Scott Baldermann

Scott Baldermann was born in Dallas, Texas.

He earned a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in architecture from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln in 1998 and 2000, respectively. His career experience includes working as a software developer. He is affiliated with his neighborhood association and the Denver Democratic Party.[1][2]

Scott Baldermann has not yet completed [the profile publisher]'s 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

If you are Scott Baldermann, click here to fill out [the profile publisher]'s 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

Who fills out the candidate survey?

Any candidate running for elected office, at any level, can complete [the profile publisher]'s Candidate Survey. Completing the survey will update the candidate's [the profile publisher] profile, letting voters know who they are and what they stand for.  More than 32,000 candidates have taken [the profile publisher]'s candidate survey since we launched it in 2015. Learn more about the survey here.

Help improve [the profile publisher] - send us candidate contact info.

Video for [the profile publisher]

Video submitted to BallotpediaReleased October 1, 2019

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am running because Denver's kids deserve a highly efficient school district that maximizes classroom resources so students reach their full potential. I am a proud dad of two kids in Denver Public Schools. I first got involved with DPS when I was the PTA President at Lincoln Elementary from 2016-18. I was actively involved in supporting teachers in the 2019 Denver teacher strike.

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?

Recruit and retain the best teachers and paraprofessionals for kids through higher compensation and support systems.Reduce class sizes so students receive the individualized attention they need and deserve.Keep students and employees safe through early interventions and expanded wraparound services.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

My policy passion is about efficiency and economies of scale that ensure the maximum resources reach our students in the classroom. This starts with strong governance policies that define the role of the board and superintendent.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I disagree with his political views, but I look up to Elon Musk for his entrepreneurial endeavors. No challenge is too big for him, and I try to live my life that way.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education, by Diane Ravitch

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Elected officials should never lose sight of their integrity. The loudest voices should not dictate their decision. They must seek out a variety of voices. The public elected us based on our values, so we should never compromise those values.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am an entrepreneur at heart. When I see a problem, I don't run from it. That is how I got involved with DPS.

My background in starting multiple businesses helps me understand the importance of a good plan with metrics to ensure we achieve what we said we would achieve.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Working with my colleagues to define the vision of the district. The board members must understand they may disagree with a board decision, but they must support the majority's decision and not undermine the district's work. Board members must also take it upon themselves to proactively propose policies and not wait until the last second to submit ideas or move the goalposts on the superintendent.

What legacy would you like to leave?

The legacy I would like to leave in Denver Public Schools is that I always looked out for all students in DPS. Education is not a race or a competition. I am advocating for policies that ensure no kid is left behind.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

September 11, 2001, was the first major historical event I remember. I lived in Washington, DC, at the time, and I was 25 years old.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked at Chuck E. Cheese making pizzas from 1992-1994, when I went off to college.

What is your favorite book? Why?

My favorite book is Mark Manson's self-help book on many best-seller lists. I appreciate it because it helps put obstacles in life in a different light.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

I would want to be Marty McFly from Back to the Future

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Eye in the Sky by the Alan Parsons Project

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I struggle with getting enough rest. My mind is always processing and I have to schedule down time for myself.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

The primary role of the school board is to define the vision of the district and hold the superintendent accountable for performance in achieving that vision.

Who are your constituents?

My constituents are the community members of southeast Denver, the parents and guardians for all DPS students, and the tax payers who fund our schools.

How would you support the diverse needs of your district’s students, faculty, staff, and community?

We need to look closely at how we fund our schools. We are currently under a model where funding follows the student, which creates competition between schools. That has the possibility for students who require intensive support to be left behind or pushed out of school because they are costly.

The foundational resources should be funded at every school first to ensure the diverse needs of students are the priority.

How will you build relationships with members of the broader community? Which groups, organizations, stakeholders will you specifically target?

I helped draft and pass a Governance Process policy that requires the board to meet with the community during regular intervals to ensure the vision and priorities of the board are informed by the community. The policy also emphasizes the importance of talking with a variety of voices, and not just the loudest voices.

What constitutes good teaching? How will you measure this? How will you support advanced teaching approaches?

