Two educators are vying for the Colorado State Board of Education CD-3 seat this November, both bringing classroom experience to the race, according to an article authored by Christy Anderson. Anderson, a K-3 elementary educator with 27 years of experience in Mesa County Valley School District 51, outlines the backgrounds and platforms of incumbent Sherri Wright and challenger Barb Clementi for local residents.
Sherri Wright, the incumbent, taught for two decades in Colorado and Texas, primarily at the middle school level. Her experience includes serving as head of a Junior High Language Arts department and as a middle school team leader. Wright has an extensive history in local educational governance, including eight years on the RE-1 school board and a term as director for the Colorado Association of School Boards (CASB). After a four-year break, she was re-elected to the RE-1 board, serving until she was term-limited in 2023. Additionally, Wright served five years as president of the San Juan Basin Technical College Board.
Wright's platform emphasizes strong support for parents, families, and school choice. She advocates for rigorous academics and accountability within schools, believing in a return to foundational skills such as math facts and explicit teaching of skills for successful citizenship. Wright views government as a component of public education but asserts it should not be the sole decision-maker, stating that "Students belong to parents first." An award-winning middle school teacher, Wright is also a small-business owner, having owned Tropics Day Spa and co-owned First Alert Drug and Alcohol Mobile Testing, bringing a business perspective to her educational passion. Her platform is summarized as passion for education, belief in parent rights, and belief in school choice, described in the article as driven by a "teacher heart" to help all schools and students.
Challenger Barb Clementi is also an educator, coming from a background of educators and "union founders." She expresses a strong passion for public education, believing it must be "protected at any cost." On her own platform, Clementi states that "bad actors, including religious ones, have exploited vagueness and loopholes in our state policies, rules, and legislation." She aims to eliminate avenues allowing public funds to be "siphoned away from public school and funnelled to private and religious schools." The article describes Clementi's stated goal to cut off public money to religious schools as "hostile to religious families."
Clementi also addresses high-stakes testing, stating that it measures "a child’s zip code" more than actual learning. The article suggests this position outwardly weakens accountability for public schools. Clementi has served numerous years on the National Education Association Board of Directors and expresses eagerness to meet constituents across the district. While not claiming to support school choice, she advocates for charter and religious schools that receive public money to be held to the same rules as district schools, including the use of "CDE approved curricula." Clementi is described as openly opposing high-stakes testing accountability, and the article characterizes her platform as stemming from "more of a union socialist-fist type of fight." Based on her stated positions, the article indicates that Clementi aims to oppose parents, classical curriculums, and school choice.
Christy Anderson, the author of this analysis, brings her own local experience to the discussion. In addition to her 27 years as a K-3 elementary educator in Mesa County Valley School District 51, she was formerly an active member of the local teachers’ union and now serves as an ambassador for the Professional Association of Colorado Educators (PACE). Anderson is also a parent and a local Realtor for Bray and Co. Real Estate.
