Literacy Crisis and Food System Attacks Threaten Colorado Communities

On this Wednesday broadcast from June 7, 2023, Kim Monson examines two critical threats facing Colorado communities. Denver School Board candidate Kwame Spearman presents startling data on student literacy, while sixth-generation farmer Trent Loos exposes a ballot initiative that could shut down Denver’s meat processing facilities. Ballot Initiative Targets Meat Processing Start listening at 78:18 – Hour 2 Trent Loos, sixth-generation farmer and rancher from Nebraska, sounds the alarm on a proposed Denver ballot initiative that would ban meat processing facilities within city limits. The measure would directly impact Superior Farms, an employee-owned lamb processing plant, setting a dangerous precedent for food production nationwide. Loos connects this local initiative to broader global efforts to control food systems. He points out that animal agriculture provides 128 pharmaceutical products used in hospitals, including thrombin for blood coagulation during surgery, and stearic acid found in every American tire. Beyond nutrition, grazing animals promote plant growth that absorbs atmospheric elements and produces oxygen. The discussion touches on Wisconsin dairy farmers who invested $35-40 million in methane capture systems after government promises of carbon credit payments, only to have those payments revoked for minor infractions unrelated to gas production. Loos warns this pattern of government dependence followed by punishment appears across agricultural sectors. “It’s about minimizing the food production system so that they can control lives. And it comes in so many different shapes and sizes.” Trent Loos, Sixth-Generation Farmer Denver’s Literacy Emergency Start listening at 30:53 – Hour 1 Kwame Spearman, owner of the Tattered Cover Bookstore and candidate for Denver Public Schools Board, presents sobering statistics about student achievement in the city. Only 5% of black and brown students and 30% of white students read at grade level by third grade, a critical benchmark for future success. Spearman, who attended Denver Public Schools K-12 before earning degrees from Columbia University, Yale Law School, and Harvard Business School, argues the school board must refocus on student outcomes. He notes that in 2022, board members spent only 2% of their meeting time discussing student achievement. His campaign centers on parental choice, teacher support, and practical preparation for students to contribute to their communities. The son of a Denver public school teacher, Spearman saved the Tattered Cover from bankruptcy during the pandemic by applying business principles learned at Bain Company. He believes those same pragmatic approaches can transform public education. “There’s some incredibly sobering data that’s coming out that says about 5% of our black and brown students are at third grade reading level by the time that they’re in third grade.” Kwame Spearman, Denver School Board Candidate