Tag: Denver schools

‘They are overwhelmed:’ Denver Health expands school-based centers as student mental health needs rise

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DENVER — Mental health professionals within Denver Public Schools say they’re seeing more students in crisis and at younger ages than ever before.

Because of this, Denver Health is expanding its school-based health centers within the district to meet the growing need.

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Denver7’s Sophia Villalba speaks with DPS Director of Mental Health & Student Well-Being Meredith Fatseas.

“Our school social workers and school psychologists are mental health providers in our schools. They are overwhelmed,” said Meredith Fatseas, DPS director of mental health & student well-being.

From anxiety and depression to behavioral outbursts and school avoidance, mental health needs among DPS students are rising.

“More recently, we have really seen an increase in the need across all of our student population, but also the severity and acuity, particularly for our younger kids,” said Fatseas.

DPS says the increase is not just the number of students seeking help, but in how serious their needs have become.

We universally screen all of our students for behavioral and social-emotional needs, and we’ve seen an increase not only in need, but also in severity or acuity of need,” said Fatseas.

In 19 schools across the district, Denver Health operates school-based health centers that provide both physical and behavioral healthcare to students.

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Denver7’s Sophia Villalba speaks with Denver Health Director of School Based Integrated Behavioral Health Services Danielle Vice.

“Currently, we’re serving students who are the most acute and have the most chronic mental health issues,” said Danielle Vice, Denver Health director of school-based integrated behavioral health services. “We’re really looking at shifting our model a little bit so that we’re going to have a tiered level of care.”

That new tiered model will expand services, meeting students before they experience a crisis, while still serving those who need it most.

“Our expansion will look like providing more care in our clinics to students with mild behavioral health issues, all the way up through students who may need more of that crisis care,” said Vice.

Denver Health says last year its Therapeutic Response and Urgent Stabilization Team saw more than 500 visits, with referrals for kids as young as 7, a dramatic increase.

“The reason is multi-factorial. It’s really hard to say exactly what the cause would be. We know social media plays a part in that. We know there are academic pressures as well,” said Vice.

DPS says offering care inside of schools removes barriers, and the numbers show.

“Almost 90% of students receiving treatment see an improvement in attendance, but we also see safety needs decrease and other behavioral health support changes that are positive for our young people,” said Fatseas.

Any DPS student can access the school-based health centers for free, even if it’s not at the school they currently attend.

Denver Public Schools and Denver Health say they are currently in the planning phase of adding another school-based health center, with the hopes of opening it for the 2027-2028 school year.

‘They are overwhelmed:’ Denver Health expands school-based centers as student mental health needs rise

Denver7 | Your Voice: Get in touch with Sophia Villalba

Denver7’s Sophia Villalba covers stories that have an impact in all of Colorado’s communities, but specializes in covering education. If you’d like to get in touch with Sophia, fill out the form below to send her an email.

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February 15, 2026
Study links Amazon’s algorithmic pricing with erratic, inflated costs for school districts
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When it comes to convenience, it’s hard to beat Amazon. And that rationale isn’t limited to consumers: Many local districts shopping for supplies with public funds apply the same logic. But the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) published a study earlier this month (via The American Prospect) that illustrates the cost of that bargain. It suggests that Amazon’s “dynamic pricing” has led many schools and other localities to overpay for supplies.

Public schools and local governments have historically bought supplies by soliciting competitive bids from local suppliers. Those vendors then respond with fixed price lists, delivery timelines and other terms. This competition — all out in the open, part of the public record — encourages low prices and transparency.

On the surface, ordering from Amazon appears to offer competition, too. After all, the platform includes third-party vendors fighting for your dollars. But turning taxpayer funds over to Amazon’s algorithms isn’t quite that simple. That’s because the platform’s “dynamic pricing” (algorithmically driven real-time changes) is inherently opaque.

According to the report, Amazon’s contracts with public entities don’t include fixed price lists. Instead, they include language built around swings. “This contract has a dynamic pricing structure in which the price for items listed on the online digital marketplace is driven by the market,” Amazon’s contract with Utah reads. “This contract will not need to be amended when prices fluctuate.”

