Kevin Leung

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Leung graduated with a B.S. from the University of Utah in 1990. He later earned an M.B.A. and an M.S. in computer science from the University of Colorado at Denver.[1] Leung served as a consultant to the U.S. Army during the First Gulf War and received a certificate of appreciation. His work experience includes serving as an IT consultant and the owner of Magic Rabbit Carwash, Detail & Lube Co.[2]

Leung was appointed to serve on the Colorado State Advisory Council for Parent Involvement in Education, and he also served on the ESSA Accountability Spoke Committee. He has also served on the City of Parker’s Authority for Reinvestment Advisory Committee, the Douglas County School District’s District Accountability Committee, the Rock Canyon High School’s School Accountability Committee, and the 2016 Rocky Heights Middle School Principal Interview Committee. He and his wife have three children.[3]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Kevin Leung, and I am running for Colorado State Senate District 30. My father was a cook supporting eight members of our family in a small 200-square-foot apartment in Hong Kong. I came to the United States with a bag of clothes and a strong belief in the opportunities this country offers.

For more than 35 years, my family and I have lived in Douglas County. My wife and I raised our three daughters in Castle Pines, and this community has shaped both my professional life and my commitment to public service.

Professionally, I built a career in information technology and founded a small business in Colorado. My company received the Colorado Governor’s Minority Business Award, and I received the McGuffey Award from the Colorado Association of School Boards for supporting public education.

I served as a director and board treasurer of the Douglas County School District, Colorado’s third-largest district, serving more than 63,000 students and overseeing major public education investments. I helped initiate measures to increase teacher pay, improve school facilities, and expand career and technical education. I currently serve on the South Metro Fire Rescue Board, which provides emergency services to more than 570,000 residents.

Earlier in my career, I worked as an IT manager for Jeppesen, a Boeing company, and taught computer courses as an affiliate faculty member at Regis University.

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?

Proven Leadership and Results

I have a record of delivering results for our community. As a Douglas County School Board director, I helped initiate and campaign for measures that increased teacher pay, funded repairs and improvements to school facilities, and expanded career and technical education opportunities. I currently serve on the South Metro Fire Rescue Board, helping oversee funding and governance for fire protection and emergency services that serve a large regional population. My experience in local government focuses on practical problem-solving and responsible stewardship of public resources.Strong Public Schools and Economic Opportunity

Strong public schools and economic opportunity are essential for Colorado’s future. My priorities include strengthening public education, supporting teachers, and ensuring students have access to career and technical education that prepares them for the workforce. With a background in information technology and small business, I also understand the importance of policies that encourage entrepreneurship, support local businesses, and create economic opportunities for working families and young people.Protecting Communities and Quality of Life

Colorado’s communities depend on strong public services and responsible planning. I support investments that keep neighborhoods safe, including reliable fire protection and emergency services. I also believe government should work to protect seniors from scams and financial fraud and ensure families have access to essential services, including healthcare, safe communities, and well-maintained infrastructure. My approach emphasizes responsible growth and careful management of taxpayer resources.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about strengthening public education, expanding economic opportunity, and protecting the quality of life of Colorado families. As a poor immigrant who now lives the American dream, I understand the challenges working families face and the economic pressures young people experience today. My service on the Douglas County School Board focused on supporting teachers, improving school facilities, and expanding career and technical education to prepare students for the workforce. As a small business owner and information technology professional, I support policies that encourage entrepreneurship and job creation. My work on the South Metro Fire Rescue reinforced the importance of strong emergency services and protecting seniors.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Kevin Leung has been endorsed by U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse; State Senators Jeff Bridges and Julie Gonzales; and State Representatives Junie Joseph and Kenny Nguyen. His campaign has strong support from Douglas County education leaders, including Kelly Denzler, Brad Geiger, and Susan Meek; former Douglas County School Board directors Anthony Graziano, Anne Marie Lemieux, Clare Leonard, Emily Hansen, David Ray, and Krista Holtzmann; and former Superintendent Thomas Tucker. Statewide education leaders endorsing his campaign include Rebecca McClellan (Chair, Colorado State Board of Education) and University of Colorado Regents Elliott Hood and Ilana Spiegel. Additional support comes from community leaders and the organization 314 Action.

Kevin Leung did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2021 Candidate Connection survey.

