Manager Monthly
May 2019
Encourage Your Team to Provide Feedback on Susana’s Key Questions
Over the past few months, Superintendent Susana Cordova has been meeting with individuals both inside and outside of DPS to hear about their aspirations for Denver’s children and what they perceive is working in our district -- as well as what’s not.

To ensure that we hear from voices across the organization and that we can move our work forward in a collaborative way, we encourage all team members to complete the Key Questions Survey. Please consider sharing this survey with your team at an upcoming team meeting.

To learn more about Susana's vision, values and beliefs, read Susana's Entry Plan . 
Hiring Freeze Lifted; Managers Can Hire to Approved Budget
The 2019-20 Budget has been presented to the Board of Education; it contains $20 million in total reductions, significant investments in teacher compensation and special education, plus a commitment to raise wages for hourly workers. With this plan in place, senior leadership has approved lifting the hiring freeze set in motion in late 2018.

Managers can hire only to their approved budget. Anything outside the approved budget must go to the senior leadership team and finance for approval. If you have questions, reach out to your manager or HR partner.
Changes to Food Policies for Meetings, Professional Development
As you know, DPS has been making significant efforts to realign our spending to prioritize funding for our classrooms. As part of these efforts, we are working to update our policy regarding food expenditures, and we will be sharing more details on those changes soon.
 
In the meantime, we want to share that these changes mean we will no longer provide food during DPS-hosted meetings or professional development events, effective this summer . For example, food will no longer be provided during School Leadership Week, curriculum trainings or Teacher Leadership trainings. Leaders should ensure that agendas for meetings provide time for participants to go off-site for meals and / or that participants will have the option to bring their own meals.
 
Questions? Reach out to your financial partner.
Note Deadlines for End of the Fiscal Year
As we near the end of the fiscal year, make sure to review the 2019 Year End Cut-Off Memo and Calendar for important cut-off dates for accounting, budget, purchasing, strategic sourcing and warehouse transactions.

Also, please share this information with any members of your team with purchasing responsibilities to help them stay on top of important year-end deadlines. Questions? Contact Dan Watkins at 720-423-2654 or Daniel_Watkins@dpsk12.org.
Growth, Performance and Training
Encourage Team Members to Sign Up for Summer DPS Aspire Session
All team members have the opportunity to attend the summer session of DPS Aspire ,
June 18-19 . During this celebrated two-day program, participants learn strategies on how to identify leadership capacity, style and strengths, navigate difficult conversations, and create action plans to grow and improve.

Interested team members can register online -- spaces are limited. If you have questions or need to register through email, contact dpsaspire@dpsk12.org .
FYI
Last Call for Honor’s Award Nominations -- Nominate Today!
Friday, May 24 is the last day to nominate a teammate for an Honor’s Award. If you work with a person or team who inspires you, please take this opportunity to celebrate and recognize them:

  • Leadership Lamp Award: Our most distinguished award designed to honor our Shared Core Values champions who model the way for DPS.


There is also an opportunity to recognize parents and families of DPS students who are making a positive impact in their school communities through the Family Leadership Award . Nominations for all awards are due Friday, May 24. Please give your team one last reminder to nominate!
School Calendar Reports are Now Available
Access to 2019-20 school calendar information for every school in the DPS family of schools through four comprehensive reports is now available at thecommons.dpsk12.org/schoolcalendars :

  • Student First and Last School Day
  • Teacher First and Last School Day
  • School Calendar Detail
  • School Calendar by Day

This site has a full description and key terms for each report. Reports are generated daily using Infinite Campus information. If you have questions about the reports, email David Woessner . 
ICYMI: Planning Logistics During Transitions
Last week, we shared key updates about the DPS reorganization and subsequent transition planning to set us up for success following this time of significant change. To answer your questions about team logistics during the upcoming months, please review the transition logistics document .

Questions? Email Martha Runnette .
Talent Acquisition
Resources for Making a Salary Offer
Human Resources has information and guidance available on best practices to help managers consistently offer salaries that are competitive and equitable across departments and positions -- and to avoid losing a good candidate. 

Check out these resources with detailed information and examples to support leaders when making salary offers:


As a reminder, please contact your assigned recruiter prior to making an offer to a candidate.
Contact Us
Connect with Us
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