Our Denver Our Schools

Outside Money, Inside Influence: The Network Shaping Denver’s School Board Race Dark money is once again pouring into Denver’s school board elections. As of the September 29 filing deadline, the independent expenditure (IE) committee Better Leaders, Stronger Schools reported over...

DEGUIRE: Here's a closer look at how wealthy pro-charter donors and political networks are steering Denver’s 2025 school board elections, and what that means for the future of public education.
coloradotimesrecorder.com/2025/10/outs...

Outside Money, Inside Influence: The Network Shaping Denver’s School Board Race Dark money is once again pouring into Denver’s school board elections. As of the September 29 filing deadline, the independent expenditure (IE) committee Better Leaders, Stronger Schools reported over...

DARK MONEY in play..AGAIN..in the Denver Public Schools school board race.

BILLIONAIRES John Arnold and Reed Hastings gave $4 million to Denver Families group.

THIS PRO-CHARTER SCHOOL group is using the MONEY to sway voters-TV ads,flyers,calls, signs,etc.
coloradotimesrecorder.com/2025/10/outs...

Join A4PEP in our next webinar with Alyssa Bowen, Director of the Equality Project at True North Research. She will unpack the rising influence of dark money in local school board elections. @npeaction.bsky.social @network4pubed.bsky.social @carolburris.bsky.social
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

How Colorado charter schools align with Trump’s vision for K-12 education  | Colorado Newsline Many supporters of the Colorado charter school industry are solidly on board with President Donald Trump’s agenda for public education.

coloradonewsline.com/2025/06/23/c... @npeaction.bsky.social @network4pubed.bsky.social @coloradonewsline.com @beedle.bsky.social @workingfamilies.org @dianeravitch.bsky.social @marcelias.bsky.social @bryanlindstrom.bsky.social @jackschneider.bsky.social @jenniferberkshire.bsky.social

Denver Public Schools are showing strong success in learning growth for all students, faster than state peers. But test scores are not the whole picture! Students thrive in ALL areas when they have the essential resources in each local neighborhood school.

www.elsemanarioonline.com/con-promesa-...

The Failure of “School Choice” in Denver Mike DeGuire is a veteran educator in Denver. He says it’s time to take stock and assess the damage that “reform” has inflicted on students and public schools in Denver. He writes…

dianeravitch.net/2025/09/24/t... @eviehudak.bsky.social @tcharleschapman.bsky.social @thorntoncivics.net @janicemarchman.bsky.social @cocharterwatch.bsky.social @co4inclusiveed.bsky.social @nancyebailey.bsky.social @jennybrundincpr.bsky.social @flbaloney.bsky.social @workingfamilies.org

Educate Denver's 'nuanced' critique of Denver schools lacks just that, endangers district | NOONAN Educate Denver, a self-appointed Denver Public Schools Debbie Downer group that rarely finds anything positive in public education in Denver’s schools, has produced a “nuanced” commentary on DPS’s 202...

Pro-charter groups try to push a "failing schools" narrative in Denver even though DPS achieved an "ACCREDITED" rating for the first time since 2019. Teachers support school board candidates who "get their school environments and living needs."

www.coloradopolitics.com/2025/09/24/e...

Denver teachers union endorses four candidates for school board Four of the seven board seats are up for grabs in the Nov. 4 election.

www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/202...

YouTube video by Advocates for Public Education Policy Hot Button Issues in Public Education

Four Colorado school board members share their thoughts on:
✨ Privatization with the "charter school experiment" and its impact on their communities
✨ The push for federal vouchers
✨ Declining enrollment/school closures
✨ The harm caused by high-stakes standardized testing
youtu.be/8kWIRjG_Jik?...

Mike DeGuire: Opinions The Bipartisan March Toward Gutting Public Schools, in Denver and Beyond - Network For Public Education Mike DeGuire keeps an eye on privatization advances in Colorado, and explains in a recent post how the movement in the Denver area is actually bipartisan. Both camps sell the public on privatization b...

networkforpubliceducation.org/blog-content...