Below are some examples of wild price discrepancies for these districts. All of ILSR’s examples are from localities buying supplies from Amazon Business with public funds in 2023.
- A City of Boulder, CO employee ordered a 12-pack of Sharpie markers from Amazon Business for $8.99. On the same day, a Denver Public Schools worker ordered the same markers for $28.63.
- Amazon charged Clark County, WA, $146,000 for 610 computer monitors. On another day, that same order would have cost $24,000 less.
- Pittsburgh Schools bought two cases of Kleenex for $57.99 each. On the same day, Denver Schools paid $36.91 for a single case.
- On a single August day, Denver Schools placed two separate orders for bulk cases of dry-erase markers. One cost $114.52. The other was $149.07.
- In March 2023, Denver Schools paid $15.39 for a Swingline stapler (sold by Amazon). A few days later, the same school system paid $61.87 for the same product (sold by a third-party seller).
Even in that last example, ILSR says Amazon’s algorithms are the culprit. “It might be tempting to blame the seller for putting a $62 price tag on a stapler or the employee for not noticing the cost,” the nonprofit argues. “But that overlooks Amazon’s pivotal role in the transaction — and the profit it makes. Amazon’s algorithms steer shoppers’ attention, selecting featured products and organizing search results. The platform routinely prompts users to ‘buy it again,’ even when the price has jumped. For busy public school employees, it’s all too easy to simply click the buy button, under the assumption that Amazon is surfacing the best option.”

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy (Noah Berger via Getty Images)

One portion of the study looked at repeat orders for 2,500 “high-frequency items.” (These included Amazon-brand copy paper, Elmer’s glue, BIC pens, Lysol cleaning wipes and Crayola crayons.) In total, the jurisdictions in the study spent $3 million on those items. But based on the lowest prices Amazon charged during that period, they would have paid only $2.5 million. Across those same items, one school district could have saved 17 percent (about $1 million) if it consistently received Amazon’s lowest prices.

What would fair market value have been for those items? Well, it’s hard to say because the algorithms are steering pricing silently in the background. A more thorough study that included the same items, bought exclusively through the traditional procurement method, would tell us much more. And recent history has taught us that trusting Big Tech’s algorithms to serve the public good (rather than its own bottom line) is a fool’s errand.

In at least some cases, the practice routes public funds away from local vendors and toward overseas ones — and, of course, Amazon itself. In Berkeley County, WV, the school district spent $1.3 million on Amazon Business in 2023. What portion went to sellers in the state? A measly $142.

On top of all of that, the practice has snuffed out many of the smaller vendors that traditionally competed for these contracts. “The disappearance of these small and mid-sized businesses weakens local economies and tax bases,” the report concludes. “And it leaves governments increasingly dependent on Amazon, paving the way for the kind of monopoly control that ensures higher prices, poorer service, and less innovation.”

In a statement sent to The Guardian, Amazon disputed the study’s conclusions. “Pricing research is notoriously difficult to conduct accurately and typically lacks reliable methodology, including cherry-picked product selections, mismatched product comparisons and comparing in-stock items with products out-of-stock at competitors,”

ILSR’s report drew in spending data from 128 local governments (including cities, counties and school districts) and 122 state agencies. It also gathered contract documents and interviewed public officials, procurement experts and vendors.
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December 17, 2025
Pandemic fund to feed Denver Public Schools families revived during SNAP benefit freeze
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DENVER — With Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits still on hold across the country, the Denver Public Schools Foundation has revived a fund from that started at the height of the coronavirus pandemic to feed families in need.

The nonprofit, which raises money for Colorado’s largest school district, told Denver7 Tuesday the fund has raised more than $125,000 since it launched Oct. 30, just two days before the lapse in SNAP benefit funding.

Sara Hazel, president and CEO of the DPS Foundation, called that total “amazing.”

“We want to make sure that all of our students and families have food so that they can show up to school ready to learn,” Hazel told Denver7 Tuesday.

Five years ago, the Food Security Fund helped pay for grab-and-go meals for kids who weren’t getting their usual meals at school because they were learning remotely.

Now, even with school in session, the ongoing government shutdown and SNAP benefit freeze are once again making many DPS families desperate.

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“Luckily, kids are still getting free breakfast and free lunch, but we know that food insecurity continues when they’re at home,” Hazel said. “We know that 62% of our families are already eligible for free and reduced lunch… Many of our kids in DPS are food insecure.

“We’ve heard from the schools that the need is rapidly increasing,” she added.

The Food Security Fund is now paying for food and other essential items for families at six community hubs around the city.

The money is also going directly to schools, who can apply for resources like food or grocery store gift cards for staff to give to families in need.

