With Denver set to change leadership in the coming days, some residents are asking the city government to step up its involvement in public education. 

Dozens of Denverites met Wednesday evening to discuss local education and the future of the city’s partnership with Denver Public Schools. This was the latest of Mayor-elect Mike Johnston’s 28 public forums collecting community feedback to develop the priorities for his first 100 days in office. 

The crowd of around 70 people included a handful of DPS representatives and members of Johnston’s Education Committee, but the bulk of attendees were parents and former students. Across all of the different groups, one message was loud and clear: Denver must do more to support its schools. 

“I’ve been working in education a long time … the mayor’s office has not been present. The city has not been present,” said one DPS employee who asked to remain anonymous. “When you ask what can be done, it’s pretty much everything because there has been nothing. … We’ve missed a lot of opportunities to support our families and our kids because there’s been such an absence of the city’s presence.” 

Forum attendees called on Johnston’s incoming administration to meet with DPS regularly and provide more tangible support. On top of increasing general education funding, residents suggested providing free public transportation, recreation centers, before and after school care, and mental health resources for Denver students. 

The concern for students’ mental health was especially poignant. The forum was held at Carla Madison Rec Center, next door to East High School where three shootings occurred during the 2022-23 school year, resulting in the deaths of two students and the injuries of at least one student and two staff members. 

“Mental health supports are critical,” said Deronn Turner, a mother of one current and three former DPS students. “The incident that happened at East … it’s a shame that, as a society, instead of looking at the deep trauma that child must have sustained and what they did, instead we criminalize children. We have to stop doing that.” 

Some speakers proposed the removal of police officers from schools, while others recommended a specialized emergency response system akin to Denver’s STAR program to reduce direct law enforcement involvement. 

Much of Wednesday’s conversation also revolved around setting students up for success after they leave school. Forum attendees said the city and its various departments should partner with DPS to teach students about city jobs and how they can enter those fields. They asked for city-sponsored apprenticeships and scholarships, particularly for students entering trade schools. 

“Colorado is one of the most educated states in the nation and it is talent that is not from our own state,” Ashley Martinez said. “We do not provide what students need to be able to educate themselves and to be able to take the path they want to after they leave our school systems.”

Larger-scale suggestions included housing homeless students, providing housing subsidies or vouchers for teachers, and funding child care for teachers and students’ families.  

In addition to the group discussions, Wednesday’s participants submitted written answers to three questions regarding the city’s partnership with DPS and how they’d like to see it change. The answers and discussions will be made into a report to be sent to Johnston. 

“It’s time for some action,” said state Sen. James Coleman, co-chair of Johnston’s Education Committee. “This is not where the conversation ends.” 

Four more public forums will be held before Johnston takes office Monday, with topics including transportation, arts, housing and homelessness. A schedule of each forum is available at vibrantdenver.com/public-forums.