Many in the Denver community might be surprised that 50 years after Brown v. Board of Education, few students actually attend schools that are truly integrated along lines of race and socio-economic background.

Denver Public Schools largely ended efforts to promote school integration thirty years ago when a federal judge lifted the mandates tied to Denver’s own desegregation case. A subsequent study by the Civils Rights Project at Harvard University has described negative academic impacts for Black and Latino students at schools in Denver that were less integrated as a result of this trend toward resegregation.

Beyond learning outcomes, integrated schools are essential for meeting the district’s current policy goal of cultivating civically engaged, life-long learners and for reducing resource disparities, most notably, class sizes.

I will use my own school as an example. At Denver Green School — Southeast, we have the opportunity to serve a diverse student body. Our students speak twenty-two languages. Last year, about 70% of our students were eligible for free or reduced lunch and 75% identified as students of color. Our median elementary class size is 34 students.

There is no way to adequately serve so many elementary students in a single room. For teachers, the workload required to meet the needs of so many students is not sustainable.

Compare our circumstances to Carson Elementary, a school with an adjacent enrollment boundary that is located about a mile from Denver Green. They serve a student population of whom 15% are eligible for free or reduced lunch and 30% are students of color. Their website lists a median class size of 22.

On top of that, in Fiscal Year 2022 their PTO reported revenue of $165,000, or about $400 per student. Although Denver Green School did not have a PTO to raise money that year, we are supported by a progressive budget formula that provided an additional $1,000 per student based on student demographics.

That means private fundraising at Carson generated almost half the relative benefit intended for students who need additional support at Denver Green. Additionally, students at Carson benefit from the value of a building with sufficient capacity to allow for smaller class sizes. This pattern of resource discrepancy is repeated in schools across our district.

Currently, Denver Public Schools has a cap of 35 students in K-12 classes, a parameter that is set in the teacher contract. That might sound surprising because some schools advertise a lower class size limit. They accomplish this by having a lower student population in their zone and reducing the number of choice seats available to students who live outside their enrollment boundary. This decision is mostly available to schools that serve affluent boundaries consisting of single-family homes.

Since Michael Bennet was superintendent, the primary discourse in Denver Public Schools has been that of charter versus neighborhood school. This debate certainly has important impacts, but I propose that it also distracts from a deeper issue: the failure of the district to integrate schools and provide equitable resources.

For those who focus on school choice, I argue that the mere presence of charter schools does provide a meaningful option for families in the absence of a well-resourced, integrated neighborhood school. For proponents of neighborhood schools, consider how you would define the boundaries of your own neighborhood and whether this definition would promote or hinder school integration. By working across major roads, the district could draw compact enrollment boundaries that are far more diverse than the current set.

Certainly, there are many aspects to this complex issue, but a solution must begin with clear policy. First, there must be a restriction on unreasonable class sizes. Second, the district should transparently post actual class sizes by school, not staffing ratios.

Finally, the board must set an expectation that district leaders will work towards integrated schools. Such action will further equity while providing a richer educational experience for all students.

Matt Meyer teaches fourth grade at Denver Green School — Southeast, a K-8 innovation school that focuses on providing relevant learning experiences centered on themes of sustainability.