“The community has been incredibly generous,” said Hazel. “And the needs are far outweighing what we’ve raised so far. We’ve had over $200,000 in requests from schools… Our families really rely on their schools, and their schools are a really great place, a trusted place, in the community.”

Even with the shutdown moving closer to ending, the fund isn’t going anywhere in the near future.

“We just took applications [from schools] for the month of November,” Hazel said. “If we need to reopen them in December, we certainly will. We will give away money as long as we’re able to raise it.”

RELATED:

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Denver7 Gives was able to use viewer donations to present DPS Foundation with a $2,000 check.

Generous Denver7 viewers allowed Denver7 Gives to give an additional $2,000 to the Foundation for the Food Security Fund.

“This means a lot, and it will go directly to the families that need it the most,” said Hazel after receiving that donation.

You can learn more about the Food Security Fund or donate on the Denver Public Schools Foundation’s website.
- Denver7 Gives is making it easier for you to help Coloradans struggling with food insecurity. Click on the form below and select “Help Fight Food Insecurity“ to donate
Denver7 | Your Voice: Get in touch with Ryan Fish

Denver7’s Ryan Fish covers stories that have an impact in all of Colorado’s communities, but specializes in covering artificial intelligence, technology, aviation and space. If you’d like to get in touch with Ryan, fill out the form below to send him an email.
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November 11, 2025
Denver school board election spending tops $1.6 million less than a week from Election Day

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This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters

By Melanie Asmar, Chalkbeat

Less than a week from Election Day, spending by candidates and outside groups in the Denver school board election has topped $1.6 million, campaign finance reports show.

That’s higher than the nearly $1.4 million that had been spent at this point in 2023, which was the last time Denver school board seats were up for election. In 2023, three of the board’s seven seats were up for grabs. This year, four seats are on the ballot.

The election is high stakes, with political control of the school board of Colorado’s largest district at play. Teachers union-backed board members have controlled the board for the past six years. But members who support charter schools and other education reform strategies gained a bigger foothold in 2023 and could flip the board majority in this year’s election.

As in the past, outside groups have been the biggest spenders this year. Pro-charter groups are outspending teachers unions by more than 2 to 1.

An independent expenditure committee called Better Leaders, Stronger Schools has spent the most: more than $1 million on mailers, digital ads, and TV ads as of Monday, according to campaign finance reports. The committee is largely funded by an advocacy group called Denver Families Action that has ties to local charter schools.

An independent expenditure committee called Colorado Families for Great Schools that’s funded by the Colorado League of Charter Schools and a pro-charter national organization called 50CAN has spent $81,900 on mailers and digital ads.

An independent expenditure committee funded by teachers unions called Students Deserve Better has spent about $286,000 on mailers and digital ads, according to the reports. Teachers unions have also contributed more than $200,000 to Denver candidates directly.

The 11 candidates themselves have spent far less. Candidate Donald “DJ” Torres, who is running for a seat representing central-east Denver’s District 3, had spent the most as of Monday at just over $65,000. Incumbent Michelle Quattlebaum, who’s running to keep her seat in northeast Denver’s District 4, had spent the least at about $7,700.

Pro-charter group has more individual donors this year

All of the spending by Better Leaders, Stronger Schools has been to support the four candidates endorsed by Denver Families Action: Alex Magaña for an at-large seat representing the entire city, Mariana del Hierro in southwest Denver’s District 2, Caron Blanke in central-east Denver’s District 3, and Timiya Jackson in northeast Denver’s District 4.

Denver Families Action is the political arm of the organization Denver Families for Public Schools. The group was founded in 2021 to elevate the voices of charter school families in DPS, and its board of directors includes leaders with ties to charter schools. Its current platform is to push the district on issues that affect all students, such as safety and mental health.

Independent expenditure committees cannot coordinate with the candidates. They are also more likely to send out attack ads about their preferred candidates’ opponents. This year, that includes ads by Better Leaders, Stronger Schools claiming that at-large candidate Amy Klein Molk replaced teachers with AI at her former company. Klein Molk said it’s not true.

Independent expenditure committees are sometimes referred to as “dark money.” That’s because some of the organizations that fund them don’t have to disclose their donors.

Denver Families Action has contributed $895,000 to Better Leaders, Stronger Schools this year, campaign finance records show. Critics, including Denver Classroom Teachers Association President Rob Gould, paint those dollars as coming from “out-of-state billionaires.”

