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Stephen Varela resigned from the State Board of Schooling on Tuesday, about three months earlier than his time period representing Colorado’s Third Congressional District is ready to run out.
The Pueblo Republican resigned to take a job working with college students with disabilities within the Pueblo 60 faculty district, based on a press launch from the Colorado Division of Schooling. State legislation bars faculty district workers from serving on the State Board of Schooling.
Varela was appointed to the State Board in 2023 after Joyce Rankin, a Republic from Carbondale, resigned. His 20-month tenure has been comparatively uneventful, however different points of his work and political life have been marked by controversy.
Earlier this yr, the Denver Submit reported that Varela was beneath federal investigation after whistleblower claims that he’d misused funds from a labor union he led from 2016 to 2020. The allegations embody that he spent $100,000 in union funds for unauthorized functions, together with frequent journey and a beer-making package.
Varela additionally has an uncommon political historical past. He modified occasion affiliation 18 instances since 2011, switching between Democrat, Republican, and unaffiliated, based on the Denver Submit. He’s been registered as a Republican since 2021.
Varela misplaced a bid for Pueblo Metropolis Council in 2019 and for Colorado State Senate in 2022. In June, he misplaced a Republican main for the congressional seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, who’s switching districts. He additionally sought to be chair of the Colorado Republican Celebration earlier this yr, however dropped out in February.
Varela’s sudden resignation from the State Board of Schooling will set off the creation of a emptiness committee appointed by GOP officers. The committee’s choose will serve till January, when the candidate elected in November will take over. Republican Sherri Wright, of Cortez, and Democrat Ellen Angeles, of Montrose, are vying for the Third District seat on the board.
Varela’s seat is certainly one of 4 up for grabs within the November election, though a Democrat is operating unopposed for the seat representing the Second Congressional District.
The nine-member State Board of Schooling contains one at-large member and eight members representing Colorado’s congressional districts. At present, the board has a six-member Democratic majority.
In addition to hiring Colorado’s training commissioner, the board oversees the college accountability and trainer analysis methods, considers constitution faculty appeals of district selections, and units state requirements for what faculties ought to educate.
Ann Schimke is a senior reporter at Chalkbeat, overlaying early childhood points and early literacy. Contact Ann at aschimke@chalkbeat.org.