Candidate website

Leung highlighted the following issues on his campaign website:

Opportunities, Challenges and Priorities

Douglas County School District faces several critical issues in the next few years including attracting and retaining high quality teachers, addressing limited state funding while improving fiscal accountability and transparency, and improving declining academic achievement. As a member of the Douglas County School Board, my plan is to work collaboratively with district leaders, teachers and staff, parents and students, and members of our community to find effective solutions that will once again make Douglas County a destination district.

-Attracting and Retaining High Quality Teachers-

The majority of teachers and principals have stated that the district’s custom evaluation system is failing to attract and retain teachers. As a board member, I will work with them to find a better evaluation system that accurately measures effectiveness while encouraging teachers to work collaboratively with one another and focus more time on their students. Teacher pay in Douglas County has not kept pace with neighboring districts, making it more difficult to attract new teachers and retain high performing teachers. I will work with the community to come up with consent for the mill levy override question to be placed on the ballot for the purpose of increasing teacher compensation. Parents and community members have overwhelmingly said they will support such a measure and it’s vital that school board members work collaboratively with our community to ensure the measure passes so we can be a destination district for teaching.

-Financial Accountability-

With less than 1/3 of additional funding from the state being spent on school budgets, we have to prioritize spending on students. I will work to redirect funding from central administration to our schools. I will also stop the practice of allowing central administration to fund multi-million dollar projects without a budget and to be accountable on an annual basis for the associated expenditures. Finally, it is past time that the school board develops a plan to address the district’s capital needs of over $300 million. This will be one of my first priorities as a school board director.

-Improve Academic Achievement and Create a Destination District for our Teachers and Students-

It’s time to have some tough conversations around improving academic achievement in our district. In recent years, Douglas County School District has lost their Accredited with Distinction ranking, and for the first time has 15 schools on improvement or turnaround plans (as of 2016 and does not include online or alternative schools). At the same time, the district cut resources to some of these struggling schools. I will ensure principals and teachers receive the resources they need to provide our students with challenging curriculum and more choices.

The implementation of the Board of Education’s Strategic Plan has resulted in a working environment where staff members don’t feel supported and are distrustful of our district leaders. The community is starting to voice concerns over increasing turnover rates. My plan is to create a teacher and principal advisory group that reports directly to the Board of Education, helping us to direct the superintendent on improving academic achievement and district morale.

-DCSD Financial Needs-

DCSD’s 2016-17 projected revenue is over $650 million. In the 2016-17 Adopted Budget Book, DCSD increased central administration budgets by $18.5 million MORE than they spent in 2014-15. This does not include the special education department and there is no explanation for this increase. I will work with other board members to redirect funding from central administration to our schools. I will also stop the practice of allowing central administration to fund multi-million dollar projects without a budget and to be accountable on an annual basis for the associated expenditures.

The board must have a 3% TABOR reserve that is required by the state as part of the Tabor amendment. However, this board also has a 3% additional reserve for the same amount as the TABOR reserve plus 1% more for contingency. These reserves can be used to offset cuts in the future.

Finally, it is past time that the school board develops a plan to address the district’s capital needs that exceed over $300 million. This will be one of my first priorities as a school board director.

-Attract and Retain Teachers in Times of Budget Challenges-

DCSD paid teachers $5,000 less than Cherry Creek and $2,500 less than Littleton 10 years ago. Today, DCSD pays teachers $17,000 less than CCSD and $13,000 less than LPS. Teacher shortages are being felt throughout the state and are projected to increase. The Denver Post reported in its April 13, 2017 article that “As many as 3,000 new teachers are needed to fill existing slots in Colorado classrooms while the number of graduates from teacher-preparation programs in the state has declined by 24.4 percent over the past five years.”

While increasing pay for DCSD teachers is a must, DCSD must also focus on the climate and culture within the district. DCSD needs to improve preparation and training for our teachers, and listen to our teachers. Many teachers are in this profession for much more than a paycheck. DCSD teachers seldom left eight years ago because DCSD offered a great working environment and administrators built trust with our teachers. We must restore the great culture and climate DCSD used to have.

-Public School Education Choice-

I have always supported public school choices. My kids spent 6 years in a Douglas County charter school and 20+ years in Douglas County neighborhood schools. I was personally involved in evaluating three Douglas County charter schools’ applications while serving on the Douglas County School District Accountability Committee and worked hand in hand with charter school representatives in our state accountability committees. I have visited several charter schools in the past two months to listen to their concerns. I support magnet schools, vocational training, homeschooling and online schools to list a few public school choices. Under my leadership, I will ensure that all public school options are available and known to our parents.

