Core values on education:
Public education leads us all into economic stability.
Education creates confident, civic-minded leaders that will make a positive impact in their communities.
Equitably-funded public school education is a right for all.
Students from all communities, backgrounds, ethnicities should have a quality school to attend in the community they live in.
Teachers should have more growth opportunity, provided with a more secured master contract and financial support from the administration and the Board of Education of the school district they work in.
Parents and communities should also get involved and support their local schools.
Xochitl ‘Sochi’ Gaytan
I am a DPS parent of two sons, the older having graduated from DPS in 2015 and the younger currently attending a DPS middle school in District 2 near Harvey Park. My husband Jaime and I are products of DPS and we graduated from Lincoln High School. I earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Metropolitan State University of Denver. As a result of my education, I am now working in real estate representing working families in Southwest Denver. Harvey Park is the community I have chosen to live and work in, and it is also the neighborhood I have chosen to raise my sons in. I have had the great honor of serving as Secretary and President of the Harvey Park Community Organization for 5 years.
Being Mexican-born and now a proud naturalized U.S. Citizen, I lived the experience of being an undocumented child within DPS schools. I attended several elementary schools, one middle school and two high schools; Knapp, Valverde, Cheltenham, Valdez, Lake Middle School, North High School and Lincoln High School. Because of my parents’ poor education and low paying jobs, we were always looking for affordable rent options. As we moved around Denver, I quickly realized I had to learn how to socialize, make friends, adapt to new beginnings and learn to be accepting and empathetic to children from all communities. Being part of an under-served community, and living on the margins of society was a difficult experience for a child. However, as an adult I realize these experiences helped shape me into the empathetic, strong leader I am today.
My husband, Jaime and I bought our first home in Ruby Hill in Southwest Denver over 20 years ago.When we decided to move, we chose a home in the Doull Elementary School boundary because the school had a great reputation. We also were looking forward to raising our son in Harvey Park. Like many of you, having the right to a quality school was one of the top reasons we chose the neighborhood and house we live in now. Denver families still want to move into a safe, strong neighborhood where they can count on a quality school.
Buying a home and choosing a neighborhood are important life decisions and having a quality school has always been a key factor in those decisions. Strong schools have also been a foundation to build and maintain stronger communities. Whether you have kids in school today or not, every family in Denver deserves the opportunity for an excellent, equitable education opportunity within their neighborhood. Making sure your tax dollars are reaching the classroom will be a top priority for me as your Board Director. The integrity of our communities depend on strong schools.
