Frederick Espinoza

Frederick Espinoza (Republican Party) is running for election to the Colorado State Board of Education to represent Colorado's 1st Congressional District. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 3, 2026. He advanced from the Republican primary on June 30, 2026.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am Frederick Espinoza. I own and operate a small business. I fix and build things with my hands. I am not steeped in politics or the education machine. What qualifies me for this seat is that I know firsthand the difference between a school that puts students first and a system that puts itself first. I fell through the cracks. That path is not one I want any student to have to walk. McLain Community High School’s Work Experience program and Warren Tech caught me. I was there the year Dr. Charles McLain died and the school took his name. The place was small. Adults knew your name. Teachers cared. They gave credit for real work and pulled students into their own education. That is what worked. I remember the journey. I am transparent about it because I have been where a lot of these kids are right now. I also served our disabled neighbors as an Access-a-Ride driver. I grew up in Denver and Lakewood. My family has deep roots in this state, including the San Luis Valley and Archuleta County. I love Colorado. When I look at students now I see the same cracks. Too many leave school unready for a job or a college class. I am running so the system puts the student first — because that is what worked for me.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Stability through transparency. Parents are not visitors in their child’s education. They get notice and consent on surveys, sex-ed, health programs, counseling, and the education record. Social studies is not an opt-out class, so a statewide identity floor is a parental-authority issue. I will fight empty-building schemes, off-books debt, and silence after a district lets kids leave campus. That is how you stabilize a system that has been operating in the dark.Resilience through academics. Reading, writing, and math to the standard a job or a college class actually requires. Not slogans. Not a lowered bar so the report looks better. I fell through when the traditional system did not see the signs. McLain and Warren Tech caught me because they gave credit for real work and made students part of their own education. Grade-level proficiency and a diploma that means the graduate is ready. Raise students. Do not lower the standard.Stronger futures. Confidence and preparedness are the result of the first two, not a separate program. A graduate who can meet industry standards or college entry requirements without needing community-college catch-up credits is ready for the real challenges of the real world. I work with my hands. I see what happens when school does not prepare kids for either. Every dollar and every policy should be measured by safety, learning, and adult readiness — students first, not the bureaucracy first.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about public education because that is what this seat is for. Parents and transparency — notice and consent, the education record, no surprises in the classroom. Academics that mean something — reading, writing, and math at a level a job or a college will actually accept. Safety and custody — schools do not release kids off campus without parents knowing, and they do not recruit students into politics on paid time. Money that reaches the classroom — not empty buildings, lease-backs, and off-books debt. Workforce pathways and a diploma that is readiness, not a certificate of attendance. I care about those because I lived the difference of when a school puts the student first.