-Vouchers and Education Savings Accounts-

I do not support using public taxpayer money to fund private schools. Public school funding is a big problem and we cannot afford to divert precious resources to private schools that will lead to weakened public education. Furthermore, once public money is diverted to the private institution, our board has no control to protect the civil rights for students and DCSD cannot demand the level of accountability we put in for our public schools.

-Bond and Mill Levy-

DCSD has not passed a mill levy override or bond measure since 2006. DCSD parents, however, have increasingly paid much more in school fees. Our neighboring districts have successfully passed both mill levy overrides and bonds to increase revenue. Those increases enable them to pay teachers better, to use that money for capital construction and to add additional educational programs.

The school district’s recent third-party community survey indicates that voters will support a mill levy override ballot question. In March 2017, a DCSD joint subcommittee recommended placing an initiative on the ballot to address funding challenges. Our community newspaper reported that “All seven school board members agree on the need to ask taxpayers for more money.” The time to act is now. As a board member, I will listen to the community to build consent on what ballot questions to ask voters. I will also ask the interim superintendent to give the board her recommendation on the amount of mill levy and bond funds she believes are needed. Based on facts from the interim superintendent and the community input, the board can then make the best decision on what to ask voters.

-Transparency and Accountability-

In the DCSD third-party survey results, teachers felt they were not respected by the school board. Incumbent board members have a documented hostility toward community and parent groups when those groups have different opinions. The arrest of award-winning documentary maker Brian Malone was a prime example. The most recent example is from the May 9, 2017 meeting. The incumbent board president cut off a mother of a child in special education during public comment simply for going a few seconds over the allowed time for public comment. The board president tried to have the mom escorted out of the meeting room! Many people in the community feel unwelcome and left out of decisions which will affect their children.

The board majority conducts its affairs based not on established common practice, but on the sole discretion of the majority. The harassment of then 15-year-old student Grace Davis, by Director Silverthorn and Director Reynolds, was a prime example. The appointment of the replacement Director in District E without a vote caused great dissatisfaction in the community. The board majority often refused to allow motions from the board minority and refused to consult the board minority in setting agendas. In effect, the board majority refused to work as a team to come up with a win-win solution for our kids.

The incumbent board majority has set rules to end board meetings at 9:30pm and to disallow public comments in a work session in order to limit public input. The board majority even walked out of a meeting to force it to end when things did not go their way.

The incumbent majority ignored the advice from 28 members of DCSD’s School Accountability Committees and staff recommendations to consider the mill levy and bond ballot questions in 2015 and 2016.

The ineffective Douglas County school board and infighting inside the district have in effect caused great harm to our school district’s reputation.

To achieve unity, our school board must include people with different opinions in the process. To do so, our school board must appoint people from all walks of life to serve on advisory committees. Our board should respect our staff’s recommendations and not make decisions based solely on political considerations.

Our board needs to follow the Robert’s Rules of Order as a guide for conducting meetings and making decisions as a group to avoid meetings devolved into chaos.

Our board needs to remove the automatic meeting end time of 9:30pm and to respect citizens attending meetings.

I will ask the board to have meetings in different school feeder areas so we can bring our meetings to the community.

I will lobby for staff and community surveys to be conducted every year to better understand what the community desires.

In short, I will restore trust and accountability to the school board by improving the culture and climate in our school district. I have a proven track record of success working well with others when serving on education committees on the state, district and school levels. With that experience, I can bridge the gaps and ensure all residents are listened to.[11]

—Kevin Leung (2017)[12]

Chalkbeat Colorado survey

Leung participated in the following survey conducted by Chalkbeat Colorado. The questions provided in the survey appear bolded, and Leung's responses appear below.

Tell us a bit about yourself. How long have you lived in the school district? What do you do for a living?

I am a successful local business owner in Douglas County. Prior to owning my own business with my wife, I was in the IT profession and taught IT graduate courses at Regis University. My lovely wife and I have lived in Douglas County for over 26 years. Altogether, our three children spent six years in public charter schools and over 20 years in our neighborhood schools. I grew up in extreme poverty and was the son of illiterate parents. Through hard work and determination, I earned an MBA and a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Colorado. My daughter graduated in 2016 as one of the top four graduates at Rock Canyon High School.[11]

—Kevin Leung (2017)[13]

Tell us about your connection to the school district.

