After failing to persuade state lawmakers to strip protections, religious and ultra-conservative activists are taking their case directly to voters.
“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.
The five-member majority that voted for the extension displayed an arrogance that made members blissfully unaware of the idiocy of their action and the transparent dishonesty of their stated rationale.
Coach Steve Finesliver: “ It does not serve the best interests of our children or our families to extend the superintendent’s contract. And I’ll go one step further and say the same for continuing his leadership (of DPS).”
Winning The Creator Award from Ednium is such an honor. Much of the work I do is for the community and to give my ancestors and spirits the platform to be seen and heard in certain spaces feels incredible. I feel proud to represent the ones who came before me and the ones who will come after me. It’s truly honoring this journey of my life.
Educators, we need to learn and learn quickly how to guide students to use social media in socially responsive, yet innovative ways. I know this is another job on our plate. I know that we can’t solve all of society’s ills. I also know that we can’t standby.
After failing to persuade state lawmakers to strip protections, religious and ultra-conservative activists are taking their case directly to voters.
Denver voters have approved mill levy overrides before. DPS collected $369.6 million last year from seven voter-approved overrides dating to 1988. That history is exactly why voters deserve specifics. A district that has been trusted this many times should be able to say what the next dollars will do.
Three eventful years into his tenure on the Denver Public Schools Board of Education, board member John Youngquist discusses where the board’s focus should be as it emerges (we hope) from a period of tumult, in-fighting and dysfunction.
A rural school outside of Lamar converted to a charter almost 30 years ago. Alta Vista’s conversion history may be bordering on ancient, but it now holds potential relevance for communities across Colorado.
We asked Denver Classroom Teachers Association President Rob Gould, and Vernon Jones, a community advocate and executive director of FaithBridge, onto the show to discuss the mill levy, reasons voters should approve it, and to answer some questions about why maybe some voters should be skeptical that it’s a good idea. We also discussed board and district leadership and whether there need to be changes.
It is time for the board to call for new leadership of the body. A new officer election would give members an opportunity to reconsider that leadership and publicly articulate the expectations they have of those serving as president, vice president, and other offices.
Recently, I’ve heard people question whether Denver should make another investment in our schools because of the disagreements and challenges happening among adults in the district. As a student, that is hard for me to understand. Whatever concerns adults have about leadership, governance, or accountability, taking investment away from students because of adult behavior feels like punishing us for decisions we did not make.
The Denver school board on Thursday, October 8, censured Director Monica Hunter for allegedly making anti-Semitic statements about a fellow board member. The censure followed a quick investigation by an outside party, and while the findings of the investigation were inconclusive, the board decided on a 4-2 vote that there was enough evidence to merit the censure. Potential conflicts of interest with Hunter’s employment also contributed to the decision to censure her. In this episode, co-hosts Alexis Menocal Harrigan and Alan Gottlieb discuss the fallout.
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.
Boardhawk podcast episode 11: Brandon Pryor speaks hard truths about Denver Public Schools
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.”