The Vacancy …
Last night the Denver School Board voted to appoint Director-Elect Charmaine Lindsay to the Denver Public Schools Board of Education. This appointment will be for the remainder of Former Director Brad Laurvick’s term ending in November 2023. I approached this vacancy process with a few lenses, one as an incumbent School Board Director and Vice-President of the Board and the other as the father to an Afro-Latino child.
Being the father of an Afro-Latino child allows me to view this process through an intersectional lens. I want my son to be able to go to school in a school district where the Board of Education is focused on his ability to read instead of how many policies they can pass within sixty days. We must be able to differentiate how to be a good candidate for public office and how to be an effective elected official.
In 2019 the voters of Northwest Denver elected Former Director Brad Laurvick. He earned the support of the Working Families Party, the Denver Classroom Teachers Association, and prominent Latino elected officials from Northwest Denver. The voters made a decision, and while it was a very close race, the voters ultimately elected Former Director Laurvick.
When Director Laurvick announced his resignation, I, like my other colleagues, became deeply stressed about how to create a vacancy process that could take place in a timely manner to ensure district five was never lacking their voice on the Denver School Board. We wanted to ensure someone was able to pick up where Former Director Laurvick left off.
The Board of Education, under the direction of President Xochitl Gaytan, entrusted Dr. Carrie A. Olson and me to create a vacancy process that was transparent, timely, and efficient. Per state statute, the Board of Education is charged with filing a vacancy, and if they fail to do so, the President has the power to appoint someone after sixty days. Within a week, we did just that; we presented the proposed process at the April 7th work session, unanimously adopted by the Board of Education. Over the next few weeks, we held a community forum at CEC Early College to solicit feedback from those that reside in District five; we had public interviews and the opportunity to share our reflections as a Board of Education with one another in a public setting.
A series of applicants emerged, and each of them brought something different to the table. This field included a former teacher, a former principal, a lawyer, and a Dean of a state college. I believe there is always room for new voices on the School Board. Currently, the Board of Education has four former DPS employees, a business owner, and a former architect. It was indeed a hard decision to decide which one would be the best fit for what the Board of Education needs at this moment.
Over the last few months, Board members have received immense pressure to support various applicants, one more so than the others. I wholeheartedly believe in representation, thus why I supported the candidacy of a former educator who identifies as Latina and LGBTQIA + over the white men she ran against in 2017 & 2019. Unfortunately, however, it has become clear this candidate has chosen vitriolic politics in the time since her previous runs for office.
Last year my life was upended by a series of unsubstantiated allegations from a singular white woman, and the Denver Public Schools community was deeply divided. Over the course of this year, I wasn’t the only one impacted. My mother was confronted in several grocery stores, my then 11-year-old sister was threatened to be sexually assaulted, and my son, who was less than a year old throughout 2021, had his life threatened numerous times. No parent should ever fear if their infant child will be murdered because people believed the lie of a singular white woman. However one applicant not only believed this lie, they actively perpetuated it. So during this process, I had concerns about the ability of this individual to be a true advocate for Black students when they were actively involved in pushing an anti-Black lie against me. My concerns were further validated when this individual confronted the sole Black woman on the Denver School Board, challenging her commitment to all students because she does not speak Spanish.
After much prayer and consideration, I could not bring myself to vote for this individual to serve on the Denver School Board. Furthermore, I was disappointed in two of my colleagues that attempted to gaslight me and tell me indirectly that I should get over it. It was hypocritical for Director Scott Baldermann to encourage restorative justice when he denied my request for that space to heal after the attempted cyber-lynching of 2021. Last night I had to relive one of the most traumatic times of my life. It was utterly heartbreaking for President Gaytan to dismiss my trauma as I said to the President last night, this could have been one of her sons. Some in our community have echoed her sentiments, but it is easy for someone that has never walked a block, let alone a mile, in my shoes to dismiss my trauma. As I have since 2021, I welcome the opportunity for meaningful and authentic restorative justice conversations from anyone.
After nine rounds of voting, the Denver School Board voted 4–2 to appoint Director-Elect Charmaine Lindsay. I voted for two different candidates last night because I believe in their ability to bring a deeply divided School Board together with their lived and professional experiences. Adeel Khan brought us the voice of a school leader at a time when we needed it the most; the School Board passed a controversial executive limitation when over 80% of school leaders opposed it. Adeel could have helped put us on a path to understanding the voices that have often been overlooked and ignored. Charmaine Lindsay brought us the lived experience of someone who understands what it is like to be a parent of Black children and grandchildren with decades of service to the Black community through the My Brothers and Sisters Keeper of Colorado organization. She also brings the experience of someone who is a professional mediator, something this Board needs at this critical time.
I believe District Five’s voters should determine their own collective values. In seventeen months, they will have the opportunity to vote for a new representative to serve them on the Denver School Board. I look forward to continuing to represent the voters of District Five as one of their At-Large members and connecting with them on my re-election campaign. I acknowledge this decision has caused a mix of emotions throughout the Denver Public Schools, but now it is time for us to support Director-Elect Lindsay and get back to ensuring all students thrive regardless of where they go to school or what neighborhood they live in.
