Several recent opinion pieces have made reference to my views on education, distilling a very complex issue down to a simple question of whether the questions I have raised about reforms underway at DPS are a sign that I am opposed to reforming our schools.
To be very clear, I am in favor of reforming DPS schools, including in Far Northeast Denver and believe we need to accelerate the pace of change. However, I believe that the plan in Far Northeast now is far superior than when the DPS Board vote was taken.
My opponent has suggested that I have had different answers to the question of supporting the plan in Far Northeast Denver. My answers have been consistent to three different questions asked:
1) Yes, I support efforts to improve and turnaround schools in Far Northeast, including restructuring Montbello.
2) No, I would not have voted for the plan approved by the DPS Board given the critical elements that were not in place such as who would lead the schools and other items I discuss below.
3 Yes, I am supportive of the efforts now underway in Far Northeast which have developed significantly since the time school board members were asked to vote on its passage last year.
In the future, I strongly urge DPS to ensure three elements are included in any reform before a vote is taken:
1) School principals are known
2) New schools to replace old schools are clearly defined
3) The community outreach process continues to improve
Yesterday, I had a conversation with DPS Superintendent, Tom Boasberg. In that conversation I assured him that I favor school reform. He remarked that I am in a unique position to help implement lasting reforms given my community orientation and the channels of communication that I have open to many parties on both sides of this debate. I agree. I believe that as Mayor, I can help to bring diverse communities together to solidify lasting changes. There is no question that the community outreach efforts put forth and the reform planning in Far Northeast were a major improvement over the plan implemented at Manual High just a few years ago and were the most comprehensive undertaken by DPS to date. I intend to use my role as Mayor to support that direction.
It is a sad reflection on the state of political discourse that the debate about how to improve our schools has become so defined by “which side” somebody is on as though there are only two sides and you must align with one or the other and valuing any idea from one makes you an opponent of the other. Too many people on both sides have drawn deep lines in the sand, pitted communities against one another and made unwavering support of their organization, not improving our schools, a litmus test for serving as Denver’s next Mayor. My plan is to bring these communities together because I believe it will take the whole community to truly reform our educational system.
Everyone can agree that our schools are in need of change, improvement and reform. For too many students, the current system is not working and the changes needed in DPS are not happening at the pace necessary to prevent our children from falling further behind. I reject the notion that if you question the specifics of how reform is being implemented that you are “anti-reform,” and equally, reject the suggestion that if you say reform is needed, that charter schools have an important role to play in the future of our schools, that you are anti-teacher or anti-neighborhood schools. This is in fact exactly the problem plaguing the debate about the future of our schools and reform in DPS – that constructive conversation has lost the battle to the politics behind the discussion and an objective view of what is best for our children too clouded by the political desire to align with one group or another who will wield their organizational or financial power to further a too often, self-serving agenda.
Charter schools and non-union teachers are neither the panacea and answer to all of our woes, nor are they the enemy. Neighborhood schools and union teachers are not the only model or choice that should be available, nor are they the root of all of our problems in education. When I was on the DPS Board, the teachers” union was at the table, helping to craft ProComp, a pay for performance plan now in place at DPS that is a national model for such plans. As we implement the accountability requirements in SB-191, we must not allow teachers to be made scape-goats and the DPS administration must also be held accountable for providing teachers the resources they need – in the classroom and for their professional growth and development.
I am pleased that the restructuring at Montbello does include quality, proven schools like the Denver Center for International Studies (DCIS). My critique of the process should not be confused with opposition to reform in general or as criticism of any one school or proposed leader nor as opposition to any one school now going into place at Montbello. My concerns are rooted in the process which I believe has room for improvement in its outreach efforts, the tone of the dialog involved and the time it takes to bring about the needed changes. In many cases, the process needs to be faster, and in all cases, the community must be better engaged.
Today we stand at a crossroads for public education in Denver and though the Mayor does not control Denver Public Schools, the next Mayor should and will play a pivotal role in the future of our education system. If elected Mayor, I believe my role is not to blindly support a movement or a union, nor is it to stand unconditionally with any person, organization or agenda, unwilling to point out where they have fallen short or can do better. Quite the contrary, my role is to demand that they all tone down the rhetoric, wipe away the lines in the sand they have drawn and once again sit down at the table together to put our children first and build a world-class education system.
To become a truly great city, Denver must have a world-class education system. Our public schools must prepare students to enter college or pursue other career paths, no matter the path they choose or what neighborhood their family calls home. In order to attract new businesses and employers to Denver, we must have high quality schools that provide a highly educated workforce and a school system that instills confidence in families with children who will grow-up attending our public schools.
If you believe, as I do, that there are worthy ideas on all sides of the education debate, that everybody who is committed to improving Denver Public Schools and who is willing to engage in a civil if robust debate about our schools” future, should have a seat at the table and that we must put our children, not any organization’s agenda first, then I hope to earn your support and to work together to build a world class education system.
James Mejia is a candidate for Denver mayor. He is the founding CEO of the Denver Preschool Program and was a member of the Denver Board of Education from 1999 to 2003.
