Via PixNio
This 21-year-old Black man is shaking up Denver’s school system with his recent School Board election win! Here’s what you need to know about Tay Anderson:
Anderson was student body president at Manual High School.
Manual High serves primarily low-income students of color, and is one of Denver’s lowest-rated, most struggling schools. Anderson says his “first-hand experiences of the strengths and weaknesses of our school system” makes him a perfect leader to steer the school system in the right direction.
He opposes “school reform.”
“School Reform” and “School Choice” are terms used to justify closing public schools and opening up charter schools. “They believe that we... should be building more schools, but we can’t even fund the ones we already have,” Anderson has said. “They talk about school choice, but school choice is only a reality for people that have the means to travel to a school outside their neighborhood.”
He has worked in Denver schools for years.
As a restorative practices coordinator, he helps students resolve conflict in a productive way. He’s also coached a school’s debate team and worked as a teacher’s aide.
He is a long-time activist.
“Our campaign is motivated by civil rights issues,” he said during his campaign. He supported the teacher’s strike earlier this year, was a leader of a student anti-gun violence initiative, and his priorities include moving money away from police officers in schools and toward providing more mental health counselors.
We’re excited to see what changes Denver’s school system undergoes under Anderson’s vision!