The Bipartisan March Toward Gutting Public Schools, in Denver and Beyond Is public education a public or a private good? This issue is at the heart of the school choice debate sweeping the country.   Advocates for school choice are advancing policies...

coloradotimesrecorder.com/2025/09/the-... @jennybrundincpr.bsky.social @tcharleschapman.bsky.social @thorntoncivics.net @michneil1793.bsky.social @maralynparker.bsky.social @nancyebailey.bsky.social @workingfamilies.org @electrobrogers.bsky.social @cocharterwatch.bsky.social @nepc.bsky.social

Hot Button Issues in Public Education | A4PEP Join local & state school board leaders on Sept 17 at 6:30 PM as they tackle book bans, funding cuts, testing debates & the future of public education.

Join Xochitl Gaytan, Rhonda Solis, Karla Esser, and Lucy Molina for a lively discussion of current issues facing Colorado school boards! @cheriwrench.bsky.social @janicemarchman.bsky.social @anintrovert.bsky.social @ryanhasaquestion.bsky.social @nepc.bsky.social
www.a4pep.org/hot-button-i...

Hot Button Issues in Public Education | A4PEP Join local & state school board leaders on Sept 17 at 6:30 PM as they tackle book bans, funding cuts, testing debates & the future of public education.

School board members today face mounting pressures, and the stakes for public education have never been higher. Join A4PEP for this timely webinar.
@npeaction.bsky.social @publiced412.bsky.social @publicedpartners.bsky.social @wjhowell.bsky.social
www.a4pep.org/hot-button-i...

Denver: Will Dark Money Buy the School Board? Mike DeGuire, veteran educator in Denver, fears that billionaires are paying the bills for a phony reform group that’s trying to buy the Denver school board. The billionaires find Denver an e…

Denver Families Action is the “political arm” of Denver Families for Public Schools, funded by BILLIONAIRE donors. Will Denver voters allow outside MONEY to dictate the future of their schools? @npeaction.bsky.social @publiced412.bsky.social@coloradonewsline.com
dianeravitch.net/2025/09/09/d...

DPS pushes back on federal government’s deadline to convert all-gender bathroom The district says Title IX does not prohibit the conversion of a girls’ restroom to an all-gender restroom. The federal government says it does.

DPS pushes back on federal government’s deadline to convert all-gender bathroom
denverite.com/2025/09/08/d...

@odoschools.bsky.social #EDUSky @usdoe.bsky.social #bathroom

Teachers Tease Strike at CO Springs Labor Day Event Hundreds of protesters lined the sidewalk in front of Colorado Springs City Hall this Labor Day as part of the Workers over Billionaires rally organized by 50501 Colorado Springs, Indivisible...

“D11 teachers are going on strike this fall because our Board of Education is full of anti-union, anti-teacher and anti-student members,” said educator and Colorado Springs Education Association (CSEA) member Sam Farnham.
coloradotimesrecorder.com/2025/09/teac...

​Dark money spending could overshadow local priorities for Denver schools | Colorado Newsline School board elections in Denver have become expensive, and the outcomes often hinge on the amount of money spent by competing groups.

Billionaires are behind "Denver Families Action"as they endorse school board candidates in November's Denver election. @npeaction.bsky.social @masspolprofmo.bsky.social @derekwblack.bsky.social @dianeravitch.bsky.social
www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/202...
coloradonewsline.com/2025/08/29/d...

Colorado’s PK-12 Enrollment Declines While Billionaires Fund Charter Schools In January 2024, the Colorado Department of Education announced that “PK-12 student enrollment reached the state's lowest mark in a decade.” The declines are across the state, as “forty-three of the 6...

Speaking of the "Workers Over Billionaires" event, billiionaires have been funding many Colorado charter schools for years, while public schools lose resources. @npeaction.bsky.social @masspolprofmo.bsky.social @democracynow.org @publiced412.bsky.social
coloradotimesrecorder.com/2024/02/colo...

The Big Standardized Test Is Still The Worst Thing In Education The slightly-cranky voice navigating the world of educational "reform" while trying to still pursue the mission of providing quality education.

