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MEET KWAME

A DENVER PUBLIC SCHOOLS SUCCESS STORY

Kwame Spearman is a proud Denver native and a Denver Public School graduate. He is running for School Board because he believes in academic excellence for our students. Moreover, Kwame will remove politics from the classroom and the district and get back to focusing on the academic needs of our students.

 

Kwame is the type of leader our Schools desperately need he is pragmatic, bold, and will always put our students and teachers first.

Denver Public Schools Educated

Kwame’s roots in Denver run deep. He was born at Rose Hospital on Denver’s east side and was raised in the Montclair neighborhood.

 

Kwame truly owes his successes to Denver Public Schools.  His mom has worked with Denver Public Schools as a Teacher, Principal, and Assistant Superintendent for over 37 years. Kwame is also a graduate of Denver Public Schools.  He attended Montclair Elementary, Smiley Middle School (now known as McAuliffe), and East High School. 

 

During Kwame’s time as a student, he received a top education, with outstanding teachers, and a diverse student body.  In particular, his time in Speech and Debate, and Constitutional Scholars at East High School were impactful on his career. 
 

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East High School,
Class of 2002

Living Away from Home

Kwame went to Columbia University for college, where he served as Class President. Kwame then attended Yale Law School and passed the New York Bar exam. Afterwards, he worked for Former United States Senator Mark Udall’s Senate campaign. Kwame would return to the east coast to enroll at Harvard Business School. Kwame worked at Bain & Company in Boston and New York City following his time at Harvard. Kwame’s successes away from Denver were buoyed by his experience with Denver Public Schools. Similarly, Kwame believes his experience outside of Colorado can help him transform Denver Public Schools for the better.

The Spearman Family

Saving the Tattered Cover

Kwame is the proud owner of the Tattered Cover, Colorado’s largest independent bookstore. He is even prouder of his work to save and restore the Tattered Cover. Kwame faced head-on the difficulties all small businesses endured during the pandemic, and due to his business acumen and leadership, the Tattered Cover survived and remains a beloved Denver institution, both a local and national landmark, welcoming everyone with open arms, inviting them to explore and as part of his commitment to education and literacy, to read. Under his leadership, the Tattered Cover has thrived; sales are stronger, and the Tattered Cover has expanded with four new locations.

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One of the biggest reasons why Kwame sought to save Tattered Cover is the role of literacy in children’s lives.  Children who can read at or above grade level by third grade have drastically better educational outcomes than those who cannot.  As a child, Kwame had such great access to books and parents who were intense readers.  As CEO of Tattered Cover, one of his key goals was to give all children the type of opportunity to access literature.  And most importantly, to learn to love to read.  

 

Kwame opened Tattered Cover’s first ever children’s bookstore in Stanley Marketplace.  The store boasts classical children’s literature, with new writers, and rich diverse topics and authors.  He also welcomed schools into the Tattered Cover to speak with students and promote access to literature.  Tattered Cover also frequently partners with Denver Public Schools through its librarians to ensure the district has curated literature for its students. 

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David Back (pictured left), Kwame Spearman (pictured middle), and Alan Frosh (pictured right)

Photo by Allison Daniell,
Stellar Propeller Studio

Kwame for Denver School Board

In short, Kwame is the person he is because of his time with Denver Public Schools. Kwame received an outstanding education from teachers who were committed to his success. With his DPS education, Kwame was able to attend Ivy League Schools, work for some of the top companies in the world, and purchase Tattered Cover. There is no bigger supporter of Denver Public Schools. And Kwame believes that every student deserves the same opportunities he had in our district.

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Every aspect of the city is affected by our school district.

Photo byYumi Matsuo

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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