Mariana del Hierro, a dedicated mother and executive director of a nonprofit focused on food security and urban agriculture, is running for the District 2 seat on the Denver Public Schools (DPS) board.
Del Hierro is seeking to replace Xóchitl “Sochi” Gaytán, the current board member who has yet to confirm her reelection plans.
At 43 years old, del Hierro has made significant impacts in the Westwood neighborhood through her leadership at Re:Vision, which operates a free grocery store and urban gardens while providing essential food and nutrition programs tailored for the local community.
Her recent motivation to dive deeper into the world of DPS comes after she read the La Raza Report, a document commissioned by the district that outlined substantial barriers hindering Latino students, who represent over half of the total student enrollment.
“I was shocked that alarm bells were not rung when that report came out,” del Hierro shared.
She emphasized, “In a district, in a system, where the majority are Latinx students, we deserve to have a very specialized, tailored, data-informed strategy to make sure we’re changing that reality.”
The upcoming Nov. 4 election is critical, as four out of seven seats on the DPS school board are up for grabs.
This election arrives amid significant challenges for the district, including declining enrollment leading to the closing of more than a dozen schools in recent years.
Furthermore, a new policy aimed at low-performing schools may also result in additional closures.
While DPS has recently reported an increasing graduation rate, many students are still grappling with the impacts of learning loss due to the pandemic.
The district has also attracted national attention from President Donald Trump’s administration concerning an all-gender restroom policy and its initiatives to support immigrant students.
Additionally, the board is dealing with internal strife, having initiated an investigation into one member over allegations of racial discrimination.
In terms of her work at Re:Vision, del Hierro has successfully expanded the organization’s reach, significantly increasing the number of families served through its free grocery store operations.
She has also initiated urban farm projects and designed an apprenticeship program aimed at DPS high school students, where participants learn about hydroponic farming, delving into the historical importance of Aztec aquaponics.
“We want to ground them in the work and a sense of pride of, ‘This is ours, this is our technology, this is our science,’” del Hierro explained, highlighting her commitment to education and empowerment.
Before her tenure at Re:Vision, del Hierro developed a racial equity strategy for Denver Health’s community-based health centers.
Her past experience also includes working with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment on the Healthy Kids Colorado survey, further highlighting her dedication to community well-being.
As a bilingual parent of a son entering third grade at a Spanish immersion school—whose name she chose to keep confidential for privacy reasons—del Hierro has witnessed the classroom dynamics firsthand.
“My child has been in a classroom with 35 kids, and I understand how that is a difficult space for children to learn and teachers to teach,” she noted.
If elected, del Hierro aims to advocate for improved transparency from DPS regarding academic achievement data shared with both the school board and parents.
“With a public health background, everything starts with looking at the data,” she emphasized.
“Most importantly, we must disaggregate the data by race to identify where the gaps are and where to focus our efforts.”
She also identified a need for more opportunities for school board members to engage with the community, particularly around sensitive topics like school closures.
DPS projects an anticipated enrollment decline of 8% by 2029, leading district officials to warn of potential future closures.
Del Hierro acknowledged the difficult decisions that lay ahead but affirmed that any such decisions would not be taken lightly.
Regarding school closures attributed to low test scores, she expressed her commitment to probing how DPS supported underperforming schools and educators.
“Before we discuss a closure, let’s first discuss what supports were given to this school, the staff, and the educators, to ensure they were reaching their goals,” del Hierro stated.
Although her son is enrolled in a traditional school, she recognizes that southwest Denver maintains a diverse array of educational options, including independently operated charter schools.
“We need each and every one of them,” she affirmed.
Del Hierro was among over 40 Latino community leaders urging the school board to postpone a vote on extending Superintendent Alex Marrero’s contract until after his performance evaluation in October, although the board ultimately decided to proceed with the extension in May until 2028.
Del Hierro expressed the importance of a strong partnership between the board and the district superintendent.
As for her stance on Marrero’s performance, she stated, “Let’s conduct the evaluation so that we know. That’s the fair process. Because our students deserve it.”
image source from：denverite
