instead of just learning about their theoretical stances that they squeezed into whatever political box was closest to them , there are additional questions that we should be asking candidates to better understand how school board candidates plan on being productive in the seat.
At a time when the country is run by a president and administration who are demonstrably racist, savaging people on racial grounds with whom you have minor differences is self-destructive in the extreme.
“Reform” vs. “Pro-public Education.” This is a false binary. All school board candidates across the country know that what students need is not as simple as these two categories; yet leading with your values is subjugated by a system that only pretends to have choice.
Van Schoales has been active in Colorado and Denver public education for 30 years, as a teacher, charter school founder and leader, advocacy organization executive, and as an influential voice locally and nationally in education change efforts. Because he has historical perspective on Denver Public Schools, we invited Schoales on the podcast to discuss, among other topics, DPS Supt. Alex Marrero’s new “School Transformation Process,” unveiled earlier this month during a board meeting, as well as other current DPS issues.
Brandon Pryor: “ Marginalized, oppressed people do not have to be nice to you. Marginalized oppressed people do not have to explain how we feel about how we’re being oppressed.”
“Many students are struggling with mental health issues and violence results from that. The city should be partnering with the district and community to address the mental health crisis, which increases during out-of-school times.”
Beyond the emotional support, Haile’s mentorship has had a direct impact on my classroom. The engagement in my class and our routines fundamentally improved because of her guidance. My students benefit daily from the lessons she passed on to me. Her influence reaches beyond her own classroom and into mine, proof of how a single educator can shape a whole school.
An angry letter written by Denver Public Schools Superintendent Alex Marrero to board President Carrie Olson April 22 accuses board member Joun Youngquist, a veteran educator, of seven serious violations of district protocols and procedures. The jarring letter, which seems motivated more by personal animus than facts, has caused a big stir in Denver education circles.
Youngquist spoke Tuesday with Boardhawk Editor Alan Gottlieb and columnist Alexis Menocal Harrigan about the allegations, his reaction to them, and how he and DPS carry on from here.
There’s no other way to describe the tone of Marrero’s letter than paranoid in the extreme. That board members had it in their possession for more than a week before voting to extend Marrero’s contract and yet voted to give this man an extra two years on the job provides yet further evidence that this board is breaching public trust egregiously.
Listen here to Alexis Menocal Harrigan and Alan Gottlieb discuss the contract extension the Denver school board granted Superintendent Alex Marrero Thursday, May 1.
Maybe it is time for all of us to say NO to the board’s request for a $44 million mill levy tax increase. I am torn. Denver’s teachers need to be paid more. But I do not see how Denver will ever do better by most of its students without a clear plan, transparency, honest discussion of progress, and real accountability for student success — none of which this board has offered.
News broke midday Thursday that DJ Torres, who has served on the Denver Public Schools Board of Education, had resigned, effective immediately. So what happens now? And how will this affect the problematic board dynamics? We invited to the podcast to discuss this Parker Baxter, Scholar in Residence and Director of the Center for Education Policy Analysis at the School of Pubic Affairs at the University of Colorado Denver. Baxter is also a lawyer, and spent 20 years working on education policy, including a stint in the central office of Denver Public Schools during the Tom Boasberg era.
Alleged antisemitic statements by Denver school board member Monica Hunter aimed at her colleague Amy Klein Molk are problematic. Equally troubling, however, is why the superintendent and board president sat on them for nine months until it became politically expedient to release them. In this episode, co-hosts Alexis Menocal Harrigan and Alan Gottlieb discuss whether board relationships and trust in board President Xóchitl Gaytán and Superintendent Alex Marrero are irreparably damaged, and if so, what should happen as a result.
This is High Rockies Community School, a K-8 public charter school located at Sacramento Creek Ranch outside Fairplay. The four-day-a-week school is most notable for holding almost all of its instruction outdoors.
The Denver school board on Thursday, Sept. 17 voted unanimously to launch an investigation into allegations that board Director Monica Hunter made anti-semitic comments about fellow board member Amy Klein Molk, who is Jewish. In this episode, co-hosts Alexis Menocal Harrigan and Alan Gottlieb discuss the meeting’s bizarre twists and turns, and impacts on Denver Public Schools students, with Nicholas Hernández, executive director of the advocacy group Transform Education Now.
At the September 17 Denver Public Schools Board of Education public comment session, 14 people addressed the board and community about allegations leveled against two board members by the board President Xóchitl Gaytán, with an assist from Superintendent Alex Marrero. Two comments stood out, so we are publishing them here.
In its 2024–25 State of Charter Schools Report, the Colorado Department of Education concluded that charter schools had lower chronic absenteeism rates than non-charter schools in each of the previous three years.
In this episode, cohosts Alexis Menocal Harrigan and Alan Gottlieb discuss the latest Denver school board imbroglio, including potentially serious allegations, and its implications for Colorado’s largest school district.
Last week, Boardhawk published a detailed analysis of Denver Public Schools’ 2026 state test score (CMAS) data, as well as an evaluation of the state school performance framework rating of DPS. We invited the author of the piece, Cody Ostenson, on the podcast to discuss the findings.
Students across rural Colorado have been back in school for a few weeks now. In far too many of their classrooms, they were greeted by a brand-new teacher. In some, they’ll find a rotating substitute, a class merged into one down the hall, or simply no permanent teacher at all, because the position was never filled. While not a perfect proxy for teacher effectiveness, the data that is available on turnover, vacancies, and certifications are the best available proxies we have in Colorado.
Should Denver voters say no to DPS mill levy?
Maybe it is time for all of us to say NO to the board’s request for a $44 million mill levy tax increase. I am torn. Denver’s teachers need to be paid more. But I do not see how Denver will ever do better by most of its students without a clear plan, transparency, honest discussion of progress, and real accountability for student success — none of which this board has offered.