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DPS Board of Education Update for Dec. 16, 2016
for Senior, School Leaders
Please share with your teams and communities as appropriate -- DPS Communications
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Board Votes to Uphold School Performance Compact Recommendations, With Amendment for Gilpin
After extensive public comment at Thursday night's public meeting, the Board of Education voted to restart two schools and
close another based on criteria it established in the
School Performance Compact
policy. The board adopted the policy last year and is implementing it for the first time this year.
The policy sets
transparent criteria for determining when to restart a school -- or replace a school in its existing faculty -- and, in rare cases, close a school. The criteria considers school performance over three years, student academic growth in the most recent school year and the results of a School Quality review conducted by an independent third party to determine overall instructional quality and learning culture.
Based on these criteria, the
Board of Education voted at Thursday's meeting:
- Greenlee Elementary and John Amesse Elementary will be restarted. Both will be included in the Call for New Quality Schools issued in January. Their communities will have input in selecting the new schools to be placed in these facilities at the start of the 2018-19 school year, after a year of planning. Students currently in these schools will continue to receive additional supports throughout the transition.
- Gilpin Montessori will be closed at the end of the 2016-17 school year. The board voted in favor of closure instead of a new school due to significantly declining enrollment at Gilpin and other nearby elementary schools -- a trend that likely would have resulted in an elementary school closure in the area in the next year or two regardless of academic issues.
Board members also approved an amendment made by board member Rachele Espiritu that directs the district to provide transportation options to another DPS Montessori program for students at Gilpin, since that school will be closing at the end of this school year.
Several board members commented on the difficulty in casting their votes, using terms such as "gut-wrenching" and "painful." But they also noted they must be willing to make tough decisions if they are to meet the ambitious goals of the Denver Plan 2020, which calls for 80% of all students to be enrolled in high-performing schools in less than five years.
"I believe in that vision," said board member Espiritu, "and because I believe in that vision, I know we have hard decisions to make."
They also noted that such votes come only after years of increased resources at struggling schools have not shown significant progress.
"
The schools that are recommended for restart or closure are schools that have many years of students not being at grade level. And once a child gets behind, it is very, very difficult for them to catch up," said board member Rosemary Rodriguez.
"These are the absolute toughest decisions," she added, "But the larger agenda is to provide for every child in this district regardless of race, ethnicity, country of origin, socio-economic status or gender, and I remain committed to that agenda."
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DSST Placement at Sandoval Campus, Resolution Supporting Northfield High School Approved
Board members also voted Thursday to approve the
placement of D
SST: Conservatory Green High School, which will open next fall with students in grade 9, at the Samsonite Campus with High Tech Early College for the 2017-18 school year. Because there is not enough space on that campus to allow the two schools to share space long-term, the board also voted to move DSST: Conservatory Green High School to the Paul Sandoval Campus when a new building is complete in fall 2018.
This move is designed to meet secondary enrollment needs for Stapleton and adjacent neighborhoods. It also meets the commitment that DPS made to place DSST: Conservatory Green High School in the same neighborhood as the middle school.
Board members also approved a separate resolution affirming support for Northfield High School, which is already operating at the Paul Sandoval Campus. The resolution, presented by board member Rachele Espiritu, who represents Stapleton, includes the following commitments:
- DPS will provide the staff time and funding required for Northfield High School's application to be certified as an International Baccalaureate school.
- Every single student in the Near Northeast High School Enrollment boundary who wants to enroll at Northfield High School is guaranteed a seat at Northfield now and in the future.
- We will continue to honor our commitment in DPS Board Resolution 3549 passed June 12, 2014 to make available at least 35% of Northfield High School seats to families from adjacent neighborhoods.
Both Espiritu and board member Mike Johnson, a former Stapleton resident, said they participated in various phases of planning the Stapleton high school designed to serve the area. Johnson noted the campus was always intended to house several schools to ensure high-quality choices for families.
"It's always been an
important value that all of our students have multiple choices for schools that meet their particular learning needs," Johnson said.
In addition, the board approved placement of Inspire Elementary at the Paul Sandoval Campus for the 2017-18 school year until construction is complete on its new building in Stapleton.
Details about the Paul Sandoval Campus and these placements are available and updates are being posted at
stapleton.dpsk12.org.
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2017-18 School Calendar Approved
The board approved the proposed 2017-18 academic calendar. New features of this calendar include:
- Introduction of "teal" days -- a combination of the already flexible blue/green days, these district-run, professional learning days are scheduled for Aug. 15, Oct. 27 and Feb. 2.
- Last day of school -- set as Thursday, May 31, to allow students to end on a Thursday (the last full day of school) and give teachers a full non-contact day to complete/submit grades, etc.
- Student contact day -- added on Thursday, Dec. 21 to ensure new school end date of Thursday, May 31 is not impacted.
- Parent/Teacher Conference Day -- addition of a designated day in the second semester on Feb. 20. Schools can change date to meet the needs of their communities.
You can view the 2017-18
calendar here.
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Charter Renewal Decisions
Board members on Thursday night also voted to approve the renewal of the following charter schools' contracts.
Far Northeast/Near Northeast:
- Academy 360
- KIPP Montbello College Prep Middle School
- Monarch Montessori
- Denver Language School
- DSST Cole Middle School
- Downtown Denver Expeditionary School
- Wyatt Academy
Northwest/Southwest:
- Academy of Urban Learning
- Cesar Chavez Academy
- Girls Athletic Leadership Middle School
- ACE
- KIPP Sunshine Peak Academy
- Southwest Early College
- STRIVE Prep - EXCEL
- STRIVE Prep - SMART
- STRIVE Prep-Westwood
Southeast and Ridge View:
- DSST Byers Middle School
- Highline Academy Southeast
- Ridge View Academy
All renewals were approved unanimously with the exception of Cesar Chavez Academy. Board member Lisa Flores, who represents the area, raised questions about academic performance at the school in voting against its renewal.
"Right now, only 8% of their students are at or above grade level and I think that is of grave concern," she said.
To read the rationale and specific conditions for these renewals, view the full presentation
here
. The District Accountability Committee's recommendations on these charter renewals are available
here
. In addition, a written report on the staff recommendations for charter school contracts is available
here
.
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