On December 8, health care provider Kaiser Permanente sent a letter to the roughly 3,400 Denver Public Schools employees who receive its services informing then that DPS was dropping Kaiser as a provider. Our guest today is Rob Gould, president of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association. We delve deeply into this issue with Gould, whose members stand to bear the brunt of the possible consequences.
Commentary
I’m sure it’s tough being any one of the three Denver school board incumbents right now, staring defeat in the face as they are. But that doesn’t excuse the desperate, dishonest drivel put out in a statement this week by candidate Scott Esserman, trying to tie four candidates to Donald Trump’s Project 2025.
In this latest episode of the BoardHawk podcast, co-hosts Alan Gottlieb and Alexis Menocal Harrigan discuss the state of the four races for Denver Public Schools board seats.
The SHIFT Chronicles is a monthly feature dedicated to amplifying student voices, where those most impacted by the public education system share their thoughts, reflections, and experiences. In collaboration with FaithBridge SHIFT fellows, these commentaries offer a genuine glimpse into the challenges students are facing within our city’s schools. These students represent a diverse range of schools across the city, each with distinct cultures and expectations, yet all united under the DPS banner. A special thank you to all the student writers who contributed their entries. This month’s entries focus on student views of the appropriate role of the Denver school board.
In this episode, Transform Education (TEN) Now Executive Director Nicholas Hernández discusses with hosts Alexis Menocal Harrigan and Alan Gottlieb the records of Denver school board candidates (and incumbents) Xóchitl Gaytán, Michelle Quattlebaum, and Scott Esserman. These three incumbents are running for reelection. We would have preferred to interview them, as we have most other candidates. They have served during one of the more tumultuous times in Denver Public Schools board history. They have been in the middle of multiple controversies, and they have a lot of explaining to do. But all three refused to come on the podcast, or to attend TEN community forums. So we examine their records without their participation.
I might not agree with the change you seek. But I do agree that you should be allowed to safely seek it. We aren’t there anymore.Â
The Denver school board majority’s newly revealed effort to hide deliberations about the superintendents contract extension could be about to backfire. It should.
In this episode of the Boardhawk podcast, hosts Alexis Menocal Harrigan and Alan Gottlieb have an in-depth discussion on 2025 state test score results for Denver with educational consult and data expert Maya Lagana. While there are some sings of post-pandemic improvement, the data show that low-income students of color in Denver Public Schools continue to struggle academically, and achievement gaps have widened substantially since CMAS’ first year, 2017.
From Boardhawk columnist Dr. Aaron Massey: Here are a few things that are truly happening in education that are impacting its current state of affairs.
I have decided to not participate in this year’s school board election, having followed and/or been involved in some way in more than a dozen such elections over the last 20 years. I will not contribute money to any campaigns, do any fundraising or any other work on any school board races. Instead, I want to do more observation, learning, and reflection as a grizzled old public education advocate.
Daily Round-Up
Among today’s headlines:
Rico Munn Named Sole Finalist for CSU System Chancellor
Cherry Creek Assistant Superintendent Tony Poole Announces Retirement
Investigation: Local Police Aid ICE by Tapping School Cameras
The two candidates who showed up for Black students
Last week, the local alumna chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority and the Epitome of Black Excellence and Leadership hosted two forums for school-board candidates running at-large in Denver and in its northeast and central regions. Only two of the 10 eligible candidates showed up: Scott Esserman and Michelle Quattlebaum, incumbents with actual track records to dissect (and dissected, they were.).