Tax filings show Denver Families Action has received funding from an organization called the City Fund, which has in the past been funded by Netflix founder Reed Hastings and Texas philanthropist John Arnold, both of whom sit on the City Fund board.

Local donors have also given money to Better Leaders, Stronger Schools this year, campaign finance records show. Billionaire Phil Anschutz gave $40,000. David Younggren, a former oil and gas executive, gave $15,000. Kent Thiry, the multimillionaire former CEO of dialysis provider DaVita, contributed $350,000 in 2023 but hasn’t given this year.

Dan Aschkinasi, the registered agent for Better Leaders, Stronger Schools, said the committee attracted donations from more individual donors this year than in 2023. However, campaign finance records show most of this year’s donations are smaller.

“A lot of people are rooting for us to set a marker in these education races,” Aschkinasi said. “This is kids’ education we’re talking about here. If you can do that through getting new leadership in and the right leaders, it’s worth every penny.”

Other unions are giving to Denver and vice versa

The spending by Students Deserve Better has been in support of the four candidates endorsed by the Denver Classroom Teachers Association: Klein Molk for the at-large seat, Xóchitl Gaytán in District 2, Torres in District 3, and Monica Hunter in District 4. The committee has also run attack ads against Magaña in the at-large race and del Hierro in the District 2 race.

Students Deserve Better gets its money from the statewide Colorado Education Association and spends it in school board races across Colorado, including in Denver. The statewide union and the Denver Classroom Teachers Association also give money directly to the candidates.

DCTA has given about $25,000 to each of the four candidates it endorsed. So has CEA.

The unions’ money comes from teachers’ dues, Gould said. Teachers can request that their dues not go toward political causes, but Gould said he expects fewer than 100 of the Denver union’s more than 3,800 members to do so this year. That number includes teachers who are not U.S. citizens; the union doesn’t use their dues for political causes, he said.

This year, other local teachers unions have also given money to the Denver candidates. The teachers unions in Jeffco Public Schools, Littleton Public Schools, Adams 12 Five Star Schools, Cherry Creek School District, and St. Vrain Valley Schools gave between $1,000 and $2,000 to all or some of the union-endorsed candidates in Denver, records show.

Gould said it’s a new strategy born out of monthly meetings with the presidents of the metro teachers unions to fight back against out-of-state money trying to “infiltrate” local elections.

“The same fight here in Denver is the same fight in Colorado Springs, in Woodland Park, in Jefferson County,” Gould said.

Denver is doing it, too. The Denver teachers union gave $4,000 each to two union-endorsed candidates in Jeffco, $2,500 each to two candidates in Cherry Creek, $2,000 each to two candidates in Adams 12, $2,000 to a candidate in Littleton, $1,000 to a candidate in 27J Schools in Brighton, and $400 each to two candidates in Pueblo School District 60.

Melanie Asmar is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Colorado. Contact Melanie at [email protected].

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October 31, 2025
Mayor Mike (the other one) drops big bucks into Denver’s flavored nicotine fight

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Flavored vape products that critics say are aimed at youth, during a news conference aimed at Denver’s City and County Building on Monday, Dec. 12, 2024.

Hart Van Denburg/CPR News

Michael Bloomberg is making an expensive statement in Denver’s referendum battle over flavored nicotine products.

Bloomberg, a billionaire philanthropist and the former mayor of New York City, is by far the biggest donor in the political fight. He gave $1.5 million last month to the anti-nicotine campaign that wants to keep Denver’s “flavor ban” in place.

That followed another contribution of $73,500 from him in August, and it means the supporters of the ban now have a 4-to-1 lead in fundraising. That’s according to campaign filings posted Monday by the Office of the Denver Clerk and Recorder.

The move drew quick criticism from backers of the repeal, who are asking voters to abolish the ban and once again allow the sale of flavored vaporizers and other products in Denver.

“The real David vs. Goliath story is out-of-state billionaire money flooding Denver to keep the flavor ban in place,” said Phil Guerin, who owns the vape shop Myxed Up Creations on Colfax Avenue, as well as locations in four other Colorado cities, via email.

CPR reached out to Bloomberg for comment but hasn’t yet gotten a response.

The pro-flavor ban campaign calls itself “Denver Kids vs Big Tobacco” and is supported by anti-tobacco, education and health groups. It has now raised more than $2 million.

