kdoran, Author at Stand for Children Colorado

Education on the Ballot This Year

Elections | 10/19/2022

Krista Spurgin Executive Director

The temperatures have finally cooled down and leaves are changing – Fall is here. Another sign of Fall: your ballot for the upcoming General Election will be arriving in your mailbox in the next week. Election day isn’t until Tuesday, November 8^th, but I’m writing to share information, so when you’re ready to vote you can vote for education champions this year.

To Get More Information:

First, it’s not too late to register to vote or update your information if you’ve moved. Here’s where you can get the latest information about your voter eligibility and ballot drop off and polling locations.

What’s on the Ballot:

There are a lot of decisions for you to make about the future leaders of Colorado – everyone from Governor, U.S. Senate and House, State Senate and House, Judges, and State Board of Education directors.

Here are the candidates Stand’s endorsement committee picked to ensure our students have the support they need to receive a great education.

There are also statewide ballot initiatives for you to do your read up on this year. Did you get your Blue Book in the mail yet? Nonpartisan staff of the Colorado Legislative Council prepare this voter guide with easy-to-understand explanations of each ballot initiative.

If you don’t have your ballot yet, but you want to prepare, this website will provide you a sample ballot for your address.

Vote By November 8:

Here’s where you can find locations to drop off your ballot. Just be sure you drop it off by November 8.

This Month at the DPS Board

This Month at the DPS Board | 09/29/2022

Vallerie Bustamante Organizer

Welcome to the September edition of “This Month at the DPS Board”, a monthly newsletter sharing information about the Denver Public Schools (DPS) Board of Education.

Our goal is simple: to share what is happening at school board meetings so you can engage with the board and the district even if you cannot attend hours of meetings every month.

Work Session-September 1,2022

Strategic Roadmap Update

The Board work session began with an update on the Strategic Roadmap. Dr. Marrero shared an overview of the roadmap and talked about implementation. The goal is to accelerate growth for marginalized students. There are three ways in which this will be done: elevating student experience, adult experience, and system experience. By fall of 2022, they will build organizational functions, identify leaders for each strategy, work on how they will get from current state to future state, and create a timeline and change management.

Overview of Redistricting Process

District staff gave an update about the redistricting process. Colorado state statute requires Denver Public Schools (DPS) to redistrict after each federal census to ensure all districts are equal in population as much as possible. A division of districts will be presumed compliant with the equal protection clause if the maximum population deviation between the largest and smallest district is less than 10%. Currently there is a huge gap in population between District 2 and District 4. The guiding principles are to balance total population in schools, to maintain minimal impact on racial and ethnic concentrations, align with city precedents, to minimize the number of impacted families because of the process, and to incorporate natural boundaries. There is a timeline on to how this process will look and a final vote on February 25, 2023.

Superintendent Evaluation Timeline

The board gave a timeline for Superintendent Marrero’s evaluation. All board members will be part of this process. There will be opportunities for engagement leading up to the November 14 evaluation.

Board Topics Forecast & Agenda Review

Staff shared a forecast of topics for future meetings.

Public Comment and Progress Monitoring – September 19, 2022

Progress Monitoring Report

Staff reported an overview of state assessment data including CMAS, PSAT, SAT, and READ Act assessment results. Staff shared aggregated data of students meeting grade level expectations, also referred to as “proficient by staff, as set by the state in Math and Literacy and results disaggregated by student group. Results will be used as a baseline for setting 2026 targets.

Some key points from the presentation include:

59% of K-2 students are proficient in literacy
Across all student groups, the percentage of K-2 students scoring at grade-level and above decreased and the percentage of students scoring significantly below grade-level increased compared to pre-pandemic rates
Fewer than half of multi-lingual learners are reading at grade level and 1/3 are significantly below grade level
Less than 1/3 of students are proficient in math; in middle school more than half of students are not even approaching expectations indicating a substantial need for additional Math instructional support
Overall, there are tremendous gaps between white students and black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) students.

Several board members shared their concerns about persisting performance gaps, including the accuracy and relevancy of assessment data, asked for data to represent intersectional student identities and called for staff to not “speak about learning in a deficit mindset”, calling it “highly problematic”.

View the full data presentation here.

Why Ethnic Names Matter

Vice President Anderson shared a presentation on his decision to reclaim his given name, Auon’tai, sharing historical context and his personal story to ensure students in DPS do “not feel afraid or disappointed to use their given name if they so choose.” View his presentation here.

Public Comment

Community expressed their opinions on variety of topics through public testimony. You can sign up here for public comment and speak directly to the board about what matters to you.

Board Meeting – September 22, 2022

Hispanic Heritage Month

John F Kennedy High School students shared a presentation they developed to help educate their school and during Hispanic Heritage Month.

