Tay Anderson strongest school board candidate Denver Public Schools 2019

Safeguarding our Neighborhood Schools Neighborhood schools, when robustly invested in, can be the change agents for our most marginalized students. They can close achievement gaps and prepare students for college. The closing of neighborhood schools is a burden for parents and creates challenges in equity for students. I will work to recover and safeguard neighborhood schools and curb charter school expansion. Not one more neighborhood school closure! Investing In Our Teachers We have a huge challenge ahead of us in hiring, recruiting, and retaining more teachers. I will focus on creating a rich, dynamic work environment for teachers, while also working to redefine the standards by which teachers are evaluated. The success of our teachers cannot be judged by tests! We have a responsibility to lift our teachers up so our students can take on the world. School to Prison Pipelines. According to the Department of Education, in the United States, black students make up 18 percent of children enrolled in preschools, and 48 percent of these kids experience more than one out-of-school suspension. Creating a culturally rich curriculum and doubling down on diversity training for teachers and staff can go a long way in putting students of color on the road to success, not prison! Diversity is our Strength Denver is home to an amazingly diverse population. District four is a minority majority district with well over half the student population being students of color. How wonderful that our children are exposed to the diversity available in our district! Schools should foster a safe learning environment for students to thrive and take advantage of all the opportunities that come with a high school diploma. Homeless Students I have experienced homelessness and I know what it feels like to be on your own. I was labeled an unaccompanied youth by Denver Public Schools. To those students and families who have been homeless- I understand what you are going through. We won't let our situations hinder us from our education. I will always put our students first. We will make more programs available to our students, because every student is bigger than their story! Lunch Program We need to improve our lunch program in Denver Public Schools so that all students have the sufficient nutrients they deserve. The majority of our students do not like the lunch program, and I will be traveling the district listening to our students to hear what they want. As a member of the Denver School Board, I will bring a new lunch plan before the board so we can spark a discussion to put our students lunch as a priority.