DPS Board of Education Update for May 11, 2017 
for Senior, School Leaders

Please share with your teams and communities as appropriate -- DPS Communications
Board Hears Public Comment on New School Applicants

Tonight, the Board of Education heard several hours of public comment about, and presentations from, more than a dozen new school applicants, both district-run and charter, hoping to be approved to serve DPS students. Board members are scheduled to vote Thursday, May 18, on which new schools will be approved. 
 
Great Schools in Every Neighborhood
In DPS, we believe that students and families thrive when they have high quality education choices -- but as Superintendent Tom Boasberg puts it: " Choice is  only  meaningful  when you have great schools in your neighborhood to go to. No family should ever have to have their child leave their neighborhood in order to go to a great school." In fact, our top Denver Plan 2020 goal is to have Great Schools in Every Neighborhood. In order to reach this goal, we believe in encouraging innovation instead of a one-size-fits-all approach.  
 
The Call for New Quality Schools
DPS determines if new schools are needed in our district based on two primary factors: enrollment growth and school performance. For the past several years, DPS has been the fastest-growing urban school district in the nation. While that fast pace of growth is beginning to slow, there are still neighborhoods in Denver that need new schools.

In some cases, the board votes to "restart" an existing school that has had persistently low performance despite significant interventions and additional supports. In these cases, DPS may seek a new, high-quality school to serve our students better.
 
DPS uses the Call for New Quality Schools (the Call) to announce the need for new schools to serve changing enrollment and capacity needs, and to replace persistently low-performing schools. Within the Call process, the Board of Education is asked to both evaluate the quality of the school and whether it will be placed in a district facility.
 
You can learn more about the Call in this video
 
New School ApplicantsPriority District Needs

Restart provider for Amesse Elementary School
Restart provider for Greenlee Elementary School
New School Applicants: Not Applying to Meet Need in Call
Full applications and budgets for all applicants in the 2017 Call can be found here . The full Call document and other detailed information about the process can be found here.