Board Passes Black Excellence Resolution

Feb. 23, 2019

On Thursday February 21, the Denver Board of Education voted to pass the Black Excellence Resolution, officially embracing the excellence of black and African-American students and prioritizing and targeting their academic achievement.

“I want to recognize the beauty, diversity, strength and passion for black and African-American students of the organizations and people who worked with us not only on the resolution, but also on language and ideas to guide the leadership through this,” said Board Member Jennifer Bacon.

The board also directed Superintendent Susana Cordova to create a plan that will utilize the tools, systems, resources and talent that exist within our district and community — and increase the investment of students and their families in their own successes — by focusing on three main areas of work over the next three years:

School-level: Prioritize black student success
Districtwide: Be a district that is community driven and expertly supported
Central Office: Be equitable by design

Board Member Happy Haynes noted, “We stand on the shoulders of a lot of people in our community, who have each taken their turn to push this very heavy boulder up the hill. And tonight, we have a lot of people joining us. It’s still an uphill journey, and it’s not going to be easy. But I feel the weight lifted from the fact that so many others have joined us.”

Superintendent Cordova will present her plan to the board by May 31, 2019. The board also indicated that the plan must be ready to implement by the start of the 2019-20 school year.