Minority Women Business Entrepreneurs (MWBE) Presentation

DPS has had a program to track and support women and minority owned businesses in Denver for over 20 years and is the only district in Colorado with such a program. They offer monthly workshops, networking settings, and other opportunities to support local minority and women owned businesses. The presentation offered a look into the supports and investments they make by ethnicity. Board members raised concerns over the disparity shown in Black owned businesses. Staff shared those concerns and said they have been working to prioritize increasing those numbers. The board asked for regular reports.

Consent Agenda

The board voted to approve a variety of items on the consent agenda including funding for various school construction projects and the personnel transaction report.

Teacher Dismissal Recommendation

The board considered a teacher dismissal recommendation from the Superintendent. All information was kept confidential and only presented to board members.

JOIN US: Engaging Through Challenges: Shifting Mindsets and Practices to Meet this Moment

High School Success | 09/21/2022

Stand for Children

Thursday, October 6 12:30-1:45pm MST Stand for Children is proud to host the Center for High School Success, Teach Kindness, and the Home Visit Partnerships to introduce programs and strategies to support safe and supportive school environments that lead to effective student and family engagement and improved attendance. Click here to register. You will receive a calendar invite with a zoom link to join the virtual event.

Meet the Presenters

Judith Martinez, Director, Center for High School Success Read Judith’s bio here.

Gina Yacovetta, Coach, Center for High School Success *Read Gina’s bio here.*

Stacey Vanhoy, Executive Director, Home Visit Partnerships *Read Stacey’s bio here.*

Daniel O’Donnell, Director, Teach Kindness *Read Daniel’s bio here.*

This Month at the DPS Board

This Month at the DPS Board | 08/31/2022

Stand for Children

Welcome to the August edition of “This Month at the DPS Board”, a monthly newsletter sharing information about the Denver Public Schools (DPS) Board of Education.

Our goal is simple: to share what is happening at school board meetings so you can engage with the board and the district even if you cannot attend hours of meetings every month. You will find a brief overview of the topics discussed during each meeting and then expanded articles on those items below.

Work Session – August 11, 2022

Meeting Summary: Students and leaders representing the Student Voice and Leadership program introduced their goals and plans for the 22-23 school year. The Denver Special Education Advisory Council (DSEAC) proposed a district-wide policy to facilitate targeted community education around the disability experience. The DPS Board engaged in a team building discussion.

Student Voice and Leadership

The first DPS Board Work Session began with Student Voice and Leadership (SVL) presentations. SVL programs are for DPS students that are interested in building youth leadership, civic engagement, dismantling systemic issues in DPS.

The Denver Special Education Advisory Council

The Denver Special Education Advisory Council (DSEAC) presented. The DSEAC is a district-level committee that provides recommendations to the Director of Special Education, the Superintendent and the Board of Education. They reported that students with disabilities express feeling misunderstood and undervalued as a part of their classrooms and school communities. The Council proposed a “district-wide policy to facilitate targeted community education and empowerment around the disability experience”.

Finance and Audit Committee – August 15, 2022

Meeting Summary: DPS staff reported on changes to local property taxes and in the state legislature and how changes will impact the Mill Levy finances. The committee discussed a possible opportunity to refinance obligation bonds. The Denver Scholarship Foundation requested approval for their annual contract along with a 3% cost of living increase. Schools and institutions presented proposals for projects for the Board to analyze and potentially approve under consent agenda items.

Denver Property Taxes and Denver Public Schools

The Finance and Audit Committee meeting began reporting on recent changes to local property taxes which will impact the mill levy certification by the Board of Education in December.

During the past 4 months, there were some actions that will lead DPS to change its process in Mill Levy revenue. There was an error found in the Net Assessed Value (AV) for all property in Denver. AV is used by the Board of Education to set taxes for property owners in Denver through the Mill Levy Certification. The AV was overstated by $500 million due to double counting of properties by the Assessor’s Office in the City and County of Denver, which will result in $29.5M less in revenue collection from the Denver Loval Property Taxpayers in schools year 2021-22. DPS plans to recover by requesting the state legislature to supply the state funding from the School Finance Act and generate revenue through the abatement process for Mill Levy Overrides and Bond program in the next year.

The taxes that make up the Mill Levy Certification are the School Finance Act, Mill Levy Overrides, Special Revenue Mill Levy Override, and Bond Redemption. DPS Staff discussed changes that occurred in the last 6 months on each of the different components.

DPS Staff also explained how the property taxes in Denver are calculated and how they impact the Mill Levy funding for DPS.