Teaching is an art and requires listening, collaboration with colleagues, and empathy. This can be measured through peer reviews and internal assessments. Internal assessments that allow teachers to understand where each student is the best way to see student growth. It's important not to use tests to sort and rank schools because it will drive segregation. I am not an educator, so I don't want to dictate to teachers on how to conduct advanced teaching approaches. The best way I can support the teachers is to ensure the district has a clear vision, so maximum resources make it into the classroom.

In what areas would you like to expand curriculum? For example, do you see a need for advanced technical training or apprenticeships? What sort of innovative programming would you advance if given the opportunity?

Yes, I highly support expanding curriculum and training that encourages multiple career pathways once students graduate. In particular, we should leverage apprenticeship programs through partnerships with local labor unions. I would also like to see the district repurpose underutilized schools for technical programs for post-graduation.

What strategies or plans would you advance to ensure the schools are properly funded?

DPS is highly inefficient because of declining birth rates. We must first deal with the inevitable situation of thoughtfully merging and consolidating schools. That will immediately free up funds. Next, is to define a "guaranteed student experience" that ensures every student receives the support they need to thrive. The remaining funds can be distributed per pupil, allowing school leaders to design their programs and introduce innovation.

What principles drive your policies for safety in schools?

My principles are focused on early intervention, starting with small class sizes. Teachers can't be overwhelmed with busy work and be spread so thin that they miss warning signs from students before they become a problem. I also feel school resource officers can proactively help kids stay on the right track without getting involved with the discipline the school should address. Students who commit egregious crimes should be in the appropriate school with the right support to help them get back on track. This will keep them and their peers safe.

How might you support the mental health needs of students/faculty/staff?

Smaller class sizes must be the priority for addressing mental health issues. Teachers can provide early intervention to identify warning signs before they become problematic. Having reasonable workloads will also support the mental health of faculty and staff.

Tell us your favorite joke.

A piece of string walks into a bar. The bartender says, "Sorry, we don't serve pieces of string."

The string walks outside and messes up his hair, and returns the next day. The bartender says," Hey, aren't you the piece of string I told to get lost?"

The string replies, "No, I'm a frayed knot."

What existing district policies would you like to change, or what new policies would you like to implement?

I want the district to move away from Reform policies that encourage free market competition between schools. That does not mean doing away with School Choice. Parents and guardians can select a child that is best for their child, but that does not mean the schools must compete for kids. It means we must still fund children equitably regardless if the attend a school with low enrollment.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Denver Classroom Teachers Association

Colorado Education Association

Denver Metro Association of Realtors

Denver Area Labor Federation

Communications Workers of America

Sheet Metal Local 9

Describe your ideal learning environment for students.

My ideal learning environment includes a small teacher-to-student ratio and a curriculum that reflects the students in the classroom, so they see themselves in their education.

How do you feel like your school district handled the coronavirus pandemic? What, if anything, would you do differently in the future?

I think DPS handled the COVID pandemic well. The district guessed wrong multiple times, but that was out of their control. The district also based its decisions on recommendations from the Denver Health Department and not politics.

What will you do to build a relationship with parents in the district?

I prefer 1:1 meetings with parents over coffee. I am always open to participating in town halls, but meeting 1:1 or in small groups is my preferred method to information my decisions as a board member.

What are your preferred strategies for faculty, staff, and administration recruitment?

Competitive wages, small class sizes, and maintaining statutory and union rights for employees is my preferred strategy for recruitment.

Other survey responses

[the profile publisher] identified the following surveys, interviews, and questionnaires Baldermann completed for other organizations.

If you are aware of a link that should be added, email us.

League of Women VotersChalkbeat ColoradoDenver GazetteDenver GazetteDenver Gazette

Video for [the profile publisher]

Video submitted to BallotpediaReleased October 13, 2019

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a father of two children at Lincoln Elementary and an innovative software entrepreneur. I was raised in Aurora, Colorado and graduated from Rangeview High School. I have a master's degree in architecture and spent 15 years in the construction industry. I was elected PTA president at Lincoln Elementary for the 2016-2018 term and spent countless hours raising money for the school to make up for the funding shortfall from the district. That was my first experience of seeing the fiscal mismanagement occurring within Denver Public Schools. We organized fundraisers for multiple paraprofessionals and even curriculum. It alarmed me how under-resourced my kid's school was. Worse, I realized that other schools in Denver don't have the means to do fundraisers and must be far worse off.

