Sue Schafer is an educator and former legislator from the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
. Elected to the
Colorado House of Representatives
The Colorado House of Representatives is the lower house of the Colorado General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Colorado. The House is composed of 65 members from an equal number of constituent districts, with each distr ...
as a Democrat in 2008, Schafer represented House District 24, which encompassed the cities of
Wheat Ridge
The City of Wheat Ridge is a home rule municipality located in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Wheat Ridge is located immediately west of Denver and is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The W ...
Arvada
Arvada () is a home rule municipality located in Jefferson and Adams counties, Colorado, United States. The city population was 124,402 at the 2020 United States Census, with 121,510 residing in Jefferson County and 2,892 residing in Adams Co ...
, and was redrawn in 2011 to encompass Wheat Ridge, Edgewater and Golden.
Biography
Born in
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metro ...
, Schafer holds a bachelor's degree in
secondary education
Secondary education or post-primary education covers two phases on the International Standard Classification of Education scale. Level 2 or lower secondary education (less commonly junior secondary education) is considered the second and final ph ...
from the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' ...
, a master's degree in counseling from the
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado s ...
and a doctorate in education from the
University of Northern Colorado
The University of Northern Colorado (UNC) is a public university in Greeley, Colorado. The university was founded in 1889 as the State Normal School of Colorado and has a long history in teacher education. The institution has officially change ...
. She also holds a principal's license from Colorado State University.
She has taught social studies and French in
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...
public schools, worked as a counselor in
Omaha Public Schools
Omaha Public Schools (OPS) is the largest school district in the state of Nebraska, United States. This public school district serves a diverse community of about 52,000 students at over 80 elementary and secondary schools in Omaha. Its district ...
and at Skagit Valley Community College in Mt. Vernon, Washington, and spent two decades as the curriculum director and accreditation manager for the
Colorado Department of Education
The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) is the principal department of the Colorado state government that is responsible for education. It is headquartered in Denver.
Schafer has been a member of the Wheat Ridge Senior/Community Center Advisory Committee, the Wheat Ridge 2020 Urban Renewal Planning Committee, the League of Women Voters, and Wheat Ridge Congregational United Church of Christ.
She served as a legislative intern in the Colorado House of Representatives in 2006 and has been both a precinct captain and the chair of the Democratic Party in the 24th district for eight years.
Schafer, a lesbian, has two daughters and lives in
Wheat Ridge, Colorado
The City of Wheat Ridge is a home rule municipality located in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Wheat Ridge is located immediately west of Denver and is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. Th ...
with her partner, Barb Nash.
Legislative career
2008 election
Sue Schafer narrowly defeated Denver
Regional Transportation District
The Regional Transportation District, more commonly referred to as RTD, is the regional agency operating public transit services in eight out of the twelve counties in the Denver-Aurora-Boulder Combined Statistical Area in the U.S. state of Co ...
Director Dave Ruchman in the contested Democratic primary in August, winning by only 29 votes, with 50.29% of ballots cast; the race was not decided until several days after the primary election.
Schafer faced Republican Cheryl Palm in the November 2008 general election. Schafer's candidacy was endorsed by the ''
Denver Post
''The Denver Post'' is a daily newspaper and website published in Denver, Colorado. As of June 2022, it has an average print circulation of 57,265. In 2016, its website received roughly six million monthly unique visitors generating more than 13 ...
'', the ''
Golden Transcript
The ''Golden Transcript'' is the second oldest newspaper in Colorado, behind the ''Central City Register-Call''. The ''Transcript'' is also the oldest media outlet of the Denver metropolitan area. It is published by Mile High Newspapers in Go ...
'', and the ''
Wheat Ridge Transcript
The ''Wheat Ridge Transcript Newspaper'' is a weekly newspaper that serves the community of Wheat Ridge, Colorado
The City of Wheat Ridge is a home rule municipality located in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Wheat Ridge is locate ...
''. She easily won the general election with 62 percent of the votes cast and took office on January 7, 2009.
2009 legislative session
For the 2009 legislative session, Schafer was named to seats on the House Education Committee and the House Local Government Committee.
Schafer's first bill of the 2009 session, a measure requiring that flight schools train pilots in both takeoff and landing procedures, passed the state house unanimously.
2010 legislative session
2010 election
2011 legislative session
While discussing a bill to allow for government funding of male circumcision, Schafer wondered, "if there's a risk for more sexual activity, more male irresponsibility" for uncircumcised boys. She supported the bill to allow government funding for circumcision.