2013-05-18T22:10:14-04:00 Emily Sirota http://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/index.php?author=emily-sirota Copyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Emily Sirota Good old fashioned elbow grease. tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.927234 2011-08-16T17:26:18-04:00 2011-10-16T05:12:01-04:00

Emily Sirota http://www.huffingtonpost.com/emily-sirota/ halted Douglas County's attempt to use vouchers to divert already-depleted public school resources into private schools. In the decision, the judge derided "[t]he prospect of having millions of dollars of public school funding diverted to private schools, many of which are religious and lie outside of the Douglas County School District."

While those of us who have been working for stronger public schools should be thrilled about this ruling, we should also be concerned that this is only the beginning of the larger effort here in Colorado to destroy public education. I say that because one of the key Manhattan-based groups that has been pushing vouchers, "Democrats for Education Reform," announced this week that it is specifically trying to defeat me in 2011 and instead elect its hand-picked slate of candidates to take over the Denver Public School board.

This front group, which the Washington Post says is financed "largely by hedge fund managers" on Wall Street, celebrates on its website "the revival of the private school voucher movement." Likewise, one of the group's founding hedge funders publicly champions vouchers, and the group has explicitly promoted candidates who push vouchers. And perhaps most troubling of all, the group's Colorado affiliate is advised by an outspoken advocate for vouchers who also runs a local education policy organization my opponent co-chaired.

So while the Douglas County ruling against vouchers is great news, the bad news is that we may face a similar attempt to undermine our public schools right here in Denver if the pro-voucher forces are successful in defeating our campaign and electing their slate in November.

I believe we need to invest more in our public school system, not less -- and, as a candidate for Denver Public School Board in the upcoming 2011 elections, I believe we need new Denver School Board members who are crystal clear in their opposition to vouchers.

Make no mistake about it: my longtime opposition to vouchers has always been driven by the cold hard data. In other words, it comes in response to what we know vouchers will do to our community, and what they have already done to other communities.

Today, Colorado ranks near the bottom of the nation in terms of funding its public schools, and our legislature just enacted yet another massive cut to K-12 education. That means a new voucher scheme's further reductions to public school resources would be catastrophic. Think: even larger class sizes, fewer teaching resources, crumbling school buildings and ultimately, even worse results than the already abominable 51.8 percent graduation rate at DPS.

Additionally, we know that vouchers do not work to improve overall student achievement. Only a few months ago, the Wisconsin State Journal reported that test results from Milwaukee's voucher system definitively show "voucher students performing 'similar or worse'" than students in public schools. Meanwhile, the system is now facing calls for a federal investigation into accusations that it is aggressively discriminating against children with learning disabilities.

This is exactly what we do not need in a Denver Public School system already in crisis, and I pledge to fight against this and any other failed scheme that hides yet more anti-education policies under the guise of "reform."

We need school board members who are serious about reinvesting in our neighborhood schools and who will reject the same old excuses from a DPS administration that has driven our schools into a crisis.

That's what my candidacy represents -- and I hope you'll join my campaign at www.sirotaforschools.com.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.916383 2011-08-02T16:12:55-04:00 2011-10-02T05:12:02-04:00

Emily Sirota http://www.huffingtonpost.com/emily-sirota/
As I've spent my summer talking to voters here in Southeast Denver as a candidate for Denver School Board in District 1, I am encouraged to see that, despite all the sound and fury, most people are looking for the basics: they want better schools and they want a local school board that maintains independence from the Denver Public School administration to focus on pushing the system in the right direction.

Right now, the 51.8% graduation rate in DPS is simply appalling. Same thing for the remediation rate -- more than half of graduating DPS seniors now need remedial courses when they reach college, and the Denver Post reports that remediation rates are on a steady rise in Denver Public Schools. It's no surprise that in light of that number, a recent poll found fewer than a third of all Denver voters now have a positive view of DPS.

Put simply, we are facing an education emergency in Denver and people clearly want new school board leaders who haven't been a part of the problem. They want a school board member who brings new ideas and new experience to the table.

It's time to start prioritizing our parents' concerns, not the special interests of professional politicians. It's time to address our children's needs, rather than playing politics. It's time for a school board that listens and that has the independence and courage to push the right kinds of changes in DPS -- the kind of changes that involve the whole community and don't just make more excuses for failure.

This is why I'm running for the school board in District 1 -- because I'm a concerned parent who is sick of the DPS administration's canned excuses and who knows it's time for change.

I'll be the first to admit to you that I'm not a candidate who represents the DPS status quo -- I come to this race with a different kind of experience than those insiders who seek to keep making excuses for failure.

I've been a community organizer here in Denver and I also worked at the state and federal level for a governor, a congressman and a senator. In each of these roles, it's been my job to involve the broader community in making real change.

Already, our campaign has been gaining steam -- over the last month, I've met hundreds of voters, our campaign has signed up scores of campaign volunteers at our website www.sirotaforschools.com, we've received terrific grassroots fundraising support, and our campaign has been endorsed by State Rep. Joe Miklosi, City council president Chris Nevitt and State Sen. Evie Hudak.

Though I've been knocking on doors and walking neighborhoods all summer, we are officially kicking off our campaign on August 14th from 1 to 4pm at a picnic in Cook Park at Monaco and Cherry Creek Drive. I hope you'll join us. It's time for change. It's time for a leader who listens.]]>