Author: Paula Noonan

Podcasters beware. You may want to keep your inner thoughts to yourself. When you share them, someone may be listening. Alan Gottlieb of Boardhawk and former publisher of the education journal Chalkbeat, and his sidekick, Alexis Menocal Harrigan, have produced podcasts on the current Denver Public School board elections. Despite Gottlieb’s background as a journalist,…

Smoke gets in your eyes when our leaders blow wildfire blasts to deflect from unhappy truths. Our public education foundations are ablaze, and too many of our public education policy leaders are fanning the flames. School board elections are some of the most important in our democracy. This timing offers an opportunity to put out…

Emergency! Emergency! Nightmares with Colorado medical care! Even with health insurance, patients experience delays, postponements and stays in overnight overflow rooms at hospitals. MRI and other imaging procedures are scheduled weeks out as undiagnosed patients live with their symptoms. What’s going on? First, Coloradans should try to stay healthy. Second, the people delivering care are,…

Educate Denver, a self-appointed Denver Public Schools Debbie Downer group that rarely finds anything positive in public education in Denver’s schools, has produced a “nuanced” commentary on DPS’s 2025 academic performance. The authors, prominent Denverites, counter remarks from the school district that celebrate its hard-earned achievement of “green,” or accredited district status. Rob Stein, retired…

Autumn is always welcome. The heat drops but it’s still warm; trees brighten but the leaves hold; tomatoes redden and late garden greens come up. In odd years like 2025, fall also means school board elections which have turned into brawls in certain parts of the state. Denver Public Schools’ board elections are always contentious.…