I have volunteered for the state, district and my kids’ school education committees for more than 12 years. I am the only parent representative from Douglas County to serve on the State Advisory Council for Parent Involvement in Education and the Colorado Department of Education’s Accountability Workgroup. I served on the Douglas County School District Accountability Committee for three years and was vice-chair of the Rock Canyon High School Accountability Committee. I participated on the School Accountability Committee at Buffalo Ridge Elementary School and Rocky Heights Middle School. I was a member of the Principal Interview Committee at Rocky Heights Middle School. I was also a Rocky Heights Middle School parent representative in the “Colorado School to Watch" interview conducted by the Colorado Association of Middle Level Education (CAMLE).[11]

—Kevin Leung (2017)[13]

If elected, would you continue the district's legal fight to enact a private school voucher system? Why or why not?

I have always supported choices within our public schools. My kids spent six years in a Douglas County charter school and 20 plus years in Douglas County neighborhood schools. Under my leadership, I will ensure that all public school options, including neighborhood, charter, magnet and online schools, vocational training, and home schooling are available and known to our parents.

I do not support using public taxpayer money to fund the DCSD Choice Scholarship Program. I support parents sending their child to a private school if that is their desire. However, our board is the custodian of public funds. Our public schools currently do not have enough funding and we cannot afford to divert resources to private schools and jeopardize the quality of public education options. Furthermore, once public money is diverted to private institutions, our board has no ability to protect the civil rights of students and demand the level of accountability expected from our public schools. Therefore, I will not continue to support our district’s legal fight to enact a private school voucher system. Once this lawsuit is over, our district can refocus our efforts solely on our existing public school choices instead of promoting a national agenda.[11]

—Kevin Leung (2017)[13]

One of your most important tasks will be to select a new superintendent for the district. What characteristics will you seek in a new leader?

The reform-oriented board hired Dr. Elizabeth Fagen, a 'transformational' leader, who caused many problems for our district. I would prefer to have a pragmatic leader who will advocate for all teachers and students. I am looking for someone who is ethical, fair and has experience as an educator and can have credibility with our employees and educators.

Our district also needs someone who maintains open communication with all parties involved in the education process and can build partnerships with people of differing views in educating children. All should feel included in the decision- making process. They should possess the experience, knowledge and understanding of the current environment in the district and have a specific plan to improve academic performance for ALL, including kids with special needs. Our district needs someone who is a consensus builder and will not implement something without real consultation with the community, parents, teachers and local business leaders. They would need to rely on educational research and reliable, valid statistics to make decisions. We need someone who can help develop curriculum that focuses on what students need to succeed in life without focusing solely on test scores[11]

—Kevin Leung (2017)[13]

If elected, would you seek to make changes to the way the district pays its teachers? How?

The teacher evaluation system developed under Dr. Fagen has not been well accepted and has had a negative impact on our teachers’ morale. As an elected board member, I will ask parents and teachers to weigh in on how the district pays its teachers. I will make sure teachers’ pay relies more on student growth rather and teacher effectiveness. Classroom observations and teachers’ continuing education should also be factors in evaluating their performance. Multiple years of performance data for a teacher should be considered rather than only a one-year “snapshot” in evaluating a teacher’s performance.

In addition, our school district’s average teacher salary is currently $17,000 less than Cherry Creek and $13,000 less than Littleton, and the gap continues to grow. If we want to attract and retain the best teachers, we need to offer them competitive wages. Another way to change how our district compensates our teachers is to explore additional funding mechanisms for better pay.[11]

—Kevin Leung (2017)[13]

If elected, would you support the district asking voters for a tax increase for capital construction and to pay for additional educational programs? Why or why not?

DCSD has not passed a mill levy override and bond measure since 2006. DCSD parents, however, have increasingly paid much more in school fees. Our neighboring districts have successfully passed both mill levy overrides and bonds to increase revenue. Those increases enable them to pay teachers better, to use that money for capital construction and to add additional educational programs.

