April 13, 2018
An Extraordinary Donation to Help Our Educators Purchase a Home 
"We want great educators to have the ability to begin to build their roots or to continue to call Denver their home. Engaged and committed teachers make a positive, long-term impact on our community."
Dear Team DPS,
Supt. Tom Boasberg 
We are excited to announce a very generous $5 million donation to help our educators deal with the high and rising cost of housing in Denver. It is an important step forward to help our educators meet a pressing need.
While state funding for education has painfully failed to keep up with inflation over the last decade, the cost of housing in places like Denver has been skyrocketing, placing home ownership out of reach for many of our educators.
We are therefore very grateful that Ben and Lucy Ana Walton and their Zoma Foundation have generously donated $5 million specifically to help educators in the Denver Public Schools purchase homes, in partnership with San Francisco-based startup Landed .
"Denver is a tremendous community in which to raise our children," said Zoma Foundation co-founder Ben Walton. "We want great educators to have the ability to begin to build their roots or to continue to call Denver their home. Engaged and committed teachers make a positive, long-term impact on our community."
The opportunity provides half of the 20% down payment on a home, up to $70,000 per household, to be paid back in the future. It's available to all full-time employees who have been with DPS at least two years.
 
Watch DPS News Now to learn more about DPS' partnership with Landed. And watch it in Spanish here. 
Teacher Jozi Martinez spoke of her excitement about the program at a launch event held at Denver School of Innovation and Sustainable Design (DSISD). "I've been a teacher for 10 years and am a seventh-generation Coloradan. I currently own a home in Arvada and dream of the day I can purchase a home with a Denver ZIP code."
Under the program, no DPS funding is required. And, any proceeds that the Landed-Zoma partnership receives from the future sale of homes go into a revolving fund to help more educators purchase homes in the future. We're excited to be the first district outside of California to welcome Landed. 

As grateful as we are for the donation, we know it is only one small piece of a much larger and very challenging financial puzzle. Above all, we need to continue to advocate for greater state funding for education to support our kids and compensate our professionals. And, at the same time, it is essential that we continue to think outside the box and explore innovative opportunities for our educators to obtain housing. I am grateful to School Board Member Lisa Flores and the entire board for their leadership on this issue.

Finally, we need to continue work with the city on providing affordable housing for our educators -- and all our DPS families -- who are not able to keep up with rising costs, as the Strengthening Neighborhoods Committee so strongly recommended. Affordable housing and great schools go together.
 
Best,
Tom  

Pictured above: On Thursday, DPS joined Zoma Foundation co-founder Ben Walton to announce their partnership with Landed to assist DPS educators in the home-buying process.  
Summer Academy Boosts Student Literacy
 
With just under two months to go until summer break, ECE students at Escuela Valdez in northwest Denver are still just as excited about reading as they were on day one. "I love the community," said Valdez ECE teacher Alejandra Duflos. "They love learning, so that's the best part. And families are very engaged and always present."

That engagement is one of the reasons Duflos expects to see nearly every one of her ECE students at DPS Summer Academy, which begins in June. The program is for kids learning English, as well as for English speakers who could use more time working on foundational skills in literacy. "It's an opportunity for them to learn, make progress and gain confidence in their ability to achieve whatever they want during next school year," Duflos said.

Watch our DPS Features video on how DPS Summer Academy helps students make strides toward reading at grade level. The deadline to register for Summer Academy is April 20. To register, visit ela.dpsk12.org/summer-academy.
Deputy Superintendent Susana Cordova Recognized as a "Leader to Learn From"
Deputy Superintendent Susana Cordova accepting her Leader to Learn From award. 
Earlier this year, Deputy Superintendent Susana Cordova was identified as a 2018 Leader to Learn From by the national journal Education Week. This week, she traveled to Washington D.C. for the Education Week Leaders to Learn From Award Ceremony.

Each year, Education Week identifies some of the nation's most exceptional school district leaders in its Leaders To Learn From report and shines a spotlight on their extraordinary impact on the success of educators and students.
 
Susana was honored for her leadership in equity. She was recognized for her positive impact throughout Denver Public Schools and most importantly, for being a "perpetual fighter looking out for all kids." Congratulations, Susana!

Click here to learn more about Susana's fight for equity in DPS and watch a highlight video.
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