Lindley McCrary and Chérie Garcia-Kuper have declared victory in the race for the Littleton Public Schools Board of Education.
Brian Macaulay and Michelle Redfearn also ran in the race for two seats on the board.
The winners will serve a four-year term on the five-member board.
According to unofficial results, McCrary received about 30% of the community’s votes.
Entering her second term on the board, she said she is excited and relieved for campaign season to be over and ready to get back to work.
“I just feel really honored and grateful to be able to serve this district for another four years,” McCrary said.
McCrary said she is looking forward to continuing the work of elevating student voice in the district and working towards compensating staff in the way they deserve to be compensated.
In December, McCrary will become president of the Colorado Association of School Boards. She said she will use this role to advocate for school funding at the state level.
After starting off narrowly behind Macaulay at the first drop of results on election night, Garcia-Kuper slowly and steadily gained votes.
Unofficial results posted the evening of Nov. 9 put her 642 votes ahead of Macaulay.
The county has counted all of its received ballots and will continue to count ballot cures and military and overseas ballots through Nov. 15.
The county will certify election results on Nov. 27.
Based on the current numbers, Garcia-Kuper is declaring victory with about 27% of the votes.
“I ran a grassroots campaign and worked against big pockets and outside interests,” Garcia-Kuper wrote in a statement to the Littleton Independent. “This victory ensures that the majority of the (Littleton Public Schools) community does not want Douglas County politics in their district, and it solidifies that (the district) is not for sale.”
She said she is excited to represent all students, including students of color, students who are experiencing hardships, marginalized students and students who choose a pathway other than a four-year college degree.
Macaulay, who received about 25% of votes, said the election results are a setback to the approximately 14,000 parents, grandparents and citizens in Littleton who voted for him.
“These people simply wanted a board member who cared enough about their kids that he or she would take real steps to improve their children’s educational outcomes,” he wrote in a statement to the Littleton Independent. “They wanted a candidate with a clear vision and a common sense approach to achieve excellence.”
He said he appreciates the support of those who voted for him, and he cares about their children and their futures.
“I wish that I could have served them in our schools, and that others in Littleton had also shared our vision,” he wrote.
Michelle Redfearn, who received over 10,000 votes, thanked those who supported her.
“In life, how many people really get a show of hands that show that there’s 10,000 people that believe in them?” she said of the 18% of voters who voted for her. “10,000 people believed that I could do a job — and I can tell you, I don’t know 10,000 people.”
She said that although she did not win a seat, she feels like she is a winner. She said her worth is not tied to a number and she is grateful for her life and the opportunity to keep volunteering at Arapahoe High School.
“When you believe in something, you just keep doing good,” she said.
The new school board members will be sworn in on Nov. 16.