Four candidates have announced they will run for the Douglas County School District Board in the November election. 

The school board has three seats up for election, including the district formerly represented by Elizabeth Hanson, who resigned in May, and two districts currently represented by Susan Meek and David Ray.

Meek, serving in District A, announced her re-election plans on June 1. District A covers the western part of Highlands Ranch.

Meek will face first-term candidate Andy Jones, who is also a member of the Highlands Ranch Metro District Board of Directors. 

Meek, who was originally elected to the board in 2019, said in a statement announcing her run for re-election that serving on the school board has been an honor and a privilege.

"I believe in the transformative power of education and the importance of an engaged and inclusive community,” Meek said. “I am committed to advocating for every student and ensuring that our schools provide an environment where they can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally."

In a statement to Colorado Community Media, Jones said:

"After many years of service to my community in Douglas County, it continues to be a passion of mine to serve the students, parents, teachers, staff and stakeholders of DCSD. I’m looking forward to meeting, listening to and partnering with many of the good people of Douglas County throughout my campaign journey. "

In District C, the eastern part of Highlands Ranch, two first-term candidates, David DiCarlo, and Bradford Geiger, have registered with the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office to officially run.

The District C seat is currently empty since Hanson resigned abruptly on May 23. The school board has 60 days from their next meeting to appoint someone to fill Hanson's spot until the November election.

Geiger currently serves on the district's Mill Bond Exploratory Committee and the Long Range Planning Committee, which have recently looked into long-term district funding, the need for new elementary schools and declining enrollment in Highlands Ranch.

"I am strongly in favor of  consistent competitive funding for teachers and staff and to maintain older schools and build new schools," Geiger told Colorado Community Media in a statement. "My goal is to help the board work together to address these important concerns without rancor and avoiding outside political influence. All students in Douglas County deserve a school district and a school board focused solely on their education and  welfare."

DiCarlo said he joined the race because he would like to see the district focus on financial responsibility.

"I’m running because Douglas County parents and those on fixed-incomes are already struggling to pay the inflated cost of food, health care, and other bills, and it’s unconscionable that this school board and some candidates want to hike our taxes even more," DiCarlo said in a statement. "We need to explore new approaches and not further burden the taxpayers by asking them to throw more money at an already-shrinking system."

In District F, Ray has reached his term limit and cannot run for re-election. As of June 2, no candidates have been announced in District F, which represents the southern part of Parker and the Pinery.

Though the candidates must live in the region they represent, school board members are elected by district voters at-large.

The deadline to file as a candidate in the school board race is Sept. 5.

Editor's note: This story was updated with a  comment from Andy Jones and Brad Geiger on June 2 and on June 5 with comment from David DiCarlo.