Michael Bennet already had his sleeves rolled up at 9 a.m. Thursday as he made his first school appearance since being chosen as Denver Public Schools’ new superintendent.
Bennet spoke to teachers at Smedley Elementary School in north Denver to congratulate them on improved reading scores and to let them know he cares about their quality of life.
“Let’s imagine the conditions we need to succeed,” Bennet said. “Your success is something I am going to carry around the district. We are going to be positioned for tremendous success.”
The school’s third-grade reading scores increased this year by nearly 200 percent from last year. Half of the school’s students speak Spanish as their first language.
Teacher Jim Miller said the school’s success can be attributed to overcoming a language barrier in recent years.
Teacher Richard Lloyd asked Bennet if he had plans to try to improve teacher morale.
Bennet answered by saying the district cannot succeed if it doesn’t pay attention to teachers’ quality of life.
“It doesn’t do us any good when we are stirring the pot at 900 Grant St. (DPS headquarters) and people in the field are not happy. We need to take seriously if teachers feel unappreciated,” he said.
Bennet also discussed the district’s need to increase its revenue by building its student population and battling transfers.
“There is a lot of places in the district where your kids can get a positive experience,” he said.
Teachers were in school Thursday for a staff work day.
Physical education teacher Karsten Roell said it sounded like Bennet was interested in what teachers had to say.
“It’s amazing that he spoke with us,” said art teacher Tiana Trost. “He seems down-to- earth and was asking questions.”
Staff writer Christopher Ortiz can be reached at 303-820-1201 or cortiz@denverpost.com.
