AP Photo/David Zalubowski
Empty halls as students work on a laptops in a nearby classroom in Newlon Elementary School early Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, which is one of 55 Discovery Link sites set up by Denver Public Schools where students are participating in remote learning in this time of the new coronavirus from a school in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) 
Five people have applied to fill a seat on the Denver school board, which becomes vacant when director Brad Laurvick leaves next month.
Laurvick, a pastor, resigned after he was appointed to First United Methodist Church in Fort Collins. His last day serving on the school board will be June 9, according to Denver Public School’s website.
The remaining school board members will publicly interview the five finalists for his seat during a special meeting on May 26. Laurvick’s replacement will serve until the 2023 elections.
The five candidates for the vacant seat, which represents northwest Denver, are:
- Adeel Khan, the founding principal of DSST: Conservatory Green High School, a charter school in Denver. He said during a recent candidate forum that he is a son of Pakistani immigrants, grew up in public schools and was on free-and-reduced lunch. “I understand the struggle of many in our community,” he said. “I also understand students of color all across Denver have been misserved over decades.”
- Julie Bañuelos, a former bilingual teacher, said she was a teacher for DPS for 16 years, is a trained Montessori educator and has taught in mostly dual-language schools. “I also feel that DPS continually underrepresents my community,” she said when asked why she wants to join the board. “Until we are able to really demonstrate as a district and serve the students that are the most vulnerable then we will (not) have really made transformational change.”
- Charmaine Lindsay, an attorney with experience in family law, said she is a mediator and supports restorative justice. “I want to try to bring those kinds of solutions as opposed to just massively suspending kids in the schools.”
- David Diaz, a former math teacher for DPS, said he applied for the board vacancy because he believes in “strong neighborhood schools.” “I believe in lifelong learning,” he said. “I believe in learning from others. Those that look like us and those that don’t.”
- Leonard “Leo” Darnell, an assistant dean at the University of Colorado Denver, said he also leads a mentor program that teaches high school students about architecture, construction and engineering. “I understand projected enrollment for DPS is on the decline,” he said, adding, “I think there are better solutions out there than consolidation.”
