This is a critical year for Denver Public Schools.
The district has been reeling from faltering test scores, an enrollment drop and financial difficulties. Yet DPS has a solid reform effort in place in The Denver Plan, unveiled in late 2005. It’s crucial to continue that work.
That’s why we’re urging Denver voters to re-elect Denver School Board incumbents Theresa Peña and Bruce Hoyt. Both are highly knowledgeable and dedicated. They’re on board with the reforms already underway and deserve to be re-elected.
District 5
In District 5, an open seat, we recommend Arturo Jimenez. This race is loaded with four candidates who are passionate about education and grounded in the Northwest Denver community. All of them – Jimenez, Tony Curcio, Raymond Gutierrez and Jose Silva – bring something to the table and ought to be commended for seeking the seat, an upaid and often thankless job.
But Jimenez stands out by virtue of his background and experience. He is a North Denver native from rough beginnings. He was raised by a single mother while his father was in prison. Yet he managed not only to get an undergraduate degree from University of Colorado, he went to CU’s law school and became a lawyer. He specializes in immigration and does a significant amount of pro bono work.
He also is president of the Colorado Statewide Parent Coalition, which he has been associated with since 1992. Through that organization, Jimenez, who is fluent in Spanish, has worked to get parents, particularly Latino parents, involved in their children’s schools.
He is familiar with and supports the details of The Denver Plan. Jimenez also supports the district’s school closure plan, a thoughtful and targeted way of shutting down underused and troubled schools.
While we think it’s important that school board members broadly support the good reform work that is in place, we’re still counting on them to look critically at every proposal that comes before them and offer constructive criticism.
District 1
Hoyt, the incumbent in District 1, comes with a serious financial background that is important to the board in evaluating the complexities of the district’s $721 million general fund budget.
He is a managing director with McDonald Investments and specializes in mergers and acquisition work. Along with having been a school board member since 2003, he has a long resume of civic involvement. He was a founder of Friends of Manual High School, a non-profit support group.
At-large seat
Peña, who is seeking re-election to her at-large seat, has brought professionalism to the board and a depth of knowledge in finances. She was audit director for U.S. West Communications and is a small business consultant.
Denver Public Schools has an ambitious and earnest leader in superintendent Michael Bennet. He is moving forward with comprehensive efforts to take on some incredibly difficult problems.
We think Peña, Hoyt and Jimenez are the school board candidates best qualified to keep that reform effort on track.