Bond Redemption Fund Update & Refinancing Opportunity

DPS has an opportunity to refinance the 2012B issuance of bonds that will save taxpayers because DPS’ General Obligation Bonds will cost less. The Bonds are the general obligations of the district and are secured by the district’s full faith and credit. All taxable property within the boundaries of the district is subject to proportionate property taxation without limitation as to rate.

Denver Scholarship Foundation Contract

The Denver Scholarship Foundation is requesting approval of the annual Denver Scholarship Foundation contract including a 3% cost of living increase. The Denver Scholarship Foundation is a partner with DPS that supports students to receive the opportunities to attend post-secondary education and career.

Other Proposals for the Consent Agenda

There were multiple other proposals presented to the committee such as Denison Montessori School to initiate their cooling project, Stedman Elementary School to initiate their cooling and elevator project, and more.

Public Comment and Progress Monitoring Session – August 22, 2022

Meeting Summary: DPS staff discussed the continued guidance for Covid-19, several celebrations for the 2022-23 school year kick-off, and how the new strategic roadmap – DPS Thrives, will guide the school year. This progress monitoring session focused on the data derived from on-track monitoring and graduation requirements in the class of 2022. Community expressed their opinions on variety of topics through public testimony. You can sign up here for public comment and speak directly to the board about what matters to you.

Return to School Presentation

DPS staff discussed the continued guidance for COVID-19, several celebrations for the 2022-2023 school year kick-off, and how the new strategic roadmap – DPS Thrives, will guide the school year.

DPS is aiming to sustain in-person learning by continuing regular meetings with local health officials and hosting two cost-free PCR testing sites. They also announced that they will no longer maintain a COVID-19 dashboard.

DPS staff briefly spoke about the new strategic roadmap and the main areas of focus for improvement included in the plan. The work is divided into three focus areas; adult, student, and system experience. The actions outlined in the plan are grounded in the following priorities: equity, accelerating learning, and transformative social emotional and academic learning. Overall, they are focused on two key factors which are student experience and student and adult experience. Under the student experience focus the roadmap prioritizes strong and consistent teaching and learning cycle and under the student and adult experience the plan prioritizes a safe and welcoming district that will provide an equitable and humanizing experience for all DPS community.

Focus on Class of 2022

DPS staff discussed the context of graduation requirements and competency opportunities such as standardized testing as well as course options such as concurrent enrollment. The following are some of the data highlights shared:

For the Class of 2022 at the end of last year, 67% of students, across all schools, were On Track to meet all graduation requirements
For students in the Class of 2023 at the end of their junior year, 45% had Met or were On Track to meet credits and competency requirements

Over 1,500 students earned the Seal of Biliteracy and DPS held a higher completion rate for FAFSA than the state overall.

Board Meeting – August 25, 2022

Meeting Summary: DPS staff presented an overview of what the consent decree entails and why DPS adopted it.

Modified Consent Decree Presentation

DPS staff presented an overview of what the Consent Decree entails. DPS serves the largest number of multilingual learners in Colorado. Spanish is the most spoken language with one out of three students speaking Spanish at home. The Consent Decree was established to fight oppressive systems that do not allow for linguistic equity.

They shared information about the events that led to the creation of the Consent Decree. It started with the West High School walkouts and led to the US District Court finding that DPS violated the 1974 Equal Educational Opportunities Act in 1984. DPS went back to court in 1999 for contempt for failure to implement the 1984 court order.

In summary, the Consent Decree ensures that

Multilingual Learners are correctly identified, placed with trained teachers, and are receiving MLE/ELA program services in alignment with requirements and parent choice.
The MLE/ELA program is designed to ensure that Multilingual Learners are acquiring both language and content, that their teachers, paraprofessionals, principals & their evaluators receive ongoing training.
All families of multilingual learners are engaged in a language they understand and have access to interpretation and translation services.

DPS staff further explained the 10 chapters the consent decree requires DPS to fulfill.

ENGAGE WITH THE BOARD

Do you want to let the board know your thoughts on any of these topics? You can sign up for public comment and speak directly to the board about what matters to you. You can sign up here.

Bienvenidos a la edición de agosto de “Este mes en la Junta de DPS”, un boletín mensual que comparte información sobre la Junta de Educación de las Escuelas Públicas de Denver (DPS).

Nuestro objetivo es simple: compartir lo que está sucediendo en las reuniones de la junta escolar para que pueda participar con la junta y el distrito, incluso si no puede asistir a horas de reuniones cada mes.

Sesión de trabajo – 11 de agosto de 2022

La voz y el liderazgo de los estudiantes

La primera sesión de trabajo de la Junta de DPS comenzó con presentaciones de Voz y Liderazgo Estudiantil (SVL). Los programas SVL son para los estudiantes de DPS que están interesados en construir el liderazgo de los jóvenes, el compromiso cívico, el desmantelamiento de los problemas sistémicos en DPS.

