Commentary

DPS must tell parents and community what is happening. They deserve the truth. And if the district can’t come up with a plan for how to better meet the needs of 58,000 Denver students, others in Denver need to step up. 

Free speech can be hard to hear at times, particularly when blistering language is aimed at you. But if you’re in a public-facing position, sometimes you just have to take it.

This is exactly the kind of school Adams 14 needs. How is it possible the school board and the staff don’t understand this? Again, it raises the question in our minds: Are you wanting what is best for students? Or are you more interested in maintaining control?

The school board has sought no community input on Superintendent Alex Marrero's performance, and it will be another year before the board is supposed to take a serious, data-driven look at his performance. That is just weeks before the next school board election.

I have not had a single parent, student, or taxpayer tell me that trademarking this name and stealing it from these young ladies is the right decision.

In threatening to sue four of its former students and an ex-principal over an alleged trademark violation for a racial justice-themed podcast the students created, DPS is violating its own professed principles and making itself look like a big, bad bully. 

Last Friday’s letter to the community from Denver Public Schools Superintendent Marrero was a remarkable exemplar of what has become the norm these days for politicians of all stripes. Undermine data, ignore reality, and create a new narrative.

Alan Gottlieb’s recent commentary in Boardhawk criticizes Denver for asking the DAC to stop summarizing reviews with a decision to accept or deny charter school applications. Denver’s action is reasonable, is part of a larger effort by the district to solicit community input regarding chartering decisions, and aligns with many strong authorizers in the state.

Denver Public Schools appears poised to marginalize the state-mandated District Accountability Committee. It is the latest example of using Policy Governance to drive agendas and limit public scrutiny and accountability. It’s just the latest example of the district and board’s move away from transparency and public accountability.

Denver Public Schools' new strategic roadmap seems content with improving student progress and addressing student needs at a leisurely pace.    

Simply put: adolescents are experiencing an internal war perpetuated by technology.

Based on state test scores released last week, many DPS students are in academic crisis, and some board members are ignoring that and opting to indulge in Trumpian grievance-fests instead of doing their duty.

Offer no excuses, because this is not about blame.

Frankly, we don’t have time for the continuing adult drama and the “as the school board turns” reality show. If individuals can’t get it together, individuals don’t need to be on our school board, impacting the current and future realities for children, families and staff.

The DPS board got back to work with a retreat Monday, and quickly got up to its old, bad tricks as well, violating the spirit if not the letter of Colorado’s open meeting law.