This letter is adapted from a message Northwest Denver mom Karin Ahern recently sent to her friends and neighbors.

Hello Northwest Denver friends,

It’s election time and all the ballots for the school board race are here. As many of you know, I have been very involved with the parent group Northwest Neighborhood Middle Schools NOW! Our group has worked to support and market Skinner as the neighborhood go-to Middle School that is academically, culturally and economically diverse.

Arturo Jimenez has been significant with his support of Skinner and so many other school programs in NW Denver.

I am writing to you today to ask you to to re-elect Arturo Jimenez as our school board member.

Arturo is a thoughtful, smart school board member who has done a good job of balancing the very diverse interests and voices in our community.

He has been instrumental in a number of the accomplishments in this district that DPS has publicized over the last year:

• The resurgence of Skinner Middle School as a great neighborhood middle school that is attracting enrollment and increasing performance. (My daughter is currently attending Skinner and thriving)
• Increased academic achievement for all northwest Denver middle schools
• The bond project at North High, creating a beautifully renovated high school in our community (and one in which Arturo is committed to making the academics as strong as the school is beautiful)

And, Arturo has been a starting point for the Northwest Community Committee that has worked with myriad members of the community: teachers, parents, community members and administrators to help move Northwest school forward.

You may hear Arturo is against reform. Nothing could be further from the truth. Please keep in mind that Arturo has grown up in NW Denver, has his children at Sandoval School, and has worked hard for children and families in this community. Also keep in mind that Arturo is running a neighborhood race – a grassroots campaign. His opponent is running a race with outside interests pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into a neighborhood campaign. As a community, we should question why so much money is being poured into this race against someone who has been such a strong representative of the community’s and families’ voices on the board of education.

I am supporting Arturo because in spite of the myriad challenges that come up in such a diverse community, Arturo has successfully navigated solutions that are working for children and parents.

Please cast your vote for Arturo Jimenez this week.

Sincerely,
Karin Ahern

Former Denver Fire Chief and community leader Rich Gonzales recently shared his reasons for supporting this campaign with his friends and fellow leaders in Northwest Denver.

Now, more than ever before, school board elections may be the single most important elections in which we participate. The success or failure of Denver’s public school system will dictate the success or failure of our communities and our social, economical, and political viability.

The people we elect to the Denver School Board must have a sensitivity not only to parents, teachers, and the administration, but most importantly an undying commitment to the children of Denver. That is why I support the re-election of Arturo Jimenez to the school board to represent Northwest Denver and its children.

Arturo is a Denver native, a Denver Public School parent, and an involved and informed activist for children in Northwest Denver.

His long track record of involvement is a testament to his commitment to children and their educational success. In addition to his service as the current Vice President of the Denver School Board, Arturo has also served as the President of the Colorado Statewide Parent Coalition and as a Youth Employment Counselor at Servicios de la Raza. Combined with his business acumen and legal background, Arturo brings the kind of professional and personal expertise and experience we need to make the improvements that our children and our community deserve.

Arturo’s accomplishments as a member of the school board are the result of his willingness to support initiatives that have a track record of success and the support of the community.

For example:

• In 2008, Arturo pushed for the $454 million dollar bond initiative that was passed by the voters of Denver. $34 million of the bond funds went into the much-needed renovations at North High School.
• West High School’s new and innovative programs are a direct result of Arturo’s ability to listen, research, and collaborate with those who wanted a different school for their children. His ability to bring together parents, students, community leaders and teachers is a formula that can only mean success and one that should be copied by others on the school board too.
• All-day kindergarten, a proposition supported by Arturo, is now a reality in Denver Public Schools. This will help us create an educational foundation that will translate into future success for our children here in Northwest Denver.

If we are to see a bright and successful future for our public school system, it is extremely important that we elect individuals who will make a difference. We need people who have a track record of making sure we never forget that it’s about the students and their futures; someone who sees the future of DPS and has a plan to see it through; someone who will make us proud of our public school system.

That is why I think that Arturo Jimenez is the best choice for children, parents, and our community for Denver School Board. Return Arturo to the school board of Denver and return Denver to its greatness in public education.

Another Northwest Denver parent, Suzanne Leff, recently shared her support with her friends.

I’m writing today to express my support for Arturo Jimenez. As you know, Arturo is the current Denver Public Schools (“DPS”) Board of Education member who represents DPS District 5. You know this because you’re involved in your neighborhood and have worked to support the schools in our area of Denver (and you’ve seen the ballot that arrived in your mailbox last week). I have had the privilege of working with you on school issues or interacting with you through our personal relationship or our children’s friendship. I’m not always a vocal proponent of candidates during election season. But this year I urge you to cast your vote for Arturo Jimenez’s re-election. Here’s why I am voting for Arturo:

Arturo is connected to his community. Arturo knows his constituents. He actively engages parents and community members. He shares information about the issues and talks about his views on “hot button” topics. I have attended countless DPS meetings about our schools over the past four years. At these meetings, parents routinely tell me, “I wouldn’t have known about this meeting if Arturo hadn’t given me the information.”

Arturo empowers parents to create positive change in the schools. In fact, Arturo connected me with the other founding parents of Northwest Neighborhood Middle Schools NOW and encouraged us to work together to achieve our vision for a strong, integrated, socio-economically diverse neighborhood middle school that provides core academics and support courses for kids in grades 6 to 8.

