When I was running for mayor of Denver, I started out with a commitment to transform city government to ensure our amazing neighborhoods were at the center of the conversation. At event after event, I found this idea of ensuring our neighborhoods were on track resonated with families across the city. Yet I was genuinely startled by how many of the people I met said education was their top issue.
Denverites told me over and over that the challenges of Denver Public Schools were spilling into every aspect of our civic life here in Denver. Whether it was safety, crime, economic mobility, or housing, Denverites told me they saw schools as the key driver to get our city on track. And why wouldn’t they? We all know a world-class education is critical to our future as a city and for every student.
Every neighborhood deserves great schools.
In all of these conversations, there was wide agreement that Denver Public Schools (DPS) has lost its way. Sadly, there’s not yet agreement on the right way to get DPS back on track – and that must change.
There is also wide agreement concerning the deleterious consequences of an underperforming school district and that the students most affected by a dysfunctional school district are largely composed of black, brown, immigrant and lower socio-economic attendees.
The recent school safety fiascos have shaken the confidence of many Denverites. They know we’ve spent too many months focusing on politics and not our children and we all know we need to refocus to ensure great schools for our students.
After exiting the race, I started getting more plugged into the education conversations happening around the city. As a graduate of Denver Public Schools’ East High School, I’ve spent time on the board of the DPS Foundation, and Colorado Education Initiative boards, learning what great systems around the country are doing.
As the CEO of Tattered Cover, I learned firsthand how important businesses depend on the quality of our school system. We need great schools to ensure the possibility of the city we know Denver can become.
I’m excited to announce that I am running for school board at large because I believe DPS must recommit to a promise of great schools in our neighborhoods.
Again, every neighborhood deserves great schools.
The standard for DPS – for our students – should be excellence, safety, and future-oriented goals. These standards go well beyond the politics we are seeing right now. Our city deserves no less. So what does it mean to ensure we have a great school in your neighborhood? Here’s what I’ve already learned from listening over these past months:
First, we need our leaders to make a promise that all neighborhoods in Denver will have great schools. We must abandon the mentality where we focus on the worst possible outcomes and try to overcome them – and instead champion that every student and school can be great; then, we close the gaps that prevent excellence from occurring.
There is compelling data to showcase that the foundation for excellence is strong. Recent research from CU Denver has shown that DPS has made historic improvements in outcomes over the last twenty years — yet we know so much more is possible, especially for our kids furthest from opportunity.
Second, school safety represents a major obstacle to great schools. It is unrealistic to expect our students and teachers to perform if they cannot feel safe in the classroom. A conversation that removes politics and focuses on what local neighborhoods need can guide needed changes to make our schools safer.
We must ensure our schools do not have guns – unequivocally. We must provide principals and families with both the option to expel students and request safety support if needed. At the same time, we must strive to better understand and monitor the relationship between law enforcement and our students of color. And lastly, we should listen to our parent advocate groups like P-SAG and Here4TheKids which are doing excellent community work.
Third, great schools must triage the needs of our urgent mental health crises and also exponentially build and expand our wrap-around services to help our students. Colorado – a nation that consistently leads in suicide rates – can focus on innovative ways to give our students the support they need. Therapy, crisis management, and other tools should be basic amenities to students – not just to those who can afford it. And we can partner with community-based organizations to ensure we have healthy meals, extracurricular activities, and internships.
Lastly, great schools in every neighborhood also provide parents with choices on where to send their children. A commitment to excellence ends the debate over neighborhood schools versus charter schools and innovation schools – and ensures all of our schools are options for thriving in Denver. Every kid and family has different needs – our schools should be able to match them. With strong leadership, we can continue to foster a family of schools for our diverse city.
Over the course of this election, I’ll continue listening because this matters. I’ll be going to neighborhoods around Denver to hear from families, students, and community leaders. This is why I’m running for school board.
Every neighborhood deserves great schools.
Kwame Spearman, the former CEO of the Tattered Cover bookstore chain, is running an at-large seat on the Denver Board of Education in November 2023.
