A longtime Denver General public Faculties volunteer and advocate and the mom of two DPS graduates is operating to stand for northwest Denver on the faculty board.
Marlene De La Rosa began serving on university committees when her twins, who are now 29, ended up in preschool. Her advocacy ongoing during their college vocation, from Denison Montessori elementary university to North and East significant universities. She also served on several district and citywide committees, advocating for Latino mom and dad and students when working entire time as an immigration courtroom expert with the U.S. Division of Justice.
De La Rosa, 58, said her the latest retirement and a lifelong enthusiasm for training determined her to run for university board. She will obstacle incumbent Charmaine Lindsay and prospect Adam Slutzker for a seat representing District 5, which encompasses northwest Denver.
“I am a general public servant and have been all my lifetime,” De La Rosa instructed Chalkbeat. “Leadership is a lifelong journey, and that’s the way I imagine continuing on this route to provide my neighborhood.”
A few of the 7 Denver school board seats are up for grabs Nov. 7. The election has the probable to change the dynamics of the board, which has been criticized for infighting. Also at stake is how the board will offer with pressing troubles this kind of as declining enrollment and college student safety.
De La Rosa reported her prime priorities contain higher shell out for academics, diversifying the trainer workforce, and closing check rating gaps among college students of shade and white learners.
Declining enrollment and the probability of college closures is a urgent matter in northwest Denver, exactly where De La Rosa reported her relatives has lived for four generations. The location has been strike difficult by gentrification, which has pushed out households and driven down student counts.
De La Rosa reported she understands how less students usually means considerably less for every-pupil funding, which normally sales opportunities smaller educational facilities to slash applications or staff members. But she claimed DPS’ modern college closure decisions transpired as well immediately, and the group justifies much more time to fully grasp the issues and prepare for their kids to switch colleges.
Practically a decade ago, De La Rosa reported she was employed by DPS to aid a neighborhood process that ended with the placement of Denver Montessori Junior/Senior Substantial in a vacant elementary creating. Some mom and dad required the developing to keep on being an elementary school, but De La Rosa claimed sharing Census data and demographic projections served alter their minds.
On university security, De La Rosa mentioned the district requirements to keep an eye on the outcomes of the board’s latest final decision to return law enforcement officers to DPS campuses in the wake of a capturing inside of East Substantial. Her son had a favourable knowledge with a faculty useful resource officer in higher faculty, but De La Rosa explained the board requires to make sure which is the situation districtwide by tracking the selection of tickets SROs are issuing to students and for what offenses.
“They have a system in location, and we ought to keep on to keep an eye on what is likely on with that plan,” De La Rosa claimed. “Is that meeting the desires of just about every unique college neighborhood? Are those faculty leaders pleased with that plan? Do they think that’s sufficient?”
De La Rosa has been endorsed by Denver Households Action, the political arm of the group Denver People for Community Educational facilities. Denver People introduced in 2021 with the backing of three regional constitution faculty networks and will get funding from The Metropolis Fund, a nationwide group that supports constitution faculties and university reform.
Profitable Denver university board candidates are frequently backed by reform corporations or the Denver academics union. Both equally expend hundreds of countless numbers of bucks on mailers and canvassing, producing it hard for candidates with no endorsements to contend.
Questioned her views on charter schools, De La Rosa reported, “I really don’t abide by any specific ideology other than, ‘How do we provide the best we can for every child?’”
De La Rosa stated she supports faculty selection and made use of it for her very own kids, which includes enrolling her daughter at East High. But she also reported that the selection system is not excellent.
“You have to assess as the mother or father: What’s the most effective for my individual child’s requires?” she reported.
Equally of De La Rosa’s little ones were competitive athletes, which influenced the substantial faculties they chose, she reported. De La Rosa served as a parent representative on the collaborative faculty committee at East Significant, advising faculty leaders on how to shut educational gaps among students of colour and white learners, she said.
She also ran a scholar athlete management method at North Substantial that aimed to increase students’ grades and self-esteem. 1 yr, she reported she acquired a grant to just take five university student athletes to a national social justice meeting in Washington, D.C., exactly where they shook hands with former President Barack Obama.
When Democratic U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet was superintendent of DPS from 2005 to 2009, De La Rosa served on a districtwide father or mother empowerment council that informed mother and father about all the things from check scores at their children’s educational institutions to how to strategy healthful meals for their people.
De La Rosa at this time serves as a mayoral appointee to the Denver Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and the Denver Latino Fee. She is also a founder of LatinasGive!, a circle of females who give tiny grants to corporations that provide the Latino neighborhood.
“I give my revenue, I give my time, I give my knowledge, I give my adore,” De La Rosa said. “Passion is mostly what I have presented about all these a long time to support the community.”
Melanie Asmar is a senior reporter for Chalkbeat Colorado, covering Denver Public Faculties. Call Melanie at [email protected].
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