El Consejo Asesor de Educación Especial de Denver

El Consejo Asesor de Educación Especial de Denver (DSEAC) presentó. El DSEAC es un comité del distrito que proporciona recomendaciones al Director de Educación Especial, al Superintendente y a la Junta de Educación. Reportaron que los estudiantes con discapacidades expresan sentirse incomprendidos e infravalorados en sus aulas y comunidades escolares. El Consejo propuso una “política de todo el distrito para facilitar la educación de la comunidad dirigida y el empoderamiento sobre la experiencia de la discapacidad“.

Comité de Finanzas y Auditoría – 15 de agosto de 2022

Impuestos sobre la propiedad de Denver y escuelas públicas de Denver

La reunión del Comité de Finanzas y Auditoría comenzó informando sobre los recientes cambios en los impuestos locales sobre la propiedad que tendrán un impacto en la certificación de la recaudación de impuestos por parte del Consejo de Educación en diciembre.

Durante los últimos 4 meses, hubo algunas acciones que llevarán a DPS a cambiar su proceso en los ingresos de Mill Levy. Se encontró un error en el Valor Neto Evaluado (AV) para todas las propiedades en Denver. El AV es utilizado por la Junta de Educación para fijar los impuestos de los propietarios en Denver a través de la Certificación Mill Levy. El AV fue sobrestimado en $500 millones debido al doble conteo de las propiedades por parte de la Oficina del Asesor en la Ciudad y el Condado de Denver, lo que resultará en $29.5M menos en la recaudación de ingresos de los contribuyentes de propiedades de Denver Loval en el año escolar 2021-22. DPS planea recuperarse solicitando a la legislatura estatal que suministre los fondos estatales de la Ley de Financiamiento Escolar y genere ingresos a través del proceso de reducción de Mill Levy Overrides y el programa de Bonos en el próximo año.

Los impuestos que componen la certificación del Mill Levy son la Ley de Financiamiento Escolar, Mill Levy Overrides, Special Revenue Mill Levy Override y Bond Redemption. El personal de DPS discutio los cambios que ocurrieron en los ultimos 6 meses en cada uno de los diferentes componentes.

El personal de DPS tambien explico como se calculan los impuestos a la propiedad en Denver y como impactan el financiamiento del Mill Levy para DPS.

Actualización del Fondo de Redención de Bonos y Oportunidad de Refinanciamiento

DPS tiene una oportunidad de refinanciar la emisión de bonos 2012B que ahorrará a los contribuyentes porque los Bonos de Obligación General de DPS costarán menos. Los bonos son las obligaciones generales del distrito y están garantizados por la plena fe y crédito del distrito. Toda la propiedad imponible dentro de los límites del distrito está sujeta a la imposición proporcional de la propiedad sin limitación en cuanto a la tasa.

Contrato de la Denver Scholarship Foundation

La Fundación de Becas de Denver solicita la aprobación del contrato anual de la Fundación de Becas de Denver, que incluye un aumento del 3% por el coste de la vida. La Denver Scholarship Foundation es un socio de DPS que apoya a los estudiantes para que reciban las oportunidades de asistir a la educación post-secundaria y a la carrera.

Otras propuestas para la Agenda de Consentimiento

Hubo muchas otras propuestas presentadas al comité, como la de la escuela Denison Montessori para iniciar su proyecto de refrigeración, la de la escuela primaria Stedman para iniciar su proyecto de refrigeración y ascensor, y más.

Sesión de Comentarios Públicos y Seguimiento del Progreso – 22 de agosto de 2022

Presentación de Regreso a la Escuela

El personal de DPS discutió la orientación continua para COVID-19, varias celebraciones para el inicio del año escolar 2022-2023, y cómo la nueva hoja de ruta estratégica – DPS Prospera, guiará el año escolar.

DPS tiene como objetivo mantener el aprendizaje en persona mediante la continuación de las reuniones periódicas con los funcionarios de salud locales y la organización de dos sitios de pruebas de PCR gratuitas. También anunciaron que ya no mantendrán un tablero de COVID-19.

El personal del DPS habló brevemente de la nueva ruta estratégica y de las principales áreas de mejora incluidas en el plan. El trabajo se divide en tres áreas de enfoque: adultos, estudiantes y experiencia del sistema. Las acciones descritas en el plan se basan en las siguientes prioridades: la equidad, la aceleración del aprendizaje y el aprendizaje social, emocional y académico transformador. En general, se centran en dos factores clave que son la experiencia del estudiante y la experiencia del estudiante y del adulto. Bajo el enfoque de la experiencia del estudiante, la hoja de ruta prioriza un ciclo de enseñanza y aprendizaje fuerte y consistente y bajo la experiencia del estudiante y del adulto, el plan prioriza un distrito seguro y acogedor que proporcionará una experiencia equitativa y humanizadora para toda la comunidad de DPS.

