Mariana del Hierro, a 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.
Currently, this seat is occupied by Xóchitl “Sochi” Gaytán, who has yet to announce her plans for reelection.
At 43, del Hierro has spent years serving the community through Re:Vision, which manages urban gardens, a free grocery store, and various food and nutrition programs in the predominantly Latino Westwood neighborhood of Denver.
Her decision to enter the political arena stems from her reaction to the La Raza Report, commissioned by DPS, which revealed serious obstacles facing Latino students within the school district.
“I was shocked that alarm bells were not rung when that report came out,” del Hierro stated, emphasizing the necessity for actionable strategies tailored to the needs of Latinx students, who constitute over half of the district’s enrollment.
The upcoming election on November 4 will see four of the seven seats on the Denver school board contested during a critical time for the district.
Declining enrollment figures have led to more than a dozen school closures over the past two years, with a new policy set to impact low-performing schools potentially leading to even more closures.
Despite a rise in the district’s graduation rate, many students are grappling with learning losses experienced during the pandemic.
DPS is currently under scrutiny from the Trump administration regarding its all-gender restroom policies and its support for immigrant students, amidst ongoing investigations concerning allegations of racial discrimination aimed at one school board member.
In her role at Re:Vision, del Hierro significantly expanded the number of families served by the free grocery store and increased the urban farms under the organization’s umbrella.
Moreover, she initiated an apprenticeship program that allows four DPS high school students to learn about hydroponic farming, starting with lessons on the history 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,’” she added.
Del Hierro’s professional background includes developing a racial equity strategy for community-based health centers at Denver Health and participating in the Healthy Kids Colorado survey while with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
Bilingual and a parent of a son who will enter third grade at a district-run Spanish immersion school, she wished to maintain her child’s privacy and did not reveal the school’s name.
Having experienced a classroom of 35 students, del Hierro understands the complexities involved in fostering a conducive learning environment.
If elected, she envisions pushing for greater transparency regarding academic achievement data within DPS, emphasizing the importance of disaggregating this data by race.
“Everything starts with looking at the data,” del Hierro explained.
“We need to identify the gaps in achievement and understand where to focus our efforts.”
Additionally, she aims to enhance opportunities for school board members to engage with the community, particularly regarding controversial subjects such as school closures.
With predictions indicating an 8% enrollment decline by 2029, leading district figures have cautioned that more school closures may follow.
Del Hierro recognizes the difficult decisions ahead but emphasizes that they must be made thoughtfully and judiciously.
Discussing potential closures driven by low test scores, she sees her role as one that involves inquiry.
“Before we discuss a closure, let’s first discuss what supports were given to this school, the staff, and the educators, to make sure they were reaching their goals,” del Hierro remarked.
While her son attends a traditional school, she acknowledges the diverse educational landscape in southwest Denver, which includes independently run charter schools.
“We need each and every one of them,” she stated, asserting that it’s not her place to dictate parental choice in education.
Del Hierro was part of a group of over 40 Latino leaders who urged the school board to delay a vote regarding the extension of Superintendent Alex Marrero’s contract until his next performance evaluation in October.
Despite these pleas, the board moved forward in May to extend Marrero’s contract until 2028.
Del Hierro asserts that collaboration between the school board and the superintendent is essential, advocating for an evaluation to assess his effectiveness.
“Let’s conduct the evaluation so that we know. That’s the fair process because our students deserve it,” she concluded.
image source from：denverite