I also began supporting teachers in the fall of 2017 in their ProComp salary negotiations which eventually led to the 2019 teachers strike. That was my first experience of seeing teachers being disrespected by the district. I attended multiple bargaining sessions, organized sign-making parties and GoFundMe pages for teachers, and offered a vacant rental property to serve as a home base for Lincoln teachers during the strike. These experiences led to my decision to run for the DPS Board of Education.

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?

I am running for the school board because I am fed up with failed reforms that are wasting our tax dollars and punishing teachers at DPS. We need to be investing in classrooms and educators, so students are set for college and career. We must also treat teachers with dignity and respect. Due to current board policy, we have seen 20% teacher turnover and 35% paraprofessional turnover in the district. By providing adequate resources at schools and for professional development, we can set teachers and paraprofessionals up for success. We need to get back to basics by recruiting great teachers and investing in smaller class sizes.The mismanagement of funding is the most important issue facing Denver Public Schools. Schools are not properly resourced and teachers are not being adequately supported. The simplest and most effective way to ensure every child in Denver Public Schools succeeds is to reallocate more funding into the classrooms, especially the schools of the most marginalized communities in the district. The most straightforward way to do that is through reductions in administrative spending. By eliminating duplication of services and streamlining Denver Public Schools' programming we can ensure that every child in the district has a high-quality education.I support School Choice because I feel parents know what school program and curriculum is best for their child. As a board member I would like to eliminate the culture of competition among schools. With competition there will always be a loser and within a public school system everyone should be a winner. We accomplish this by first equitably investing in core resources, staff, services and curriculum at every school. At a minimum, every school should have full-time health professionals, social workers, psychologists and other core Special Service Providers. These core essentials should not be left to the discretion of a school principal or charter school director -- this should be mandated by School Board policy.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I believe how DPS funds schools is the largest inequity facing the District.

I would budget resources for strategically located community schools, which are schools that also provide health and wellness services to families. Denver Discovery School in Stapleton is the first community school in DPS, and I was part of the finance committee for the innovation plan. I propose that a community school coordinator be assigned at every school to identify the social and emotional needs of the school community. By investing in the community school model we can build a foundation of success for all students.

A substantial amount of funding, time, and energy is dedicated to the "portfolio model" of DPS. This culture of competition pulls resources into administration and marketing that could otherwise go directly to classrooms. This also takes away time and resources from principals to serve students directly, because they are dealing with marketing and student recruitment. I would like to reduce the budget dedicated to programs and resources related to the portfolio model.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

When I was a senior in high school, I had first-hand experience with gun violence. I worked at Chuck E. Cheese at Illiff + Peoria where Nathan Dunlap shot five of my co-workers, killing four, on December 14, 1993. I had worked there for over a year and worked beside Nathan in the kitchen. He was fired months before he decided to return to the restaurant with a gun. Days before the shooting, I cut my thumb wide open cutting pizza dough. Marge Kohlberg was the manager that day and she called my parents to take me to the emergency room for stitches. That was the last time I saw Marge-she was the manager the night Nathan returned. Three other teenagers, Sylvia Crowell, Colleen O'Connor and Ben Grant were also killed. Bobby Stephens was also shot in the face, but he survived. My really close friend Russell Foltz-Smith was the last co-worker to safely leave that night before Nathan opened fire.

That Chuck E. Cheese never reopened after that night. I remember feeling the most sadness from that. Not only had four co-workers been killed, there were many grieving co-workers I never saw again.

I was 17 at the time. I worked with the shooter and everyone that was killed. My experience occurred before Columbine. Looking back, I don't think my young brain knew how to process what happened, so I just tried to erase it from my memory. I do remember my parents-especially my dad-being very shaken. 26 years later, the whole ordeal still feels surreal.

We need to prioritize the emotional health of our students. Smaller class sizes, appropriate school start times and family support outside of school can all help. Most importantly we must reduce the growing stress of academic achievement on our students. Per a recent Pew study, academic achievement is the primary source of stress and depression in teenagers-even more than bullying.

My goal is to provide all DPS students with the resources they need to thrive and love to learn.