Michael Hancock
Bottom line:
The entire community must work together to ensure each child is school-ready, college-ready, and career-ready.
On his campaign website:
In the “Issues” section of the Hancock site under “Education,” Hancock insists no family should have to choose between a failing local school and a better school on the other side of town, a message he promotes in one of his campaign ads. He also promises as mayor to:
• fight to ensure every neighborhood has excellent schools
• create a comprehensive strategy to prepare students for every stage of life from cradle to college to community
• appoint a Manager of Children’s Affairs charged with breaking down silos and convening City department heads whose agencies impact kids into a Children’s Cabinet
• forge a Denver Compact to bring the City, DPS, higher education, businesses and foundations together to improve educational opportunities in Denver
• through the Denver Compact create a streamlined process for businesses and nonprofits to become directly involved in education
• revive the dormant City-School Coordinating Commission
• work with developers and stakeholders to ensure affordable housing for educators so they can live near the schools in which they teach
• strengthen partnerships with nonprofits to expand after-school and summer enrichment programs and extend City library services
• partner with education stakeholders to pursue federal and private-sector education grants
• foster private-sector relationships dedicated to empowering faculty and teachers with innovative teaching programs at all levels
• launch a comprehensive early childhood education initiative
• partner with the Auraria Higher Education Center on multiple initiatives, including efforts to better connect the campus physically and intellectually to downtown and better engage campus officials in key decisions about Denver’s future
• establish internship and practicum programs within City agencies for Auraria students, giving students real-world work experience in a variety of fields
• maximize existing agencies such as the City’s WorkForce Development Office to help students transition into the workforce
In his campaign flyer:
States he will “strengthen collaborative efforts with schools, colleges, and businesses to ensure an excellent education for all children and the best-skilled workforce for the private sector.”
Issue-specific ideas or solutions presented at March 24 and April 6 events:
Said the city needs to work with the colleges on the Auraria campus to make sure all DPS students have access to quality college opportunities. The city also needs to increase its emphasis on creating a quality education system starting with early childhood education and continuing with after-school, summer, nutrition, and safety net programs.
Issue-related comments:
In an April Denver Daily News profile, Hancock was quoted as saying the mayor needs to “facilitate a strong School Board that works to advance the district.” He added that he supports giving schools room to innovate and cited 2008 legislation he co-wrote to give schools opportunities to develop their own budgets and curriculums. He also said he supports the co-existence of charter and neighborhood schools and promotes the engagement of local community and parent groups in such decision-making.
In a survey conducted by Education Reform Now, a coalition of six local education non-profits, Hancock indicated he:
• strongly supports and actively promotes school choice
• strongly agrees DPS should grade schools
• strongly agrees every neighborhood should have a high-quality school, regardless of whether it’s a charter or neighborhood school
• strongly agrees the mayor should hold DPS accountable
• strongly agrees the mayor should have a cabinet-level position for education
• strongly agrees DPS and the city should share facilities
• agrees the mayor should take over if DPS “moves in the wrong direction”
• agrees the mayor should primarily support the superintendent
• agrees that low-performing schools for two years should be closed or phased out
• agrees that schools should have rewards or sanctions based on performance
• agrees charter schools should have equal funding as neighborhood schools
• agrees that high-quality charter schools should receive extra assistance
• agrees teacher employment ought to be tied to results rather than experience
• agrees DPS needs more funding
• believes DPS is moving in the right direction but also needs radical reform
• does not believe the state should provide additional funding and flexibility to low-performing schools
• does not believe DPS is doing the best it can
Experience Potentially Related to this Issue:
• City Councilman 2003-Present
--President 2006-2008
Chris Romer
Bottom line:
As mayor he will raise expectations of everyone involved in city schools, including students.
On his campaign website:
In the “Issues” section under “Education,” Romer promotes his Education Agenda, through which he promises to:
• connect Denver schools with local colleges and universities
• expand concurrent enrollment in high school as well as college classes
• promote early literacy efforts through the city and its libraries as well as schools and nonprofits
• give parents resources they need to keep their children reading at home
• work with the school district, educational organizations, and city agencies to better share data about struggling students and use that data to help such students
• demand agencies like libraries and recreation centers strengthen their partnerships with Denver schools
• challenge schools and nonprofits to formalize their relationships to ensure resources aren’t duplicated and each student’s needs are addressed.
• ensure the more than 50 different outside programs now serving DPS students coordinate their services to avoid overlap and share data to better support kids
• develop and support partnerships with business leaders to find ways to provide direct support to Denver schools by bringing the knowledge and skills of their workforce into DPS classrooms
• apply the expertise and creativity of local businesses to support DPS teachers, administrators, and students
• reward teachers, help make our good teachers great, and hold everyone accountable – including parents and students
• make sure Denver students are taught by great teachers
• make sure Denver schools are led by a great leader empowered to make decisions
• work with education, civic, and business leaders to attract and keep the best and brightest teachers in Denver classrooms
• partner with teacher recruitment and training organizations like Denver Teaching Fellows, Denver Teacher Residency, and Teach For America
• support the expanded use of high-quality alternative licensure programs to cut red tape and place excellent teachers in our classrooms
• grow great principals by partnering with local higher education institutions, schools, and business community to create fellowships for principals to get the training they need
• make Denver the best place to train and serve as a principal.
In his campaign flyer:
Romer promotes public-private partnerships that will lead more students from troubled schools to take advanced college placement courses in advanced math and sciences.
Issue-specific ideas or solutions presented at March 24 and April 6 events:
Noted that the percentage of DPS students reading at grade level in third grade coincides with the percentage of DPS students graduating from high school. Promoted early literacy programs.
Issue-related comments:
In the March Colorado Statesmen article “Mayor hopefuls debate schools,” Romer was quoted as saying he still supports Senate Bill 191, which he co-sponsored and helped pass last year. The legislation links teacher job security to performance. He also said conversations about quality teachers are “long overdue.”
In a survey conducted by Education Reform Now, a coalition of six local education non-profits, Romer indicated he:
• strongly believes DPS is moving in the right direction
• strongly believes DPS should do more to attract “the best and brightest”
• strongly supports and actively promotes school choice
• strongly supports the need to assist strong charter schools
• strongly believes the city charter schools should receive the same funding as neighborhood schools
• strongly believes schools should have awards or sanctions based on performance
• strongly believes DPS should grade schools
• strongly believes each Denver neighborhood should have a strong school, regardless of whether it is a charter or neighborhood school
• strongly believes the Denver mayor should hold DPS accountable
• strongly agrees the mayor should have a cabinet-level position for education
• strongly disagrees with public funding for private schools
• does not believe teacher employment should be tied to teacher experience
• does not believe the state should provide more funding and flexibility for low-performing schools
Experience Potentially Related to this Issue:
• Senator 2007-2010
• Helped found Denver School of Science and Technology
• Served on boards of three charter schools
• Founded KIPP schools, charter schools serving low-income students
• Founded Colorado I Have A Dream program