Photo: U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, left, and Attorney General Phil Weiser participate in a governor candidate forum at the Denver Athletic Club. (Photo by Chase Woodruff/Colorado Newsline)
This story by Jason Gonzales appeared on Chalkbeat Colorado on June 15, 2026. Sign up for Chalkbeat Colorado’s free daily newsletter to get the latest reporting from us, plus curated news from other Colorado outlets, delivered to your inbox.
Where do Colorado’s gubernatorial candidates stand on education issues?
Chalkbeat Colorado analyzed the education records of the candidates ahead of the primaries on June 30. The field includes two Democrats and three Republicans.
U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet
Bennet, 61, who resides in Denver, has served as a United States senator since 2009. Education has been a pillar of his political career, including during an unsuccessful 2019 presidential campaign.
Bennet’s education experience started in 2005, when he was hired as superintendent of the state’s largest school district, Denver Public Schools.
Under Bennet, Denver Public Schools shut down low-performing and underenrolled schools, expanded school choice, and allowed more charter schools to operate in the district. The changes he made helped improve student academic achievement, but some remain controversial to this day.
Bennet left Denver Public Schools when he was appointed to fill an open U.S. Senate seat in 2009. In Congress, he helped usher in the Every Student Succeeds Act, which succeeded the No Child Left Behind Act and is the primary federal law governing K-12 education.
He serves on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and notably voted against the appointment of Betsy DeVos to be U.S. education secretary in 2017.
Bennet has said Colorado needs to make childcare more affordable, including by creating a dedicated funding source and using underenrolled schools to house early childhood programs. He also said he believes Gov. Jared Polis’ focus on kindergarten and early childhood has been a success.
Bennet’s campaign said he doesn’t support private school vouchers or public funds going to private or religious schools.
But Bennet believes rejecting a federal program that would provide tax credits for donations to scholarship-granting organizations “could be short sighted and put millions of dollars that could help kids in Colorado at risk.” He believes Colorado should wait until rules for the programs are finalized before making a decision, his campaign said.
What is Bennet’s platform for education?
- Raising wages for Colorado educators.
- Increasing the number of educator training programs, including apprenticeships.
- Improving statewide resources and training for teaching math and reading.
- Tackling student mental health challenges, curbing violence in schools, and creating more opportunities for kids to get outdoors.
- Making Colorado the first state where every student will earn a living wage after high school by increasing the number of career training and college classes offered in high school, and boosting access to apprenticeships and industry credentials.
Bennet said he wants to be an education governor
In an interview, Bennet said he would be an education governor who understands that school district officials need state funding and support.
He highlighted his record in Denver Public Schools, where he said he helped raise academic achievement, improved graduation rates, and curbed the dropout rate. A 2024 study by the University of Colorado Denver’s Center for Education Policy Analysis backs up some of his claims.
Bennet said he still believes that the state’s education system needs changes.
“I think in Colorado we have the opportunity for the whole country to pursue quality at scale, pursue rigor at scale, and give teachers and school districts the support they need to be able to deliver for our kids,” he said.
Attorney General Phil Weiser
Weiser, 55, who lives in Denver, has served as the state’s attorney general since 2019. As attorney general, Weiser has focused on school safety and student mental health.
Weiser’s office leads the state’s Safe2Tell program, which allows students to anonymously report violent threats. He’s also helped oversee the program’s expansion.
Weiser issued grants to help curb student cellphone use in schools, even before state lawmakers required districts to create policies about it.
He also oversees the Office of School Safety and the Office of Gun Violence Prevention and sought to provide training to teachers and school administrators as gun laws have evolved.
Weiser recently backed a state law that requires school districts to publicly display how they help at-risk students and issued grants to combat youth vaping.
He’s also said that technical education should expand to more districts. He backed the creation of youth apprenticeship program CareerWise Colorado a decade ago.
Weiser has been active in suing the Trump administration, including several lawsuits related to education and childcare.
And Weiser has said he would not participate in the federal tax credit program if elected. He said he believes it would take money away from public education.
What is Weiser’s platform for education?
- Preserving funding for effective prenatal and early childhood programs.
- Creating strategies for childhood mental health.
- Increasing funding for childcare access to make it more affordable.
- Increasing funding for teacher pay.
- Expanding apprenticeships, career and technical education, and low-cost job training options.
Weiser wants to support schools and student safety
In an interview, Weiser said the state is not spending enough money to help students. He said kids are struggling with mental health issues, a lack of access to early childhood education, and scant career and technical educational offerings.
Weiser said he would fund new education programs through changes to the Taxpayer Bill of Rights. These shifts would require taxpayer approval.
As governor, he hopes to also increase the number of mentorship opportunities that benefit kids.
“When I’m governor, I’m going to make a full-throated commitment to invest in our kids’ future from cradle to early childhood education to career workforce skills,” he said.
Jason Gonzales is a reporter covering higher education and the Colorado legislature. Chalkbeat Colorado partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage. Contact Jason at jgonzales@chalkbeat.org.