A Denver teacher who wants to reduce educator turnover and opposes school closures has entered the race for an at-large seat on the Denver school board.
teaches French at North High School. She is running for the school board seat currently held by Happy Haynes, who is barred by term limits from running again. The only other candidate running for the seat thus far also works at North High School. Tay Anderson is a restorative practices coordinator there, helping students to resolve conflicts.
Insofar as there are sides in Denver school board politics, DeWitt and Anderson are on the same one. Both hope to “flip the board” in the November election and change the direction of Denver Public Schools.
DeWitt touts her perspective as a teacher who has experienced firsthand the downsides of district policies, such as the conflict that arises when two schools share the same building. District employees are not allowed to serve on the board, but DeWitt is prepared to leave her job to accept the unpaid board seat. If elected, she would join three other former teachers on the seven-member board, giving those who’ve worked in a classroom a majority on the board.
“As I’ve talked to other candidates for school board, it has become evident to me that it is absolutely critical to have someone on the board who has that experience in the classroom to truly understand the problems and the solutions,” DeWitt said.
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