Littleton Public Schools
Maria Banta has extensive experience in education, serving as an Elementary School Teacher and Principal at Littleton Public Schools since 2010. Prior to this role, Maria worked as an Assistant Principal at Eagle Ridge Elementary within the Douglas County School District from 2007 to 2010 and as an Elementary Teacher in public education from 1998 to 2007. Maria also contributed to higher education as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Phoenix from July 2008 to May 2010, where responsibilities included developing and instructing Master's level courses focused on various aspects of education. Maria Banta holds an Education Specialist degree in Educational Leadership and Administration from the University of Colorado Denver and a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and Administration from Regis University. Additionally, a Bachelor of Science degree was earned from Metropolitan State University of Denver.
Littleton Public Schools
LPS is the only school district in the Denver metro area to receive the Colorado Department of Education’s (CDE) highest accreditation rating eight of the nine years it has been offered. LPS schools annually receive John Irwin School of Excellence and Governor’s Distinguished Improvement awards. LPS has also received the English Language Proficiency Act (ELPA) Excellence Award multiple times. Littleton Public Schools serves 28 square miles and includes the majority of the City of Littleton, Town of Columbine Valley, and portions of the municipalities of Bow Mar, Centennial, Greenwood Village and the City of Englewood. With nearly 15,000 students, LPS offers a comprehensive education from preschool through Grade 12, including several alternative programs. Leading the country in 21st-century learning, more than 12,000 Chromebooks are used by students every day. District teachers are known internationally for their use of instructional technology and students consistently win state and national competitions in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). LPS is ranked top 20 in the nation in K–12 education for safety and security. The security industry’s leading trade publication, Security Magazine, has named LPS among the Top 500 security operations around the world.