TJ and South High school’s student leadership collaboratively host the DPS Board Candidate Forum
Photo by Becca Hansen
On Tuesday September 27, TJ Senior Leadership Class and the South High Student Senate leaders worked with several sponsoring organizations to put together and present the 2011 DPS Board Candidate Forum.
The forum, with nearly 200 members from the Southeast Denver area in attendance, featured three different discussions including: a debate for the DPS School Board seat, a presentation from the Denver League of Women Voters, and a debate between the candidates for the At-Large seat.
Anne Rowe and Emily Sirota, the two candidates competing for the DPS School Board seat, came to the forum to discuss current issues within DPS such as budget cuts and class sizes. Questions were accepted and asked to the candidates from a mediator, from the audience, as well as from Students in Jon Poole’s
Photo by Becca Hansen
Leadership Class and students from South High’s Student Senate. The candidates were given an equal, timed increment to answer the question. The discussion featured several longer questions in which candidates were given a few minutes to answer a question and also included a lightning round that allotted candidates ten seconds to answer the question.
A short intermission separated the two debates. A presentation from the Denver League of Women Voters filled the break that was designed to inform voters about the State Amendment proposal to eliminate Tabor and the Denver initiative to give paid family sick leave.
After the break Happy Haynes, Frank Deserino, Roger Kilgore, and Jackie Shumway gathered on stage to begin the debate for the At-Large seat. This discussion proceeded much like the first, following the same question and answer format. Candidates discussed relevant DPS and urban school issues, such policies implemented in DPS, and how to raise test scores. “The question I read to the candidates had to do with athletics and extracurricular activities budgets being cut. I thought it was relevant to the debate and to me, because I am a student athlete within DPS and this issue directly impacts me,” said Leadership Student Mitchell Moore.
Photo by Becca Hansen
The forum was sponsored and organized by the group of student leaders from both schools in addition to the Denver League of Women Voters, the Partnership for Southeast Denver Schools led by Kendra Black, South High PTA and TJ Partners, and INC (Denver Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation). “I thought my Leadership students did well. They got quite a few comments from members within the community, parents, as well as from several candidates,” said Leadership Teacher Jon Poole.