Those opposing the ban, including vape shops and multinational corporations that sell flavored products, have raised almost $470,000, according to the filings.

Bloomberg has fought for tobacco and smoking regulations before

Bloomberg, a longtime tobacco opponent, served as New York City’s mayor for three terms. He has officially been a Republican, independent and Democrat, and ran in the Democratic presidential primary in 2020.

As mayor he championed a number of public health initiatives, including a ban on indoor smoking at workplaces, a hike on the cigarette tax, an increase in the legal age to buy tobacco products and a ban on flavored e-cigarette products including menthol flavors.

Bloomberg, who is 83, ranked #14 on Forbes World’s Billionaires List 2025, with a net worth of $105 billion. He cofounded Bloomberg LP, a financial information and media company, in 1981.

How the people working to repeal the ban reacted

The Denver City Council banned flavored tobacco sales in December. Mayor Mike Johnson signed the measure. Opponents started a petition drive to challenge the ban and successfully gathered nearly 11,000 valid signatures. That was enough to put the repeal on the ballot in November.

Guerin said a coalition of Denver citizens and family- and minority-owned businesses “stood up for our city” — collecting thousands of signatures in Denver “to give voters a voice.”

“While their side spends millions from New York to dictate Denver’s policy, we believe Denver should decide Denver’s future — not an outside billionaire,” Guerin said.

The opponents of the flavor ban are operating under the name CitizenPower! Among the nearly $500,000 raised: almost $173,000 from the Rocky Mountain Smoke Free Alliance and $75,000 each from the tobacco giant Altria and the company Philip Morris International (PMI).

The “no” campaign has been running a 30-second ad on Facebook.

Supporters of the ban demurred from mentioning Bloomberg

In a statement, the Yes on 310 campaign said they have broad support from doctors, nurses, individuals and public health organizations like the American Lung Association, with endorsements from organizations including the Colorado Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and Children’s Hospital Colorado.

The statement did not specifically mention Bloomberg.

“Our supporters are committed to protecting the health of Denver kids and stopping Big Tobacco from hooking them into a lifetime of nicotine addiction,” said Jodi Radke, regional director of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, in an emailed statement.

She said she’s confident that Denver voters, “will side with kids over Big Tobacco and vote yes to end the sale of flavored tobacco and protect our kids from a lifetime of addiction.”

Bloomberg has committed more than $1 billion to combat tobacco use globally, according to the website for the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, which is one of several organizations funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund, a nonprofit affiliated with the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, also has given more than $350,000 to the campaign. Health consortium Kaiser Permanente has given $50,000 and the American Heart Association has given $30,000.

The money paid for a number of 30-second campaign ads.

Nearly $1.3 million of the anti-tobacco campaign’s spending has gone to GMMB, a political communications and advertising firm based in Washington, D.C., with offices in Seattle and San Francisco.

Will tobacco corps respond?

One big question now is whether deep-pocketed corporations that sell flavored tobacco, like Altria and PMI, which have already given to the no side, will now respond with bigger contributions of their own.

CPR reached out to both, but has not yet heard back from either.

Does the Rocky Mountain Smoke Free Alliance have the funds to match Bloomberg’s contributions?

“I wish!” Guerin said via text. “The short answer is no.”

The voters themselves will weigh in soon

Denver’s Referendum 310 will decide whether to keep or repeal Denver’s ban on flavored tobacco, including nicotine vaporizers that come in a range of fruity flavors.

If a majority of people vote “yes,” the city will continue to ban the products. If a majority vote “no,” the ban would be repealed and businesses would be allowed to sell the products again.

The full text of the ordinance is available here.

The ban, which affects 575 retailers that sell the products in Denver, is already in effect, but city officials have said they wouldn’t enforce it until after the election.

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October 8, 2025
CU Denver, DPS launch guaranteed admission partnership

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DENVER — A partnership launched this week between the University of Colorado Denver and Denver Public Schools is making the path to college easier.

All eligible DPS juniors with a GPA of 3.0 or higher will receive guaranteed admission to CU Denver.

Current seniors graduating with a 3.0 GPA or higher will also be automatically admitted, with application fees waived.

CU Denver integrative biology major Quan Huynh has his sights set on being a dentist.

DPS school counselors helped him narrow down his options during his senior year at Thomas Jefferson High School.

“They offer a lot of research opportunities, scholarships, and help a lot financially,” said Huynh.

Now his peers at Denver public high schools will have the same opportunity guaranteed.

