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Stephen Varela is the new U.S. Congressional District 3 representative to the State Board of Education.
Varela, of Pueblo, is the first Latino to serve on the board for CD 3. A GOP vacancy committee overwhelmingly voted to appoint him to fill the vacancy left when former board member Joyce Rankin retired late last year.
“I am honored to be able to represent the amazing people of Congressional District 3 and bring the voice of parents back to the State Board of Education,” Varela said in remarks provided in the news release announcing his appointment. Varela is the only member of the board with children in public school, the news release says.
“Our public schools face many challenges, as far too many students aren’t learning grade-level material. We need to take the politics out of our classrooms, return to teaching basics, honor parents, strengthen collaboration between teachers and parents and support our high-performing, dedicated education professionals,” Varela said.
According to the 2022 Colorado Measures of Academic Success, nearly 60% of the state’s third graders are falling short of grade-level standards in English language arts and math scores are even more dismal. Varela’s news release also says achievement gaps persist in Colorado, with Black and Hispanic students underperforming white peers by 23 to 32 percentage points on the CMAS assessments.
Varela, a graduate of Colorado State University - Pueblo, is a veteran with a master’s degree in social work. He is past board president of the Chavez Huerta Preparatory Academy, a charter school in Pueblo.
He helped secure grants to support new facilities to bring more career and technical learning opportunities to students. Varela also developed early learning opportunities for children in rural communities.
As the State Board of Education member for CD3, Varela represents 27 Colorado counties, including Montrose County.
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