"BS Testing has warped schooling itself.

We waste soooo much time on the test.

If we're looking for things to reform, axing the BS Test would be a great place to start."

@palan57.bsky.social @npeaction.bsky.social @publiced412.bsky.social
curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2025/09/the-...

Hastings also believes that Ai will replace the role of teachers in teaching content and students will only need for teachers to provide "social-emotional" supports.
fs.blog/knowledge-pr...

​Dark money spending could overshadow local priorities for Denver schools | Colorado Newsline School board elections in Denver have become expensive, and the outcomes often hinge on the amount of money spent by competing groups.

Billionaires are behind "Denver Families Action"as they endorse school board candidates in November's Denver election. @npeaction.bsky.social @masspolprofmo.bsky.social @derekwblack.bsky.social @dianeravitch.bsky.social
www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/202...
coloradonewsline.com/2025/08/29/d...

One Colorado teacher talks about her job during massive changes

www.cpr.org/2025/08/27/c...

@neatoday.bsky.social @odoschools.bsky.social @cprnews.bsky.social

Community Schools and Why Democrats Should Support Them

https://f.mtr.cool/jbtxxpipnx

Democrats will align their party with a proven way to ensure positive differences one community at a time. @jeffbcdm #communityschools

Charter Schools at a Crossroads: As the Promise Fades, the Reckoning Begins A new report finds an industry in retreat, propped up by unchecked federal funding.

"It’s time to stop chasing the ghost of what charter schools might have been—and start holding the system accountable for what it has become....Taxpayers are footing the bill for schools that fail to open, fail to serve, or fail to survive." @npeaction.bsky.social
progressive.org/public-schoo...

YouTube video by Advocates for Public Education Policy Christian Nationalism, Dark Money, and the Attack on Public Education in Colorado

Christian nationalism isn’t just knocking on the door. It’s already reshaping school boards, public policy, and the lives of students across Colorado. @npeaction.bsky.social @coloradonewsline.com @carolburris.bsky.social @dianeravitch.bsky.social @derekwblack.bsky.social

youtu.be/27SesUBzK1c?...

CO: Failed Charter Accountability The slightly-cranky voice navigating the world of educational "reform" while trying to still pursue the mission of providing quality education.

"The Colorado Charter School Instittute...has a nine-member board, seven of whom are appointed by the governor, so if the governor's policy is "Gimme more of those charter schools," the board can help implement that policy." @carolburris.bsky.social
curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2025/08/co-f...

Super PAC backing Michael Bennet’s gubernatorial bid is fueled by dark money, pro-charter school groups Rocky Mountain Way formed in April, a few days after Bennet, a U.S. senator, entered the governor’s race

Pro-charter school groups have given nearly $200,000 to Bennet's campaign for Colorado's Governor: Colorado League of Charter Schools Action, Denver Families for Public Schools, Stand for Children, 50CAN Action Fund. @dianeravitch.bsky.social @carolburris.bsky.social
coloradosun.com/2025/07/21/m...

The Closure of Colorado Skies Academy Shows Why the Colorado Charter School Institute Must Go On July 25, 2025, Colorado Skies Academy — a charter middle school with a unique aviation-focused curriculum — closed its doors just 16 days before the school year was set...

The Closure of Colorado Skies Academy Shows Why the Colorado Charter School Institute Must Go coloradotimesrecorde... #AnotherDayAnotherCharterScandal @mcolorado.bsky.social @a4pep.bsky.social @cocharterwatch.bsky.social @electrobrogers.bsky.social

Colorado Democratic governor describes "an impossibly dreary vision of K-12 education that hinges on a “cradle-to-career coordination system that tracks how kids are doing, longitudinally, from pre-K through high school into higher education and the workforce.”

Here’s what in the new Denver Public Schools contract — and why some don’t like it The union still has to convince its members, and DPS the school board, to approve the new contract — and some educators are against it.

Here’s what in the new Denver Public Schools contract — and why some don’t like it

denverite.com/2025/08/08/d...

@odoschools.bsky.social #EDUSky #Denver