Since Election Day, I’ve been making sure to keep time open in my schedule for supporting our staff and students at Vega Academy.

Our community is far from a monolith — some members believed President-Elect Trump was best positioned to lead the country forward, while others were gripped by fear about what his presidency would mean for their families and futures.

The day after Election Day, I spent hours huddling with staff and students. Many tears were shed, and the fears were palpable. For a school where 40% of our students are new to the United States, what does the possibility of mass deportation mean for their futures?

At Vega Collegiate Academy, 90% of our students are English-language learners. They speak more than 20 native languages, come from 23 different countries, and 95% qualify for free or reduced lunch. Some families have spent generations in refugee camps before coming to this country in search of safety and the American dream.

These children are often placed in the lowest-performing schools, where resources and support are scarce. As families work to adapt to Western customs, they also grapple with housing insecurity, food insecurity, and other systemic barriers. Many of our students have missed years of school. Some lack basic transportation, and without our buses, they would have no way to get to class.

I founded Vega as a charter school in 2016 after a series of experiences revealed the vast opportunity gap in our education system. I was drawn to Aurora by its diversity and the chance to address consistently low-ranking outcomes for students. At Vega, we strive to address not just the academic needs of our students, but also the challenges they face outside the classroom—housing, food, transportation, and healthcare. By serving a high immigrant population, we can focus directly on their unique needs, providing personalized solutions that help them thrive.

Vega enrolls more than 200 new students every year. Some have been with us only a short time, and yet we’ve seen remarkable growth. The Colorado Department of Education named us a School of Excellence, we have achieved the state’s top performance rating four of the last five years, and our math growth rates for English learners rank us higher than 90% of schools in the entire state. Even though our students come from highly challenging circumstances, and test scores only tell part of the story, our approach demonstrates what’s possible when schools adapt to the communities they serve rather than forcing students to fit into a one-size-fits-all system.

Meanwhile, many of the same politicians pledging to protect immigrant families from mass deportation under the Trump administration are the ones who have consistently stood in the way of expanding educational opportunities for those very families. This paradox is particularly glaring among Democrats, who often position themselves as champions of equity, but then block policies – such as the expansion of public charter schools – that would give low-income and minority families access to a better education. This opposition to public school choice ignores the reality for these families who don’t have the luxury of waiting years for systemic reforms to take effect. They need access to schools that meet their children’s needs now — schools like Vega, where tailored support and a localized approach are proving successful.

I’ve testified in front of the Colorado Legislature and appeared before school boards to urge elected officials to confront the harsh realities of our education system. We have to start listening to our communities and responding directly to their needs. Our current public education system is failing too many — especially low-income Black, Latino, or immigrant families.

We also need to stop seeing schools as competitors for resources and start prioritizing what students need to succeed. If we truly want to set children up for success, we must expand public school options that meet community needs and address their individual circumstances. The future of our students—and our nation—depends on it.

Kate Mullins is the Founder and Executive Director of Vega Collegiate Academy, a K-8 public charter school in Aurora.