComp) that often said more about a student’s socioeconomic status than their actual academic achievement. By the time the 2019 strike happened, I had spent enough time in the room to know the system was not working.
After the strike, leaders from DCTA approached me and asked if I would consider running for the school board. It was not something I had planned, but I had already invested the time to understand the issues and build relationships. I was elected to the Denver School Board and served from 2019 to 2023.
That is how I got started in politics.
Below are photos from 2019 of my family and me painting banners and hanging them during bargaining sessions. We also attended the day-of-action at the Capitol organized by the Colorado Education Association.
I hope to earn your vote at caucus on March 3. Click here to learn how to participate in the caucus.
Scott Baldermann
Candidate for Colorado House District 2
