MEDIA RELEASE
August 14, 2023
Contact: Christine Wiggins, cwiggins@coloradoea.org
For Immediate Release
Educators of Jefferson County Education Association recommend Erin Kenworthy and Michelle Applegate for Jeffco School Board
Candidates support high-quality, equitable, and safe public schools for Jeffco students.
Jefferson County, CO – Educator members of the Jefferson County Education Association (JCEA) are proud to recommend Erin Kenworthy and Michelle Applegate in their campaigns for school board directors for Jeffco Public Schools. JCEA’s recommendations were made by a multi-partisan committee of educator union members, following candidate completion of a questionnaire and interview with the committee.
“As a school social worker and JCEA leader, it’s important we use our collective values for public education and our students when we recommend school board candidates,” said Kari Gray, Social Emotional Learning Specialist at Manning Middle School and Chair of JCEA’s Political Action Team. “The past few years have been hard on our community – from the pandemic to the closing of a record number of neighborhood schools – so it’s important to have school board members who will listen to educators and community members and value supporting our students’ and community mental health. We need to make certain that members of our school board will invest in ensuring our students have stable, fully-staffed neighborhood schools.”
Erin Kenworthy is a former educator, and has served on the School Accountability and, most recently, the District Accountability Committees for Jeffco Public Schools. With two children in Jeffco Public Schools, Erin understands the great impact that neighborhood public schools have on our community. Erin is running for director of District 4 to protect public education as an institution, and to ensure Jeffco Public Schools provides a fair and safe learning environment to all students regardless of race, gender, religious beliefs, ability, and social-economic status.
Michelle Applegate is the parent of three children and the PTA president at Stober Elementary. Throughout her career as an engineer and as co-chair for the Colorado Ballet, she understands that collaboration with workers is vital to well-run organizations. She hopes to bring her experience of valuing educator voice and building trusting relationships to our community as the director of District 3. Together, Applegate and Kenworthy are experienced and knowledgeable, both in their leadership of Jeffco Public Schools, but also in public education as a whole, and make a well-rounded slate for the open school board positions.
“We are excited to have two accomplished and caring women step up to run for our Jefferson County Board of Education,” said Brooke Williams, Art Educator and JCEA President. “Michelle Applegate and Erin Kenworthy will do what it takes to give our students, educators, and community members the best public school experience possible. We have high hopes that as school board members they will work with educators and educational support professionals to make Jeffco a district that offers our students a variety of learning opportunities, and ensures employees have a welcoming culture, competitive wages, and a balanced workload.”
The election of school board directors will take place November 7, 2023.
###
The Jefferson County Education Association is the union for over 5,000 educators in Jeffco Schools, working together to ensure all students in Jeffco have safe, equitable, and thriving public schools. JCEA works collectively with our entire community to advocate for fully funded schools to ensure education is a profession that allows educators to work and live in the communities they serve. Follow JCEA on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.