Marlene De La Rosa, a staple in the Denver Public Schools community, has her our eyes on higher pay for teachers, closing the gap between students of color and white students on tests, and diversifying the teacher workforce.
De La Rosa, who has served on school committees, district, citywide committees, and more, was elected to the Denver Board of Education this past November. The board is the policy making body for Denver Public Schools, Colorado’s largest school district.
De La Rosa’s journey in advocacy for Denver Public Schools began when her twins, who are now grown adults, were in preschool. She is known for her advocacy work for Latino parents and students and previously worked full time as an immigration court specialist for the U.S. Department of Justice.
De La Rosa’s campaign focused on working together in partnership and collaboration to create a better school experience for Denver Public Schools students. When her children were in school, De La Rosa worked to get parents more involved in their children’s education by organizing opportunities for parents to understand the teaching frame-work in Denver Public Schools, according to her website. She also advocates for hiring diverse teachers and staff.
Studies show that students, especially those from minority backgrounds, benefit from having teachers who share their race or ethnicity. This usually leads to improved test scores, higher graduation rates, and increased college aspirations when taught by diverse educators, according to research from the National School Boards Association. Diverse teachers can also draw on their own cultural experiences and understanding to make learning more relatable and engaging for students from different backgrounds. This leads to better comprehension, deeper engagement, and higher academic achievement, according to research from Learning Disabilities Association of America.
School safety is also at the top of De La Rosa’s agenda. Recently, Denver Public Schools approved a new safety and security plan that included a choice to have school resource officers return to schools. De La Rosa believes it is important for the board to continue to monitor the safety and security plan so that it meets the needs of students, school staff and families.
During the election process, De La Rosa was supported by several leaders and organizations, including Denver Mayor Mike Johnson, State Senator Julie Gonzalez, Denver Councilwoman Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez, and Denver Families Action, a political arm of the organization Denver Families for Public Schools.
Outside of her work in the schools, De La Rosa serves as a mayoral appointee to the Denver Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and the Denver Latino Commission. She also helped to establish LatiniasGive!, an organization that gives small grants to other organizations that serve the Latino community.
De La Rosa defeated Charmaine Lindsay, an incumbent, in the 2023 Denver Board of Education election.