As of this week, DPS students will get automatic admission to CU Denver with a 3.0 GPA or higher.

“I think this partnership really shows that CU Denver is here to meet students where they are, to connect with students and to really elevate those students,” said Crysta Diaz, Director of Undergrad Admissions at CU Denver.

School counselors like Emily Rivera know firsthand the stress that students are under when it comes to college admissions.

“Once students get into their first college, it’s kind of a huge stress off,” said Rivera.

Rivera works with students at Denver South High School, which has a sizeable newcomer population.

Students at Denver South represent 50 countries, with 32 percent of the student body either participating in the ELA program or having exited the program.

It has one of the most successful graduation rates for English Language Learners in the district, with over 80% of students receiving their diplomas.

Rivera told Denver7 she’s excited to see this new pathway to college serve as a solution to make higher education more accessible to the students she works with.

“To know that you could come as a teenager, learn your English skills while you’re in high school, and have that guaranteed admission at CU Denver is really exciting,” she added.

According to CU Denver, the partnership reflects both institutions’ commitment to expanding opportunity, advancing social mobility, and helping Denver students and families build lasting success.

“A lot of our students in Denver and at CU Denver are first-generation students, and so again, just how do we support these students that are navigating this experience for the first time?” said Diaz.

Quan said he’s quickly found his place on campus with that support.

He’s excited for others to do the same if they take advantage of the guaranteed admission.

“I think it’s amazing,” he said, “there will be a lot of opportunities for high school students to pursue their bachelor’s degree, just like me as a first-generation student in my family.”

CU Denver, DPS launch guaranteed admission partnership

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Denver7 | Your Voice: Get in touch with Adria Iraheta

Denver7’s Adria Iraheta shares stories that have an impact in all of Colorado’s communities, but specializes in reporting on education and stories in Arapahoe County. If you’d like to get in touch with Adria, fill out the form below to send her an email.

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September 6, 2025
Denver Public Schools begins push to get more international educators into its classrooms

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DENVER — Santa Martinez’s classroom is a melting pot of different cultures and different languages.

Many of the Bruce Randolph School English language development teacher’s students are new to the country.

Amid so many big life changes, they find solace in their teacher, who can relate to them in a way.

“I am in my first year teaching here for Denver Public Schools and I have [been here for] nine months in Denver,” Martinez told Denver7.

Martinez is from the Dominican Republic on a J1 Visa. She’s part of the district’s new International Educators Institute. It’s a push to get more international teachers in DPS classrooms.

Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero said it all started with a trip to the Dominican Republic.

“I went up for what I thought was just simply an educational keynote around biliteracy,” he explained.

Dr. Marrero told Denver7 that dozens of teachers expressed interest in coming to work at DPS to learn more about the district’s biliteracy efforts in hopes of replicating it in their home country.

Denver Public Schools begins push to get more international educators into its classrooms

Martinez was one of those educators.

“We were so into it,” she recalled.

Of course, moving to a new country isn’t easy.

Dr. Marrero said that out of all those teachers.

“It was more like eight that made it [to Denver]. Then out of that eight, five are still with us.”

That’s where the idea for the institute was born. It provides wraparound services and support beyond work to help these teachers settle into the Mile High City.

The district says its goal is to have at least 200 international teachers in classrooms by this fall.

Dr. Marrero said the district is using its existing relationships in other countries to recruit teachers, as well as reaching out to higher education institutions overseas to get the word out.

While Martinez admits it was still a challenging journey, it was all possible because of the help she received from DPS – from finding housing to getting around the city.

“I think that I received enough support and I’m still receiving it because people are asking, ‘How are you doing? We are so glad that you are here,’” she said.

When asked what her favorite part about Denver has been so far, Martinez said, “I love my students. All of them [have] something to show to the world.”

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May 25, 2024
Denver Public Schools hires its first director of Latinx Student Success
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Director Patricia Hurrieta will be tasked with carrying out the recommendations in a new report about the barriers and opportunities that Latino students face.
First graders read in a bilingual classroom at Goldrick Elementary School, Dec. 7, 2017.

Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
Following the release of a report that revealed “serious barriers” for Latino students in Denver Public Schools, the district has hired its first director of Latinx Student Success.

Patricia Hurrieta, currently principal of Grant Ranch Elementary School in southwest Denver, will begin her new role in the next few weeks, the district said. Hurrieta will lead a team tasked with carrying out the recommendations in the recently released 266-page La Raza Report commissioned by DPS.

