Board candidates answer to students

High school students take lead at elections forumPeter MarcusDenver Daily News Staff WriterOctober 14, 2009
Students took the lead yesterday evening during an elections forum with candidates for the Denver Public Schools board.
High school students — all part of the mayor’s Youth Commission — asked the questions to District 2 and at-large candidates during the “Denver Decides” event at Lincoln Elementary School.
Questions ranged from how to attract effective teachers to how to lower the district’s dismal graduation rate.
District 2 candidate Andrea E. Merida said she would like to better engage both students and parents.
“I want to make sure … that you have the opportunity to let them know what’s great about your education and what’s maybe not so great,” said Merida during her opening remarks. “I also want to make sure that your parents have the opportunity to have input — I think we’re in a pattern where parents and families really don’t have as much input.”
When it came time for students to ask the hard questions, few held back. With DPS facing a graduation rate of just around 50 percent, George Washington High School senior Heather Yin wanted to know what the candidates’ goals were for improving the rate.
District 2 candidate Ismael C. Garcia said his goal is 100 percent.
“Why?” Garcia rhetorically asked of his response. “Because I have three boys in DPS and it would be a travesty if we allowed the district not to set a high standard of excellence for all schools.”
North High School junior Mitch Salinas asked the at-large candidates how they plan on attracting and retaining effective teachers — another issue plaguing the school district.
Both candidates — Mary A. Seawell and Christopher Scott — said the answer is in incentives and better salaries.
Seawell said the district’s current merit-based pay system — ProComp — does not go far enough.
“Part of (ProComp) is a market-based incentive that is supposed to encourage teachers to come into especially low-performing schools and to stay there and to retain them,” said Seawell. “I don’t think that the market incentive is sufficient right now.”
Abraham Lincoln High School student Jose Cordova, a member of Padres y Jovenes, asked a tough question of the at-large candidates about tuition equity, and whether they support awarding undocumented students in-state tuition at the state’s institutions of higher education.
Both candidates support tuition-equity legislation, and are encouraging state lawmakers to once again attempt such reform.
“I was horrified when our Legislature did not get that passed,” said Scott. “The reality is if we want our society to be competitive, if we want our society to have citizens who are well educated, we need to give everybody the opportunity to attend college.”
To watch the entire “Denver Decides” debate, check the Denver 8 television schedule at www.denvergov.org.