Barb Clementi

Big Ideas,

Big Impact.

Colorado State Board of Education

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Why Barb?

My life has been dedicated to public education. I grew up with parents who were educators and union founders. I graduated from public schools, and taught in public schools for thirty years. I believe passionately in public education as a public good which needs to be protected, funded, and preserved. My years and experience in public education at so many different levels and from so many different perspectives give me the foundation to step into the role and begin work immediately.

Public education is under attack across the country and across Colorado. Bad actors, including religious ones, have exploited vagueness and loopholes in our state policies, rules, and legislation. One of my goals, if elected, will be to begin the work to close and eliminate what makes it possible for public funds to be siphoned away from public school and funneled to private and religious schools.

I will be a voice for ALL of this Congressional District, not just a small corner of it. CD3 is by far the largest Congressional District, encompassing 27 counties and fully 30% of the school districts in Colorado! Our representative must be visible and approachable and responsive. I am that person! For the many years I served on the NEA Board of Directors, I traveled the state regularly to hear from educators; I love to drive, and I stand ready and eager to meet with everyone across the District.

Big Ideas, Big Impact.

During my time on the Pueblo D60 Board of Education, we passed a bond measure and with the proceeds, replaced five aged schools.

Meet Barb

Barb built her first career in Pueblo District 60’s middle school classrooms, inspiring and motivating thousands of adolescents. Captivating and focusing the energy of a roomful of thirteen year-olds is no small task, and Barb is well known as a master teacher and facilitator throughout the nation.

With over forty years of experience and expertise, Barb holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Education, a Paralegal Certification, and a Master’s degree in Educational Technology. She is certified in a variety of training programs ranging from leadership and coaching to facilitation and consensus building and organizational development.

Barb has spent her career as a facilitator, developing people by applying the principles of consensus building and inclusiveness to her work. Barb loves new ideas and approaches to her work. In previous ‘lives’, Barb introduced project-based assessment to her schools, brought Steven Covey’s work to Pueblo School District 60, and chaired the committee to re-vision her school. Barb is the facilitator of choice in the organizations she is affiliated with, having led groups as widely varied as those designed to codify policy to groups designed to completely restructure a member-led organization. She has consulted nationally on labor-management collaboration.

As a teacher leader, Barb was elected to and served on her local, state, and national association boards. She was elected to the National Education Association Board of Directors 185 person board from Colorado, and held leadership positions there, which provided tremendous opportunity for learning and growth.Since retiring from the classroom, Barb has been elected to two terms on her local school board, serving two years as vice president and two years as president. She has represented the district at the state level with CASB (Colorado Association of School Board), and was appointed to the legislative advisory committee. School Finance and district budgets can take years to comprehend; she has studied and worked to understand school finance far beyond the basics. From the CASB Board of Directors, Barb was elected to leadership positions including the presidency. She presided over an historic revisioning of the Association, bringing people together to ensure that all districts across our beautiful state are equal partners in the Association’s work.

Barb brings a lifetime of public education experience to this position, together with her background in classroom teaching, systems management and growth, and education law. And at her core, Barb believes in and works for our students, the educators that devotes their lives to their kids, and their communities, and public education as a public good.