“I am thrilled to collaborate with the community to address the recommendations outlined in the La Raza Report,” Hurrieta said in a press release. “Together, we will strive to create an environment that fosters the success and well-being of our Latinx/Hispanic students.”

More than half of the 88,000 students in DPS identify as Hispanic or Latino. About a third of DPS students, many of them native Spanish speakers, are learning English as a second language.

The La Raza Report noted the “indomitable cultural resilience … that is a part of the ethos of the various Latino groups in the Denver Public Schools.”

But the report authors wrote that their findings, which were based on historical research as well as 51 focus group interviews and thousands of survey responses, “surfaced some serious barriers that need to be addressed, including unequal resources across schools, … the serious mismatch between the Latino student population and the number of teachers and leaders in the system, and the perpetual undervaluing of the Latino cultures.”

“There are no cultural events for Latinos at most schools, according to the focus groups,” the report said. “Spanish-language classes are electives, and none of the students in the focus groups are taking them, even though many of the students are fluently bilingual.

“Many students also said that they had never read a book written by or about Latinos.”

Spurred in part by a similar report about the barriers encountered by Black students and staff, the district created a Black Student Success team earlier this school year, also led by a former DPS principal. That team is working with university researchers who are studying the teaching methods of DPS teachers whose Black students made stellar academic progress. The goal is to spread those methods throughout the district, starting with a cohort of six elementary schools.

Each team — the Black Student Success team and the Latinx Student Success team — will have a budget of $750,000 next school year, said Joe Amundsen, the district’s executive director of school transformation, whose department works with both teams.

DPS has commissioned many reports and task forces over the years to make recommendations that community members have perceived as going nowhere — a frustration that’s clear in the La Raza Report. But Amundsen said hiring someone like Hurrieta to do the work, and allocating funding to complete it, signals a different level of commitment from DPS.

“There’s a difference in that commitment, which is translating to more than committees and recommendations, but let’s take those recommendations and really do something that is going to impact outcomes for kids,” he said. “It’s got more teeth to it.”

An advisory committee of Latino leaders and community members is helping the district prioritize which of the 35 La Raza Report recommendations the new Latinx Student Success team should tackle first, Amundsen said.

The recommendations include:
- Establish student tutoring programs funded by Denver employers.
- Develop a transportation system with the city and RTD for students and families “even in those areas where providing such a service may not be cost-effective but is socially just.”
- Increase the number of students participating in the Seal of Biliteracy, which allows students to demonstrate proficiency in English and another language.
- Develop a districtwide bilingual parent leadership institute focused on understanding the DPS educational system and the roles parents can play in their children’s education.
- Expand the pool of Spanish-speaking teachers, as well as establish a pipeline for Latino school and district leaders and a Latino leadership mentorship program.
- Consider redrawing the boundaries for West High School and periodically review all school boundaries to account for gentrification and other population shifts.
- Have central office employees undergo cultural sensitivity and competence training.
Although the Latinx Student Success team will take the lead on many of the recommendations, Amundsen stressed that “this is the responsibility of the entire district.”

Melanie Asmar is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Colorado. Contact Melanie at [email protected].
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May 23, 2024
Denver school collects more than $10,000 for cafeteria worker after house fire

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DENVER — A Denver school collected more than $10,000 to help a beloved cafeteria worker whose home was damaged in a fire.

Rose Gianni’s dedication is well known at Denver Green School Southeast. After her north Denver mobile home was damaged by two electrical fires, school staff launched a GoFundMe fundraiser to help.

Since Denver7 shared Gianni’s story, the GoFundMe has collected more than $10,000 in donations.

“I feel so grateful. I wish I could tell everybody thank you. Thank you, thank you for everything they have done,” Gianni said Thursday.

“I honestly didn’t think it was going to get the traction it received,” said Aleaha Harkins, a music teacher at the school.

Harkins said she was inspired to start the fundraiser because of Gianni’s connection to students and staff.

“It’s been incredible. When I first started this, I set a fairly small goal, and I thought that was going to be a huge feat. And once we surpassed that goal, it just filled my heart because now Rose is able to actually get the repairs that she needs,” said Harkins.

Gianni said she will be able to move back after the necessary repairs are made. Electricians said her home will need to be rewired.

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Kristian Lopez

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February 22, 2024