The district’s recent community survey indicates that voters will support a mill levy override ballot question. In March 2017, a DCSD joint subcommittee had recommended placing an initiative on the ballot to address funding challenges. Our community newspaper reported that, “All seven school board members agree on the need to ask taxpayers for more money.” The time to act is now. As a board member, I will listen to the community to build consent on what ballot questions to ask voters. I will also ask the interim superintendent to give the board her recommendation on the amount of mill levy and bonds she believes is needed. Based on facts from the interim superintendent and the community input, the board can then make the best decision on what to ask voters.[11]

—Kevin Leung (2017)[13]

The Douglas County education community for years has been divided by actions taken by the school board. How would you bridge the gaps and ensure all residents are listened to?

To achieve unity, our school board must include people with different opinions in the process. To do so, our school board must appoint people from all walks of life to serve on advisory committees. Our board should respect our staff’s recommendation and not make decisions based solely on political considerations. Our board needs to follow the Robert's Rules of Order as a guide for conducting meetings and making decisions as a group to avoid meetings devolved into chaos. Our board needs to remove the automatic meeting end time of 9:30 pm and to respect citizens attending meetings. I will ask the board to have meetings in different school feeder areas so we can bring our meetings to the community. I will lobby for staff and community surveys be conducted every year to better understand what the community desires. In short, I will restore trust and accountability to the board by improving the culture and climate in our school district. I have a proven track record of success working well with others when serving on education committees on the state, district and school level. With that experience, I can bridge the gaps and ensure all residents are listened to.[11]

—Kevin Leung (2017)[13]

The effectiveness of the Douglas County School District's special education services was recently challenged in a U.S. Supreme Court case. While the court did not rule on the merit of the program, it did find the historic standard of "minimum" improvement is no longer acceptable. What sort of reforms do you believe the district's special education program should consider?

Over 10 percent of DCSD students were classified as special education students in the 2016-7 school year. Inadequate funding to implement Individual Educational Plans (IEPs) or 504 plans have caused student and parent hardship. The State of Colorado currently underfunds special education, meaning that they do not provide enough funding to cover the costs required to meet the requirements of special education students as defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The high teacher turnover in our district only makes the problem worse.

We must recruit and retain the best special education teachers as possible and provide meaningful professional development for special education teachers, as well. And Douglas County needs to provide more public school choices for special education students. Our district must provide better accountability on how SPED money is being spent and what programming is available to meet the unique needs of all learners. Finally, we must rebuild trust with special education parents. By law, parents are required to be included on the IEP team. Many special education parents do not think that the district provides meaningful parental participation in the IEP program.[11]

—Kevin Leung (2017)[13]

How should Douglas County approach its relationships with existing and future charter schools, and should they be funded equally?

I have always been a supporter of choice in our public schools, including neighborhood schools, public charter schools, and others. As evidence, my kids have spent six years in a Douglas County charter school and 20 plus years in Douglas County neighborhood schools. Also, I have been personally involved in the evaluation and approval of three Douglas County charter school applications while serving on the District Advisory Committee. Additionally, I have worked closely with charter school representatives while serving on our state’s accountability committees.

The current board has not built a neighborhood school since 2010, relying solely on charter schools to address growth for the past six years. That is not healthy when we know our community wants both charter and neighborhood schools. Our community is clear in the most recent survey that they support quality schools above any certain type of school. My goal is to ensure all schools are quality choices for our residents regardless of whether they are charter or neighborhood schools. I will ensure new charter schools are locally organized with a large group of local parents supporting the effort. Finally, charter schools are public schools and all public schools should be funded equally.[11]

—Kevin Leung (2017)[13]

Highlands Ranch Herald Q&A

Leung participated in the following Q&A conducted by the Highlands Ranch Herald. The questions provided in the Q&A appear bolded, and Leung's responses appear below.

Why did you decide to run?

I’ve always been passionate about education. I ran in 2009, but after that I continued my involvement in the district, serving on the district advisory committee. I want to make sure that students in Colorado, especially in the place where I have lived for 26 years, get a good education. I came to this country as a very poor student. I lived in a very poor environment, (but) because of the opportunity this country gave me, because of the education I got from this country, it made me what I am. My children and my family have been well taken care of and I think I need to give back to the community.[11]

—Kevin Leung (2017)[14]

What are the most important issues facing the school district?

The reason I moved to Douglas County in 1991 was because of the schools. It was my number one priority. We used to have the top CDE (Colorado Department of Education) rating, Accredited with Distinction. We lost that. We used to be much higher than Cherry Creek and now Cherry Creek is catching up. We are only average now. Douglas County should not be average. We should always be in the top five, top 10 at the minimum. If not, I feel like we are doing the students a disservic