Visiting Mayor of Denver Talks About the Politics of City and School Cooperation

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper was in Rapid City today to talk about homelessness and the economy. Rated by TIME magazine as one of the most effective mayors in the country, the relative political neophyte charmed the audience with the story of his political odyssey. 

At one point in his talk, Hickenlooper talked about the importance of having the mayor and the superintendent of schools in a community working together. According to the traditional wisdom, he said, mayors have nothing to gain by working with school superintendents. “If the schools improve, the superintendent and the school board will get the credit. If they don’t improve, the mayor will get tarnished with the blame.”

Hickenlooper dismissed that logic. When he was first elected in 2003, after the first political campaign of his life, he decided to join with the superintendent in an effort to promote the passage of a new school bond initiative. His political advisors asked if he was crazy: “You’ve just been elected,” they said. “Why would you go out and support a bond measure for the schools.” In this instance, however, Hickenlooper said, “We’ve looked at the numbers, the aging buildings and we know what our kids need. Why wouldn’t I go out and help?”  With the superintendent of schools he attended coffees and restaurants all over town and helped pass the bond issue.

Rapid City Mayor Alan Hanks and several members of the City Council meet once a month with the officers of the  Board of Education and the superintendent to talk about collaborative projects and issues that concern both entities. In the past, these conversations have focused on joint construction projects (gyms at West and South Middle Schools or planned construction of the new Parkview tennis courts). They have also covered a possible collaboration with the Black Hills Community Theater and issues affecting the management of the City/School Administration Building. The City and the School District also frequently work together with other organizations, such as Strengthening Families, to address issues that affect youth in the community.

Hickenlooper, however, seemed to be talking about a different level of cooperation. In his mind, the cultural and economic vitality of the community seemed to depend on the quality of the schools. City government and the school board should be working together to develop a shared vision for the future of the community. It’s worth asking ourselves, our City Council and our School Board, as well as the Superintendent and the Mayor, if there’s more that the City of Rapid City and the District could be doing to work together to enhance our ability to compete in a knowledge-driven global economy.