Education for Every Child

The Problem

Denver’s education system reproduces inequality instead of addressing it. Low-income neighborhoods have under-resourced schools. Teachers can’t afford to live in the city where they teach. Charter school expansion has siphoned public money to private operators. And thousands of Denver children lack access to pre-K, after-school programs, and school meals.

• Denver teachers’ average salary: ~$58K. Denver median rent requires ~$55K just for housing. Teachers are leaving.
• DPS has pushed aggressive charter expansion, diverting per-pupil funding from traditional public schools
• After-school programs are concentrated in wealthy neighborhoods
• Food insecurity affects 1 in 4 Denver children (Hunger Free Colorado, 2023)

What Denver Currently Does

Colorado passed Proposition EE (2020) and created the Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC), which now provides Universal Pre-K for 4-year-olds (15 hours/week, with additional hours for qualifying families). This is a significant start, but it covers 4-year-olds only, is part-day for most families, and does not address the full-day, full-year need of working parents. Our proposal expands to include 3-year-olds and provides full-day coverage.

DPS enrolls approximately 90,000 students across 200+ schools, including approximately 60 charter schools (DPS Annual Report, 2024). The district has pursued aggressive portfolio management, closing underperforming schools and expanding charters, with mixed results. Teacher turnover in DPS remains high. A 2023 Denver Classroom Teachers Association survey found 40%+ of teachers considered leaving within 2 years, with housing costs as the primary reason.

Our Solution

1. Universal Pre-K (City-Funded)

• Free, full-day pre-K for every Denver 3- and 4-year-old
• No income qualification - universal access
• Located in public schools and community centers
• Living wage for pre-K teachers (at parity with K-12)
• Curriculum: play-based, developmentally appropriate, bilingual options

2. Free School Meals for All

• Universal free breakfast and lunch for all DPS students, regardless of family income
• Eliminates stigma of “free lunch” identification
• Sourced from local farms when possible
• Summer meal programs at all community centers

3. After-School Programs in Every Neighborhood

• City-funded after-school programs at every DPS elementary and middle school
• Arts, sports, tutoring, coding, and music: well-rounded enrichment, well beyond test prep
• Free for all students, operating until 6 PM
• Staffed by trained youth workers at living wages

4. Teacher Housing Assistance

• Dedicated affordable housing units for DPS teachers (via Social Housing Authority)
• Down payment assistance for teachers buying in Denver
• Housing stipend for teachers in high-need schools
• Goal: every teacher who works in Denver can afford to live in Denver

5. Anti-Privatization

• Moratorium on new charter school approvals until DPS facilities are fully funded
• Require charter schools to accept all students (including special education and English Language Learners) at the same rate as district schools
• Full financial transparency for all charter operators
• Close charters that underperform comparable district schools
• Redirect charter management fees to classroom investment

6. Community Schools Model

• Convert 20 high-need schools to full-service community schools
• Wrap-around services on-site: health clinic, food pantry, parent education, legal aid, social workers
• Schools that serve as community hubs for the whole neighborhood

International Evidence: What Great Education Looks Like

The pattern: Every country with great education has: (1) equal funding, (2) well-paid teachers, (3) universal free meals, (4) strong pre-K, and (5) no privatization of the public system. None of the top-performing education systems on international assessments (OECD PISA, TIMSS) are built on charter school or market competition models. The American experiment with school privatization has no international evidence supporting it.

Finland’s lesson for Denver: Finland’s education revolution started with a simple principle: every child deserves a great school in their neighborhood. They didn’t create “school choice” - they made every school excellent. That’s our model.

How We Pay For It

• Universal Pre-K: $40-50M/year (city bonds + federal Pre-K funds)
• Free meals: $15-20M/year (partially offset by federal reimbursement)
• After-school: $20-25M/year
• Teacher housing: Integrated into Social Housing Authority budget
• Community schools: $10-15M/year (with federal Community Schools grants)
• Total: $85-110M/year. Significant, but Denver’s budget is $1.6B+

Frequently Asked Questions

“Isn’t education a state/district issue, not a city issue?” Denver is a consolidated city-county, and DPS operates within it. The city can fund pre-K, after-school, and community schools independently of DPS. The city also controls housing, which directly affects teacher retention.

“Charter schools give parents choice.” Choice without equity is just sorting. When charter schools can reject difficult students and traditional public schools cannot, the comparison is rigged. Fund all schools equally first, then talk about choice.

“Doesn’t Colorado already have Universal Pre-K?” Yes. Colorado’s CDEC provides 15 hours/week of Pre-K for 4-year-olds, which is a strong foundation. Our proposal builds on it: extending to 3-year-olds, providing full-day coverage (beyond the current 15 hours/week), and ensuring Pre-K teachers earn living wages at parity with K-12. The state program is a start. We finish the job.

References

• Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC). Universal Pre-K enrollment and program data.
• DPS Annual Report. (2024). Enrollment, charter school count, per-pupil funding.
• Denver Classroom Teachers Association. (2023). Teacher retention and housing survey.
• Hunger Free Colorado. (2023). Child food insecurity estimates for Denver.
• National Center for Education Statistics. DPS salary and staffing data.
• OECD PISA Rankings. International education comparison data.
• Sahlberg, P. “Finnish Lessons.” (Finland education reform evidence.)