Enfoque en la Clase de 2022

El personal de DPS discutió el contexto de los requisitos de graduación y las oportunidades de competencia, como las pruebas estandarizadas, así como las opciones de cursos como la inscripción concurrente. Los siguientes son algunos de los datos más destacados compartidos:

Para la clase de 2022 al final del año pasado, el 67% de los estudiantes, en todas las escuelas, estaban en camino de cumplir con todos los requisitos de graduación
Para los estudiantes de la Clase de 2023 al final de su tercer año, el 45% había cumplido o estaba en camino de cumplir con los requisitos de créditos y competencias

Más de 1,500 estudiantes obtuvieron el Sello de Bialfabetismo y DPS tuvo una tasa de finalización de FAFSA más alta que el estado en general.

Reunión de la Junta – 25 de agosto de 2022

Presentación del Decreto de Consentimiento Modificado

El personal de DPS presentó una visión general de lo que implica el Decreto de Consentimiento. DPS sirve el mayor número de estudiantes multilingües en Colorado. El español es el idioma más hablado con uno de cada tres estudiantes que hablan español en casa. El Decreto de Consentimiento se estableció para luchar contra los sistemas opresivos que no permiten la equidad lingüística.

Compartieron información sobre los eventos que llevaron a la creación del Decreto de Consentimiento. Comenzó con los paros de la preparatoria West y llevó a que la Corte de Distrito de los Estados Unidos encontrara que DPS violó la Ley de Igualdad de Oportunidades Educativas de 1974 en 1984. DPS volvió a los tribunales en 1999 por desacato al no aplicar la orden judicial de 1984.

En resumen, el Decreto de Consentimiento garantiza que

Los estudiantes multilingües son identificados correctamente, colocados con maestros capacitados, y están recibiendo los servicios del programa MLE/ELA de acuerdo con los requisitos y la elección de los padres.
El programa MLE/ELA está diseñado para garantizar que los alumnos multilingües adquieran tanto el idioma como el contenido, que sus maestros, paraprofesionales, directores y sus evaluadores reciban formación continua.
Todas las familias de los alumnos multilingües participan en un idioma que entienden y tienen acceso a servicios de interpretación y traducción.

El personal de DPS explicó además los 10 capítulos que el decreto de consentimiento requiere que DPS cumpla.

COMPROMETERSE CON LA JUNTA

¿Quiere hacer saber a la junta su opinión sobre cualquiera de estos temas? Puede inscribirse para hacer comentarios públicos y hablar directamente con la junta sobre lo que le importa. Puede inscribirse aquí.

Our Endorsements for 2022 General Election

Elections | 08/29/2022

Stand for Children

Stand for Children Colorado announced today the endorsement of candidates running for the Colorado General Assembly, Governor and Colorado State Board of Education in the upcoming General Election Tuesday, November 8, 2022.

Governor

Jared Polis

Colorado House of Representatives

Julie McCluskie, District 13

Lindsey Daugherty, District 24

Ruby Dickson, District 37

Mary Young, District 50

Barbara McLachlan, District 59

Colorado Senate

Dylan Roberts, District 8

Tony Exum, District 11

Lisa Cutter, District 20

Tom Sullivan, District 27

Colorado State Board of Education

Kathy Plomer, At-Large

Rebecca McClellan, District 6   

“A group of six highly involved community leaders choose their preferred candidates and they ended up being those who uphold and commit to fighting for education equity and racial justice,” said State Organizing Director, Ivana Bejaran Rib.

Candidates seeking Stand’s endorsement complete our Education Champion questionnaire. An endorsement committee of parents and educators then use the completed questionnaires, public positions, and relevant voting records to check for alignment to our top priorities of early literacy, high school success and safe and support schools and communities. Stand and the parents, educators, and community members we work with will now work to get out the vote in support of these candidates between now and election day.

Parents and Educators Join Us to Celebrate

Legislation | 07/13/2022

Stand for Children

As you have likely seen, we have been celebrating key legislative wins for Colorado’s students, educators, and families after our 2022 legislative session.

Every one of our top priority bills have been signed into law by Governor Polis! We could not have done this work without you – the parents, educators, and community members who contacted lawmakers, signed petitions and delivered testimony at the Capitol!

We’re excited to share with you this year’s legislative celebration video and encourage you to take a few minutes to hear directly from some of the amazing educators and parents who engaged this session! You can watch the video here.