Arturo balances the interests of his constituents. District 5 is the second-largest of the five districts of DPS and includes over 30 schools throughout the “Northwest Quadrant”. This Northwest Quadrant encompasses Highlands, portions of Swansea/Elyria, areas of the Baker neighborhood, parts of Lower Downtown, and Sun Valley, along with other neighborhoods. Arturo’s schools face very different challenges. While I know that Arturo will hear my concerns for my children and their schools, I also know that Arturo will not always advocate for policies and programs that look exactly like what I want. Over the past year, I have served as a community co-chairperson for the Northwest Community Committee (“NWCC”), which was formed primarily to strengthen alignment of schools in the North High School feeder pattern and consider needs for new options in Northwest Denver. This process has directly exposed me to the strong and varied viewpoints of Arturo’s constituents and has helped me understand the interests that Arturo must account for in his work as our representative. Arturo has continually pushed me to better account for underrepresented voices in the NWCC process. Throughout the NWCC’s work, I have seen first-hand how Arturo thoroughly considers the bigger picture and consistently supports decisions that give the most students what they need to succeed.

Arturo emphasizes equitable access to quality education. This past weekend I met a professor from the University of Denver who noticed an Arturo Jimenez campaign sign in a neighbor’s yard. Without any prompting, this new acquaintance said to me, “I met Mr. Jimenez recently when he spoke on a panel at DU. He is a big proponent of equity in education and has some great ideas.” Arturo’s voting record supports that professor’s impression of his values. Some of the more controversial votes that local media are citing in this election evidence Arturo’s commitment to equitable access to quality education. In particular, I know that Arturo approved two West Denver Prep (“WDP”) schools for District 5 and, in the process of the Board’s decision-making around the location of those schools, Arturo worked to protect educational opportunities for those thousands of other Northwest Denver students that WDP would not serve. As a result, students at schools like Skinner Middle School have received the necessary supports for improved academic achievement.

Arturo represents my foundational values for a democratic society. We all have our own reasons for getting involved in politics. My involvement arises from my commitment to a democrat ideal that balances a system of majority rule with minority rights. I want my children’s public education to cultivate critical thinking and foster civic participation. When selecting an elected leader to represent me with his or her vote, I look for the leader who will help me understand more about the complexities of a situation, look out for minority viewpoints, and make decisions that aren’t always easy or supported by popular opinion. Arturo Jimenez is that leader for me. I hope you, too, will support Arturo with your vote.

Respectfully,

Suzanne Leff
Mother of a 6th grader who is challenged and thriving at Skinner Middle School and a 1st grader who can’t wait to start Chess Club this week at Edison Elementary School

A few weeks ago, Jenny Davies-Schley shared a brief comment on why she’s supporting this campaign. Here, she gives a fuller explanation. This is adapted from a message she recently sent to her friends and neighbors.

I urge you to vote for Arturo Jimenez in the Denver Public Schools School Board election.  You should have received your ballot in the mail and if you haven’t made your decision in this race, let me tell you why I think Arturo should be re-elected to represent DPS District 5.

Commitment to Skinner and NOW
You probably know I was one of the founders of Northwest Neighborhood Middle Schools NOW to create a a strong, integrated, socio-economically diverse neighborhood middle school that provides core academics and support courses for kids in grades 6 to 8. You also know that we have that now in Skinner Middle School, where Sarah started as a 6th grader and is loving every minute of her academic, social, team sports and extracurricular life.

But did you know that it was Arturo who encouraged all of us NOW-ers to get together in the first place?  Many of the founders didn’t know each other when we first started working on middle school improvement/reform back in 2009 but after receiving calls from us about the same issue – where are the good middle schools in NW?! – he connected us so we could get this done for the neighborhood.  He was instrumental to guiding us through the grant process to secure funding for professional development for differentiated instruction to meet kids’ needs at all academic levels, honors curriculum development, arts expansion and transportation for kids having to cross I-70 and Federal Blvd, contributing to improved academic achievement.  And he still pops into our meetings from time to time to see how he can continue to help.

Creation of excellent feeder pattern schools
He’s demonstrated great leadership in other areas, including demanding a community process for developing a strategy for aligning schools in the North High School feeder pattern and considering needs for additional options in NW Denver, launching the Northwest Community Committee. Those of us engaged in elementary school improvement in the 1990′s and early 2000′s can feel good about the schools we built for younger children– Academia Sandoval, Edison, Brown, Beach Court, Valdez and others are great schools for our kids. Before we got involved…not so much.  Now we’ve created a great school at Skinner and Lake is coming along, too.  North is the next frontier. But Arturo knows creating excellent schools means we have to be intentional in creating a feeder pattern plan and implementing it with fidelity.  NWCC will help us get there.

Don’t believe the bogus allegations
Contrary to what you might hear, Arturo is not “anti-reform.”  He is pro-what-works-for-kids, including reforming schools so that they best meet the needs of the students.  For example, he did vote to approve two West Denver Prep schools for District 5 (one to ultimately move to North and the other proposed at Del Pueblo) but ended up tarred unfairly as “anti-WDP” when he didn’t approve two – Lake and the old Emerson Street School building geographically too close together. That was Arturo paying attention to creating a coherent feeder pattern when DPS wasn’t.  He supports choices as long as those don’t undermine the good work that’s already happening in schools.

Equity in Education
Finally, he is a big proponent of equity in education and that’s important to me.  Of course I want my kids to have the individual educational opportunities that are best for them.  But I also want EVERY child in the neighborhood to get what they need, too.  Arturo is committed to make decisions that aren’t always easy or supported by popular opinion, all in the name of doing what he thinks is right for all kids in the district.

If you’re on the fence, I encourage you to support Arturo Jimenez with your vote.