Two of the leading Denver mayoral candidates sparred over education reform Wednesday night, and the rhetoric was heated at times.
We think mayoral candidate Chris Romer was right to go after the education positions of opponent James Mejia, who seems to be waffling when it comes to reform policies in Denver Public Schools.
The core question is this: Does Mejia, a former school board member, support the plan that DPS administrators presented to turn around troubled schools in Northeast Denver?
When he visited with The Post, seeking the newspaper’s endorsement, Mejia told us he would have voted against the plan had he been on the board at the time it was presented.
His concern centered on what he said was not enough community involvement in creating the plan.
We disagree with Mejia on that point. DPS conducted a broad-based effort to create the plan, including a diverse committee, many public meetings and voluminous information available on the Internet.
As it so happens, that lack-of-inclusion argument is one that is echoed by those who seek to seriously undermine the reform efforts being undertaken by DPS and Superintendent Tom Boasberg. The plan has become something of a litmus test for support of the district’s reform efforts.
On Wednesday, Mejia said he supports the plan “as it has developed.” And he took a shot at Romer for calling him on the differing answers, saying Romer must be worried about Mejia surging in the polls.
Polls aside, we think Romer has a valid point. Mejia’s positions on education reform have been unclear.
Why does it matter?
We think Denver’s next mayor must be a strong partner for education reform. While the mayor has no direct control over education policy, the position carries no small amount of political clout. That will become particularly important this fall when there are important school board elections that could change the balance of power on the board.
And a thriving and successful school system helps create a thriving city and economy.
Recently, Mejia got the endorsement of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association, the teachers union, which has opposed many of the district reforms.The union certainly is no fan of the Northeast Denver turnaround plan — even “as it has developed.”
We think the plan puts excellent schools into the Montbello and Green Valley Ranch areas, including some tried and true charters, and it makes over some of the traditional schools there. It also will require many of the 400 teachers who work in the affected schools to reapply for their jobs.
The plan has been controversial with teachers, as you might imagine, but let’s look at what the parental response has been.
Recently, DPS reported that 92 percent of sixth- and ninth-graders who live in the city’s far Northeast area — the families of some 1,500 kids — requested one of the many new options in that area for the 2011-12 school year.
Previously, 43 percent of high school students who lived in that area got on a bus or otherwise traveled to attend school in another part of the city. (Check out mayoral candidate Michael Hancock’s ads. He drives his son out of the area and across town for school.)
Parents and students are enthused about the new choices. This is an area that has desperately needed an overhaul that gives children a neighborhood option for a top-notch education.
Mejia needs to put aside semantics and make clear whether he supports the reform agenda of the current DPS administration.
It’s an important distinction that may very well make a difference in what is shaping up to be a close election.