P.S. You can support our work to center community voice at the Capitol during next year’s legislative session by making a donation today! Your donation supports interpretation services, community workshops, and more! Donate here.

Standing With You: June 2022

Legislation | 06/24/2022

Krista Spurgin Executive Director

Your Voice at the Capitol

This legislative session, we prioritized bills to ensure principals and administrators are trained in the science of reading, remove barriers to expanding and diversifying our educator workforce, fund Colorado schools equitably, and update policies for safer and more supportive schools and communities.

But we could not do this without you – the parents, educators, and community members who showed your support and took action to ensure these critical bills passed.

This legislative session parents, educators, and community members sent more than 5,500 emails to lawmakers and delivered 16 testimonies at the Capitol.

Why It Matters

We deeply believe that policy making is most effective when the voices of those impacted are at the center of decision making.

During a House Education Committee hearing, a representative said he would be changing his vote to support our bill after hearing testimony from Megan Bobroske, an educator who joined us to testify in support of SB22-004 Evidence-based Training in Science of Reading.

This is why it matters. Your action and your voice changes outcomes. Thank you for standing for students, educators, and families in the 2022 legislative session.

Read more about what we accomplished together on our rundown of this year’s legislative wins.

Learn More

New limits on student seclusion, restraint pass Colorado legislature [Chalkbeat]

More than a million Coloradans could have criminal records automatically sealed under proposed bill [Colorado Newsline]

Student teachers are rarely paid. Colorado lawmakers, school leaders want to ensure they’re compensated. [Colorado Sun]

Three ways Colorado school funding could change this year [Chalkbeat]

Our Top 5

Highlighting this quarter’s work

We Need a Holistic Approach to Education Stand Advocacy Fellow, Pamela Kaspar, testifies in support of HB22-1376

Create Environements for People to Thrive Stand Advocacy Fellow, Natalie Perez, testifies in support of SB22-099

Traditional Pathways Are Creating Barriers Brooke Sassi, Literacy Interventionist, testifies in support of HB22-1220

Why I’ve Seen Massive Early Literacy Gains in My Classroom Megan Bobroske, 2nd grade teacher, testifies in support of SB22-004

In Their Words

Hear from parents, educators, and community members

“Teachers are working hard to apply Science of Reading in their classrooms. Having administrators and principals trained in Science of Reading as well creates a collaborative, supportive school environment where readers thrive.”

-Megan Bobroske, 2nd Grade Teacher

“There is a need for a holistic approach to education, where the wellbeing and growth of teachers, caregivers, support staff and scholars are just as important as standardized test scores. Caregivers need resources to assist with addressing problematic behaviors, and as numerous studies have shown, the emotional quotient is as imperative as an intelligence quotient.”

–Pamela Kaspar, Parent and Stand Advocacy Fellow

Join Us

We need your support to continue our work.

DONATE

Donate here to ensure we can continue to center parent, educator, and community voice at the Capitol in 2023!

This Month at the DPS Board

Uncategorized | 06/7/2022

Stand for Children

Welcome to the June edition of “This Month at the DPS Board”, a monthly newsletter sharing information about the Denver Public Schools (DPS) Board of Education.

Our goal is simple: to share what is happening at school board meetings so you can engage with the board and the district even if you cannot attend hours of meetings every month.

Note: The DPS Board of Directors is off for the month of July so we will resume our coverage following the August meetings.

Work Session – June 2, 2022

LGBTQ+ History Presentation

In honor of Pride Month, two DPS high school students presented an overview of LGBTQ+ history and the importance of LGBTQ+ inclusion in DPS curriculums and schools.

DMLK Student Presentation: African American Library

Students from DMLK spoke about their trip to Washington D.C. and shared reflections on their experience and asked the district to commit to ensuring thorough inclusion of African American history in DPS schools by upholding and ensuring implementation of the Know Justice Know Peace Resolution.

Declining Enrollment Committee Presentation and Discussion

Superintendent Marrero and district staff presented an update on the district’s Declining Enrollment Advisory Committee work. First, the presentation covered the impact that declining enrollment has on students, teachers, and leaders in DPS such as insufficient opportunities for student interventions, teachers teaching multiple grade levels, lack of mental health/student supports, staff turnover and cutting programs. The Committee’s recommendations for criteria to identify schools for potential consolidation are outlined below.

Declining Enrollment Advisory Committee Recommendations

The Committee proposed three criteria for identifying Elementary and Middle Schools that are potential candidates for consolidation. Any school identified by one or more of these criteria is considered a potential candidate for consolidation.

