Statement for Denver School Board Vice President Auon’tai Anderson on redistricting:

Community,

I’ve been following the concerns and discussions surrounding the upcoming Denver School Board election and feel it’s essential for me to address them directly.

First, let me share that when I and the board set forth to design new district maps, we did so with a sincere commitment to fairness and equity. We approached this task transparently and actively sought feedback from community organizations. Yet, despite our best intentions and efforts, certain groups, including the Latino Education Coalition, labeled our maps as racially biased. They did this in an attempt to keep certain Board members in “safe districts.” I, along with Directors Esserman and Quattlebaum, disagreed with this process because we should not be drawing lines to benefit incumbents; that is a form of gerrymandering. I want to assure you all that there was never any intention or design on our part to sideline any community or group. My goal has always been to represent the diverse voices of Denver fairly.

It’s essential for everyone to know that the two districts (Districts 2 & 4) currently under significant scrutiny for non-compliance are not part of the 2023 election. The decision to delay the redistricting process was made to prioritize fairness and compliance.

The threats of a lawsuit to challenge the election in an attempt to overturn our free and fair election by some draws parallels to the misleading narratives of the 2020 Presidential election, famously termed the “Big Lie.” We as a country have been here before; when individuals do not like the outcome of an election, they challenge it and cast doubt on our electoral process. This ultimately led to the domestic terrorist attack on the United States Capitol on January 6th, 2021. We are better than that in Denver.

I want to assure everyone that we are following a process that was clearly laid out to us a decade ago by the reform-backed Board of Education when the Board had to redistrict after the 2010 census.

My primary focus remains on the education, safety, and welfare of our students. Any attempts to undermine or sow distrust in our election process distract from this primary objective. I urge our community to get out and vote to ensure that we have a School Board that will continue the good work we began four years ago.

In Solidarity,

Auon’tai Anderson, Vice President of the Denver School Board