Is Denver’s school board dysfunctional? Give me a break. How about disgraceful? Disgusting?
On August 15, The Denver Post’s Jessica Seaman covered the “infighting” among the board members of Denver Public Schools. Every word in Seaman’s report exposed the childish, immature, self-absorbed, self-righteous behavior of a bunch of narcissists who clearly have no interest in what should be their highest, if not only, priority — delivering quality education to the kids trapped in DPS schools.
But not one word, not a single syllable, in the board of education meeting, was uttered about the tragedy, the human disaster of DPS’s pathetic academic failures. How can anyone who cares about the fate of our children’s futures stand by and allow them to remain in such irresponsible hands?
Not a syllable was uttered by even one of these union-saluting toadies about their failure to do their only job – educate all students.
According to the Colorado Department of Education, DPS was ranked 119 out of Colorado’s 178 school districts using the state’s school performance metric. Less than half of DPS’s students can read, write, add, and subtract at grade level, yet all the board members choose to talk about is the so-called black/brown divide. Maybe they are focused in on the so-called divide because that is all they are comfortable addressing. Clearly, they are not up to the task of actually improving academic performance.
In 2019, before Covid, 70%, yes, 7 out of 10, black and brown 3rd to 6th graders failed to read, write, add, and subtract at grade level. And the longer they remain in DPS, the worse their performance. But rather than focus on doing something about that failure, which borders on child abuse, DPS board members choose to play the race card against each other.
Not a word was uttered from anyone about what all this portends for those poor kids’ futures – and ours. We are witnessing a race to the bottom – and these school board members fight among themselves about themselves, not remotely concerned about the fact that their churlishness means that DPS will continue failing to prepare kids for productive, fulfilling lives, condemning them to lives short on hope.
While the board members continue to fight their private civil war, in this case between black and brown, they are not paying any price, except the embarrassment of articles like Seaman’s.
No, the metaphorical blood being spilled is that of young people of all types whose futures are being severely limited and short-changed by this board’s petty self-indulgence.
While the board focuses on the black/brown divide, whatever that means, who is focusing on the failure/success divide and the ignorance/well-educated divide? Where is the community outrage, demanding that board members retire their rhetoric and spend their time and our tax dollars eliminating the “no bright future divide?”
When will stakeholders – parents, businesspeople, community activists, spiritual leaders, politicians, and just average taxpayers subsidizing this decades-long failure of DPS to properly educate its students – hold this board and this district accountable?
It is time to elevate expectations. It is time to demand better results. If they are not forthcoming, then all parents, be they Black, brown, white, or whatever, should demand their money back so they can then shop for the education they think is best for their kids.
No more excuses. No more explanations. No more empty rhetoric. No more ignoring parents’ concerns about classroom priorities. No more small ball. And certainly, no more money – that is, until DPS finally puts the interest of educating its children ahead of all else and actually improves academic results.
Playtime should be over — it is time for adults to step up.
Steve Schuck is a real estate developer, civic leader and school choice activist based in Colorado Springs.
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