Criteria 1: Identify District-run schools with critically low enrollment

Criteria 1 identifies District schools with critically low enrollment that are unable to provide quality programming without budget assistance or external sources of funding. Any District Elementary or Middle School with fewer than 215 students (not including ECE students) is considered a potential candidate for consolidation with neighboring schools.

Criteria 2: Proactively Identifying District-run Schools with Declining Enrollment

Criteria 2 proactively identifies District schools that are declining in enrollment before they enter a state of critically low enrollment. Any District Elementary or Middle School with fewer than 275 students and projecting an approximately 8-10% reduction over the next 2 years is considered a potential candidate for consolidation with neighboring schools.

Criteria 3: Financially Insolvent Charter Schools

Criteria 3 identifies Charter schools that are failing to remain financially solvent. Any Charter Elementary or Middle school that is not financially solvent for two or more years and identified as “High Risk” according to their Financial Performance Framework (FPF) and the Enrollment sub-section to be considered.

Equity Guardrails

If a school is identified as a potential candidate for consolidation, it then moves to the next phase where all three equity guardrails must be satisfied. Additionally, a community-centered process for designing healthy consolidation plan must be in place.

Equity Guardrails:

Ensuring Appropriate Programming for Students with Unique Needs
Providing Access
Promoting Equity

The Committee also made recommendations for implementation

Preserving programming
Considering consolidation radius
Identifying adequate facilities

Providing clarity of timelines
Honoring school choice and retaining families in DPS

The board discussed the proposal identifying questions and concerns including the consideration of charter partner engagement, academic considerations, and plans to communicate with the DPS community.

Community Engagement Planning

Director Quattlebaum and Director Baldermann presented an overview of the proposed Community Engagement Governance Policy which aims to ensure the Denver Public Schools Board of Directors has a sustainable connection to the community in alignment with district Board Policies.

The board is expected to vote on whether to adopt the policy by the end of the summer.

Updates/Presentation of Healthy Start Times Committee Work & Discussion

In April 2021, the DPS Board of Education passed the Healthy Start Times Resolution stating that all middle schools and high schools (district-managed and charters) start no earlier than 8:20 a.m. each school day to support healthy sleep habits in adolescents. Multiple studies have demonstrated the benefits of changing to a later school start time including better academic outcomes, better attendance rates, higher graduation rates, less depression, and fewer car crashes.

The Committee began community engagement in October 2021 to collect information on opportunities, concerns, and support needed. The committee collected feedback from 12,000 community members, primarily via survey. New Healthy Start Times were shared in May 2022 to “allow ample time for families to plan for 23-24 School Choice”. The current focus is on school specific mitigation and implementation planning and the Committee will continue to collect leader feedback and support highly impacted stakeholders.

Transportation Impact of Healthy Start Times

Schools that will have full transportation cuts beginning 2023-2024 include Denison Montessori, Denver Language School, Polaris, STRIVE- Sunnyside.

Denver School of the Arts will only receive service to the Far Northeast region.

Morey Middle School will maintain Highly Gifted and Talented transportation services in the Southwest, Central, and Far Northeast regions and will maintain general education and special education routing as well.

Shuttle service will not be impacted. Schools not serviced by DPS transportation will be able to select bell times for the 23/24 Choice window.

District 5 Vacancy Discussion

Board members discussed priorities for selecting the candidate for the district 5 vacancy including a commitment to equity, Black Excellence plans and the Know Justice Know Peace resolution. Additionally, board members stated a desire for the candidate to demonstrate a willingness to collaborate to implement policy governance and to build a relationship with Dr. Marrero and district staff.

The board discussed individual candidates and shared strengths and concerns about each.

Focus on Achievement – June 6, 2022

Strategic Regional Analysis

Staff presented the Strategic Regional Analysis (SRA), which represents what is happening across the district in terms of enrollment and school capacity. Overall, enrollment is forecast to continue to decline through 2026 and likely to continue beyond. This year’s SRA includes census data, which is unique. This decline in enrollment started in 2014 and has continued due to “slowing birth rates” and increasing housing costs leading to smaller household size. These factors lead to smaller elementary enrollment and then declines at the middle and high school levels as those students move through the system. According to the SRA, a growing proportion of DPS students are white, while the percentage of Hispanic students has steadily declined. The percentage of Black and other minority students has remained steady. Any growth expected is in the northern part of Central Park and the DIA Gateway area.

Multilingual Education District-Wide Advisory Committee (MLE-DAC)

The Multilingual Education District-wide Advisory Committee (MLE DAC) meets monthly and provides a forum for parents whose children speak a language other than English to learn how DPS is supporting their children and other multilingual learners. Multilingual councils should exist at the school level as well. There are 205 languages spoken throughout DPS. The top eight most spoken languages are provided interpretation services as standard practice and interpretation is available in other languages as requested.

