ISSUES
REVITALIZING DENVER’S PUBLIC SCHOOLS
My biggest role on the School Board is to refocus the conversation back to our students and away from political grandstanding. We need a vision for the district – and that is Great Schools in Your Neighborhood.
Great schools should and ought to be the number one priority of this board. We need to know what YOU think are great schools, what your neighborhood wants from a great school, and how we can make it happen.
That’s my job as your school board member. Not to get lost in the politics, but to keep it personal – schools that matter for your child.
You deserve it. And the good news is we already have a foundation. Our students, teachers, administrators, and schools have excellence everywhere. Our goal is to establish the pillars of what create excellence and ensure each school has the opportunity to be excellent if gaps exist.
I am embarking on a three month listening tour to understand what YOU want in a great school, how we can work to make it happen. But we have to get started and here are some of the key issues I’ve already heard from people across Denver:
Great Schools For Your Neighborhood
DPS must have excellent schools. Period – and every family should be close to one.
We must ensure every school is excellent and evolve from the debate over charter, innovation, and traditional schools. DPS should have all types of schools in its district and parents should decide what school is best for their children.
The diversity of our schools is our competitive advantage. Thus, we must have baseline standards to ensure academic excellence is occurring at each school. However, we must allow schools to have independence to best serve their student populations.
We also must ensure that DPS is an attractive option for Denverites and residents in surrounding counties. We cannot lose students in the district to outside schools.
Below are some of the ways we can help ensure great schools in your neighborhood.
High Quality Mental Health Schools Supports in Your Neighborhood
Before Covid, Colorado consistently led the nation in teen suicide rates. This abhorrent fact is getting worse as we recover from the pandemic. DPS must become a nationwide leader in the fight for our students’ mental health.
As a School Board member, I will:
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Push for a mental health plan that will be best in the nation for our students. We will exponentially increase our mental health offerings to both students and teachers.
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Commit to dramatically increasing our budget (including supporting ballot initiatives, as well as partnerships with private companies, to increase our funding for these services).
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Create policy flexibility to ensure schools leverage counseling services and have wrap around options for students.
Talented Educators in Your Neighborhood
We cannot have great schools without teachers that can live in the neighborhoods they teach in.
As a School Board member, I will:
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Lead the charge to build a coalition of business, community, and civic leaders to pass a city referendum to pay teachers a living wage in Denver. We cannot have great schools without teachers that can live in the neighborhoods they teach in.
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Work to ensure that we recruit more educators and leaders of color. And without competitive pay, they will choose other districts or professions.
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Support the building of career ladders for teacher leadership, and to experiment with flexible scheduling for teachers to be able to adapt to 21st century workforce needs.
Civic Partnerships in Your Neighborhood
Denver is at its best when our city government, school district, and private businesses are working together to help our students. We need Board leadership to get back to these partnerships.
As a School Board member, I will:
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Partner with businesses to create more paid internships for our students.
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Actively work with private corporations increase sponsorship for DPS initiatives.
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Increase the amount of Denverites volunteering in our schools.
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Work with the City of Denver to create more affordable housing for our teachers.
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Address transportation gaps that prevent students from attending their desired school.
Fair Schools in Your Neighborhood
Fairness is important to understand that we are meeting the needs of every child, ensuring we support everyone – from those who need the most help and those who are ready to graduate early.
As a school board member, I will:
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Work to ensure that gifted and talented programs are accessible to all families regardless of background.
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Build back trust with our special education parents and families, to ensure we are meeting their needs.
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Partner with community organizations to ensure we are listening to our diverse communities in Denver.
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Ensure all students regardless of race, class, sexuality, orientation, and belief are safe and thriving.
Fostering Family Partnerships
Too often we act without involving our neighborhoods and community leaders. We cannot have excellence in our schools without community participation and support.
As a School Board member, I will:
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Dramatically increase our investment in school-based family partnership services, including the national model DPS home visit program.
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Hold regular neighborhood meetings to both share and hear from across the city.
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Conduct school teacher listening sessions throughout the academic year.
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Move from “end of year” parent feedback to “ongoing” parent feedback.
SUPPORT OUR FUTURE
Your voice and donations will help now more than ever. If we’re going to start focusing on our students and take politics out of our schools, we’ll need your support. There are no contribution limits. Anything you can provide helps us so much. Thank you for your generosity and commitment to academic excellence for our students.
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