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April 11, 2023
Kepner and Grant Beacon Families:
I know that many of you, like me, are heartbroken. Last night, the Denver Public Schools Board of Education voted to support Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero's recommendation to revoke the Beacon Network Schools Innovation Zone.
Obviously, this is not the outcome we hoped for, and we are devastated and disappointed by the superintendent's recommendation and by the board of education’s decision.
We have not yet determined what our next steps will be, but we will continue to work with our teachers, staff, and DPS to ensure our schools provide the same level of support and programming to our students.
Please know that there is no immediate effect on our Zone, our schools, nor our ability to continue to serve our students and families through the end of the school year. For the remainder of the year, we will focus on celebrating our students and preparing them for their transition to the next grade-level.
As for the DPS Board’s decision, we are committed to understanding what options are available to us in response, but no decisions have been made at this time. When we know more about our next steps, we will be in contact with you.
In the meantime, we'd like to thank you—our families, students, educators, enrichment partners and communities—for your advocacy and your support over the last several months. We were stunned given the overwhelming support from students, families, and educators at both schools.
This has been a very difficult and often demoralizing experience for so many of us. Still, you have shown up for us, for our schools, for our kids.
You’ve been in our classrooms every day, sharing your love and support with our students and our teams. You've stayed late to advocate for our Zone and our schools at board meetings and in public comment sessions. You've arrived early in the mornings to welcome students to our classrooms and cooked for them before and after tests. You have sent countless emails sharing what you love about our schools and how the Zone supports our community.
You have been a bright, shining light, and we are so grateful for your trust, your kindness, and your love. Beacon Network Schools is special because of you; we’re stronger and better because of you, and we’ll continue to fight for you and our kids every day.
Thank you for believing in what we offer our students and families. Beacon…Unite!
Sincerely,
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