Superintendent Update: DPS Thrives

Dr. Marrero presented an update on the strategic plan, which is being called DPS Thrives and is framed as a roadmap. The process of developing the roadmap has been done in three phases: phase one was the listening and learning tour, phase two was engagement with the transition team to develop recommendations, and phase three is developing the next “strategic roadmap.” The goal is to finalize this roadmap by early summer 2022. The updated mission statement for DPS is informed by their equity statement and is as follows:

Educational equity is our collective responsibility. We prepare students for career, college, and life. We create conditions and partnerships where students, families and team members belong and thrive.

Emergency Procedures Communications

Staff presented emergency or crisis situation communication protocols. There are three communications protocols that are used depending on the situation and timing.

School Board Meeting – June 9, 2022

The board honored Director Reverend Brad Laurvick’s as it was his last meeting as part of the board. A resolution to select a replacement was voted on and Charmaine Lindsay was selected to fill the District 5 vacancy.

Executive Limitations 12 Revisions

Revisions for Executive Limitation (EL) 12 were read. EL 12 allows for more flexibility for innovation schools and their contracts. There was discussion about the viability of passing this revision, but the board voted to hold discussion and the 2nd reading until the next board meeting on June 16.

Consent Agenda

The board voted to deny three charter school applications, STEM, 5280, and RAAD. STEM was denied prior to public comment but 5280 and RAAD were held for after public comment. 5280 was denied because of questions around “viability” and even though the board agreed that RAAD’s arts programing is needed in the district, they voted to deny the school with the suggestion to add this type of programing to an already existing district school.

Board Retreat – June 16, 2022

Community Engagement

The board stated a commitment to ensure a variety of voices are heard in decision making, explain to the community their role as board members and opportunities for the board to hear concerns. Board members shared ideas about ways to incorporate this work including holding recurring community meetings or visiting schools.

Public Comment Discussion

The board considered a draft proposal around changing where monthly public comment occurs (GP.15). If passed, these changes would go into effect for the September board meeting. Currently, public comment happens during the monthly board meeting and the board is working to adjust the timing, so they have a gap between public comment and voting during the board meeting.

This proposal would shift public comment to the Monday prior to the monthly board meeting. It was suggested during the retreat that the “Focus on Achievement” meeting be renamed to be called “Public Comment and Progress Monitoring” meeting. Public comment would still take place in person (with access to free parking) and virtually to allow individuals to determine what works best for them. Board members also discussed how to remove barriers for students to engage. They are considering allowing students to submit a recorded public comment for board members to watch prior to the meeting.

Special Board Meeting – June 16, 2022

The board voted to approve the EL 12 Revision, closing the board’s 2021-2022 fiscal year.

The board is officially off for the month of July and will reconvene for the new year in August.

Engage with the Board

Do you want to let the board know your thoughts on any of these topics? You can sign up for public comment and speak directly to the board about what matters to you. You can sign up here.

ACTION ALERT: HB22-1220 – Teacher Workforce BIll Signed into Law!

Safe and Supportive Schools and Communities | 05/26/2022

Krista Spurgin Executive Director

We are thrilled that Governor Polis signed HB22-1220 into law. This policy will remove barriers in educator preparation to support teacher candidates entering the workforce by:

supporting teacher candidates by paying them for their student teaching work,
removing financial barriers by paying for teacher exam fees,
expanding pathways to licensure by allowing multiple ways to demonstrate competency.

We are proud to have championed HB22-1220 this year because we see it as a pathway to addressing the teacher shortage in Colorado. We believe that removing financial barriers and increasing pathways to licensure will ensure a more diverse educator workforce, which is critical for all of Colorado’s students to experience just and supportive schools.

“The traditional pathways to teaching are creating artificial barriers to BIPOC teacher candidates from entering the profession in greater numbers. Unpaid student teaching is another barrier that reduces the diversity of the teaching force, requiring some students to take on second and third jobs in their attempts to satisfy the requirements of their programs. Addressing these issues would remove some of the barriers that are keeping Colorado schools from diversifying their teaching staff.” Brooke Sassi, Literacy Interventionist

REMOVING INSURMOUNTABLE BARRIERS, Dr. Theresa Newsom, Gifted and Talented Educator

WE NEED DIVERSIFIED EDUCATORS, Asia Zanders, U.S. Government and Social Studies Teacher

How to Talk to Kids about Gun Violence

Safe and Supportive Schools and Communities | 05/25/2022

Stand for Children

We are shattered. Again. Gun violence has cruelly and senselessly taken the lives of children and their teachers in a place that is supposed to be safe: their classroom. Our words feel hollow, so we are sharing resources to help you support your children right now.

Resources to Talk to Children: