Tonight, the Board of Education announced the next steps in its search for a new superintendent, including the first public meetings to gather input from the community.

"We are committed to finding the best, most qualified candidate to lead the district," said Board Member Carrie Olson. "We want to meet with as many students and educators, school communities, community organizations, nonprofits and business leaders, registered neighborhood  organizations and faith groups  as possible. We want to hear from you and we value your input." 

Over the past month, the board has begun seeking out community input on the experiences, qualities and qualifications the next superintendent should have. 

The board reiterated its commitment to engage with the community guided by four key questions:

• What are your thoughts regarding the current state of DPS and its direction?
• What are your hopes for the future of DPS?
• What are the characteristics you'd like to see in the next superintendent? 
• Is there anything else you would like to share with the Denver Board of Education?

The community engagement will happen in four primary ways:

Small Stakeholder Meetings

The board has already held 17 meetings with small stakeholder groups thus far, and has 29 meetings scheduled over the next two weeks. More small group meetings are being scheduled, along with larger regional meetings. Any small group or individual who would like to meet with the board can email [email protected] to request a meeting. 

Regional Meetings

In an effort to hear from the broader community, the board announced the first six large regional meetings:

• Tuesday, Sept. 4 at Abraham Lincoln High School
• Wednesday, Sept. 5 at John F. Kennedy High School
• Tuesday, Sept. 11 at Denver School of the Arts
• Wednesday, Sept. 12 at George Washington High School
• Thursday, Sept. 13 at Thomas Jefferson High School
• Tuesday, Sept .18 at the Evie Dennis Campus

Additional dates are being confirmed in Green Valley Each, Montbello, Near Northeast and Central, West and Northwest regions. Dates, times and locations will be posted at supersearch.dpsk12.org. Updates will be sent to those who have signed up through the website, as well as shared on social media and via invitations to school communities. Everyone is welcome at these meetings, not just those attending the particular schools.

Survey

In an effort to provide greater access to those who are not able to meet with the board in person or attend one of the regional meetings, the board will be opening a survey to anyone who wishes to participate. The board thanked the community for its patience while it works to develop a high-quality, culturally-accessible and short survey in consultation with experts in the community. The survey will be shared widely, including on the supersearch.dpsk12.org website and district social media.

Emails and Public Comment

As always, the board receives emails via [email protected] (which is forwarded to all board members' individual email addresses), as well as [email protected]. The board encouraged everyone to share their perspectives through these emails at any time. 

Further, the board encouraged community members to sign up to speak during public comment at one of the regularly scheduled board meetings (including tonight and Thursday, Sept. 20) or at a special public comment session the board has scheduled specifically to obtain feedback on the superintendent search on Monday, Sept. 10. You can find the board meeting schedules at board.dpsk12.org.