DPS Board of Education Update for Dec. 12, 2016 
for Senior, School Leaders

Please share with your teams and communities as appropriate -- DPS Communications
School Performance Compact Recommendations and
Role of Community Voice in New Schools Discussed

SPC Staff Recommendations -- Board to Vote Thursday
This fall, the  School Performance Compact  is being used to make  recommendations about schools based on three measures:
  • Step 1: School Performance Framework ratings over multiple years.
  • Step 2: Student academic growth in the most recent year.
  • Step 3: Results of a School Quality Review to check overall instructional quality and learning culture.
Based on this information, at tonight's Board of Education meeting, staff made the following recommendations:
  • Greenlee Elementary and John Amesse Elementary will be recommended for "restarts" or new schools in the existing buildings. Both will be included in the Call for New Quality Schools issued in January, and the community 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.
     
  • Gilpin Montessori will be recommended for closure at the end of the 2016-17 school year. District staff is recommending 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. 
The full presentation, including school-specific details, is available here . Our message to DPS staff and our community from Friday's Our DPS Weekly is available here . Specific school details and updates are being posted at face.dpsk12.org/school-improvement. To learn more about the School Performance Compact and how it helps DPS hold ourselves accountable to our Denver Plan 2020 goal of Great Schools in Every Neighborhood, visit greatschools.dpsk12.org/accountability . 
 
Community Voice in New School Selection
DPS staff proposed a new, community-based process for the selection of new schools under the School Performance Compact and the Facility Allocation Policy. The goal of this process is to ensure that the community has a strong voice in selecting the school that will serve them.
 
The proposal would create a single Community Review Board for each school that has been designated. This review board would evaluate placement applications (along with information from applicant interviews and a broader community meeting) to rank the comparative strength of applicants in each of the three criteria listed in the Facility Allocation Policy. The review board's ranking would be used to inform the superintendent's recommendation for new school placement to the Board of Education. 

"This does not change the criteria in the Facility Allocation Process, but gives greater strength  and clarity to the community's role in the process," said Superintendent Tom Boasberg. "This is the attempt to make sure there is a structured process that ensures strong community voice."

Board Member Barbara O'Brien thanked staff for their efforts to get "...meaningful feedback and still ensure the quality bar is met. I think you've found a very nice way to acknowledge the amount of time and energy the community will put into this and it will help bring high quality proposals forward."

For more details, please review the full presentation here.

DSST, Inspire Placements Recommended  

DPS staff recommended to the board that DSST: Conservatory Green High School, which will open next fall with students in grade 9, share space at the Samsonite Campus with High Tech Early College for the 2017-18 school year. There is not enough space on that campus to allow the two schools to share space long-term, so staff also recommended that DSST: Conservatory Green High School move to the Paul Sandoval Campus when a new building is complete in fall 2018.
 
DSST: Conservatory Green Middle School would not be impacted and would continue in its current location, which it shares with High Tech Elementary School. 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. 

Staff also recommended placing Inspire Elementary at the Paul Sandoval Campus for the 2017-18 school year until construction is complete on its new building in Stapleton.
 
The DSST: Conservatory Green High School placement recommendation and Frequently Asked Questions document are available here. The Inspire Elementary School placement recommendation is available here. Details about the Paul Sandoval Campus and these placements are available and updates are being posted at stapleton.dpsk12.org. 

Board members will vote Thursday on the recommendations.
2017-18 School Calendar Proposed

The board also reviewed the proposed 2017-18 academic calendar. Proposed changes, subject to board vote on Thursday, include:
  • Introduction of "teal" days -- a combination of the already flexible blue/green days, these district-run, professional learning days are proposed for Aug. 15, Oct. 27 and Feb. 2.  
  • Last day of school -- proposed for 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 -- proposed for 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 April 2.
You can view the proposed 2017-18  calendar here.

Charter Renewal Recommendations    

DPS staff tonight recommended the following charter schools for renewal, subject to board approval on Thursday.
 
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
  • STRIVE Prep - EXCEL
  • ACE
  • KIPP Sunshine Peak Academy
  • STRIVE Prep - SMART
  • STRIVE Prep-Westwood
  • Southwest Early College
 
Southeast and Ridge View:
  • DSST Byers Middle School
  • Highline Academy Southeast
  • Girls Athletic Leadership Middle School
  • Ridge View Academy
To read the rationale and specific conditions for these renewal recommendations, 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.

Discussion of DPS Innovation Zones

The board also heard a presentation on the benefits and challenges of expanding the use of innovation zones as part of the DPS portfolio of schools. DPS staff proposed inviting innovation zone applications through a process similar to the Call for New Quality Schools. More details about the different proposed options and about innovation zones in DPS is available in the full presentation here. 

Bond Issuance, Stapleton Finance Plan Proposed

Staff also made recommendations tonight on the 2016 General Obligation Bond Issuance and the proposed Stapleton General Finance Plan. 

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