You have probably already noticed that our local school district has made it onto the national stage. Students are protesting a school board member’s proposal for a curriculum committee and recent changes to how teachers are compensated.

Our local high school, Jefferson High, is the last neighborhood high school to have a student led protest this upcoming Monday.

Edgewater Collective is committed to staying out of the divisive political battles that are raging on our streets and in our schools. We need allies not enemies.

The fact of the matter is that there are some real concerns in our local schools in the greater Edgewater area.

Here are some of the facts:

• Over 90% of the children and youth who attend our focus schools are growing up in poverty
• Only 60% of students at Jefferson High School will graduate
• Almost 50% of the students who should attend Jefferson High School choice out to other local high schools
• According to Colorado School Grades, our middle school and high school are struggling
  • Wheat Ridge Middle School receives a “D” grade
  • Jefferson High School receives a “F” grade
• Over 75% of this year’s freshmen at Jefferson are not proficient in math

We are not blaming teachers, parents or principals but bringing all stakeholders together to start fixing the problem.

So as Jefferson students walk down to Wadsworth Boulevard on Monday morning, I wonder if they understand the gravity of the situation at their high school. AP US History and a curriculum committee should be the least of their worries.

In the Jefferson area, we need all available energy to create systematic and long term change so all children in our area can succeed from cradle to career.

This is a real, tangible concern in our community. These are the lives of children growing up without hope for a better future.