January 28, 2005
Compensation Study Recommends Path To Competitiveness
For a new teacher, the salary, benefits and retirement package in Denver Public Schools ranks second among 14 metro Denver school districts.
Considering only salary and non-retirement benefits, Denver Public Schools ranks sixth in metro Denver and is .6 percent above the average.
Those are two of the key findings of the Joint Market Compensation Task Force, which issued its findings this week. The task force is a joint effort of the district and the Denver Classroom Teachers Association; it was born out of last year’s contract negotiations.
"Many presumed we were much farther behind in the market," said Superintendent Wartgow. "But the data speaks for itself."
The group was charged with assessing the district’s current position in the market, identifying areas of strengths and weakness in the traditional compensation system, and evaluating whether the district’s compensation system allows the district to attract and retain high quality teachers.
The task force emerged with short-term and long-term recommendations. For the 2005-2006 school year, the group urged that:
- Experience and longevity steps, as calculated prior to 2003-2004, be returned to teachers.
- One paid student contact day be added to the contract year.
- A tiered short-term substitute teacher pay schedule be created.
Rich Allen, Assistant Superintendent for Budget and Finance, calculated the cost of those recommendations at $4 million –
$3 million for the experience and longevity steps and $1 million for the contract day addition. The recommendation on changing substitute pay would require negligible incremental costs.
Over the long-term, the task force also urged the district to:
- Progressively add to the number of longevity increments for years 14 through 30 on the salary schedule and appropriately adjust the middle range of salary schedule in all lanes.
- Add contract days.
- Increase the value of lower steps that were previously compressed. (This concern would be eliminated if funding for the district’s proposed Professional Compensation System (ProComp) for teachers is approved by voters next November.)
- Create a financial differential between teachers with a bachelor’s degree and 60 hours of coursework (toward a master’s degree) and those teachers who have already earned a master’s degree to encourage teachers to earn a master’s degree earlier.
Superintendent Wartgow pledged to make the short-term recommendations a priority in the budget planning.
"Let there be no mistake. When it comes to the issue of teacher pay, there is no ‘us versus them’ on this issue. We are entirely in the corner of classroom teachers...teachers need to be paid at a rate that is dramatically higher than we pay them today."
Approval of ProComp would dedicate $25 million annually for teacher salaries, said Superintendent Wartgow, and would mean Denver Public Schools would "leap frog" other districts in teacher pay.
Task Force member and community representative Tony Lewis, who is executive director of the Donnell-Kay Foundation, said he was impressed with the spirit of cooperation that he found between district and union representatives during the work of the task force.
"I hope that with these findings and recommendations that we’ve laid the foundation for collaboration as we begin contract talks," he said.
Montclair and Hill Plans A "Go"
Two neighborhood schools in southeast Denver will open with a brand new focus in August – Montclair Elementary School and Hill Middle School.
The Board yesterday unanimously accepted revitalization plans from both schools. In an effort to improve student achievement and attract families back into neighborhood schools, the schools are among 13 in Denver that are working with parents and community members to spend $2.5 million to identify attractive educational programs and increase student enrollment.
"This is what we wanted to have happen with revitalization," said Board Member Elaine Gantz Berman. "We’re bringing people back into the schools. I believe in both cases (Montclair and Hill), they’re going to be very successful."
The two other revitalization plans approved so far are for Brown Elementary School in northwest Denver and Bradley Elementary School in southeast Denver. Both are on their way to becoming authorized in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme.
Other schools working on revitalization plans are Ford, Gilpin, Remington, Sabin and Stedman elementary schools and Cole, Henry, Martin Luther King Jr. and Skinner middle schools.
Montclair Elementary School
Montclair Elementary School will be transformed as the "Montclair School of Academics and Enrichment." The plan calls for implementation of the Early High Strides program as well as the Schoolwide Enrichment Model.
"Montclair has quite amazing community support and has done a very thorough community survey, going door to door within a certain radius and working with the neighborhood organizations," said Berman. "I really, really think this is the beginning of a new era for Montclair."
Early High Strides is an accelerated instructional model for highly motivated students built on the premise that learning should be individualized. It requires a commitment on the part of students, parents and teachers. Instruction in the core content areas is delivered with a project-based emphasis at a rigorous pace. Students would apply for Early High Strides.
The Schoolwide Enrichment Model is a detailed blueprint for total school improvement that is based upon the vision that schools are places for talent development. This model takes into account the varying abilities, backgrounds, experiences and learning styles of each student and capitalizes upon those strengths and interests.
The plan also envisions library redevelopment, an emphasis on character education and improved community engagement.
Hill Middle School
Hill Middle School will be reborn as the "Hill Middle School Campus of Arts and Science." The plan calls for a primary focus in two areas:
- Infusion of state-of-the-art computer technology into all areas of student learning
- Expansion and enrichment of the elective arts program and after-school enrichment and tutoring
The "campus" part of the plan means that selected classes and teachers would be shared between Hill students and those at surrounding elementary schools. Steck Elementary School is located to the west of Hill and would serve as the first school to test the concept – sharing instrumental music instructors, for instance.
Additionally, the revitalization plan calls for continuing with a strong academic Honors Program.
District Proposes Closing Gove Middle School
District staff recommended yesterday closing Gove Middle School at the end of this school year and reassigning students to Hill, Morey or Smiley middle schools. All three neighboring schools have the capacity to enroll more students.
The recommendation comes because the state recently rated Gove as "unsatisfactory" after three consecutive years of "low" ratings and also because Gove’s enrollment is declining. With only 241 students this year and a shrinking budget, it is a challenge to hire enough teachers to truly meet students’ needs and offer a comprehensive middle school program that includes diverse course options for students.
"This board does not make these decisions lightly," said Board member Theresa Peña. "That said, this board has put tremendous pressure on staff to really look at making changes in unsatisfactory schools."
The Board is expected to make a decision on Thursday, March 3 and will hear public comment during the monthly public comment session at 6 p.m. Thursday, February 3. To sign up to speak, call the Board office at 720-423-3210 by 5 p.m. Wednesday, February 2.
"We will do everything we can to make this a smooth transition for both the students and the staff," said Assistant Superintendent Wayne Eckerling.
Two Elementary School Expansions Considered
The Board of Education this week considered converting Fairmont and Greenlee elementary schools in northwest Denver to K-8 schools beginning in 2005-2006.
The elementary schools will add sixth grade in 2005-2006 and an additional grade each year thereafter. If the plan is approved, the district would provide transportation to Grant Middle School for those students who prefer to attend a traditional middle school.
A Board decision is expected on Thursday, February 17.
Earlier this month, the Board voted to covert five northeast Denver elementary schools to K-8 schools beginning in August – Columbine, Gilpin, Harrington, Mitchell and Whittier.
Early Education Tuition Changes Proposed
After two years of unchanged tuition rates, the Board this week considered increases to tuition for Montessori programs and tuition-based kindergarten and Early Childhood Education (ECE).
The Early Education Department recommends a $10 per-month-per-child increase for tuition-based full-day kindergarten and ECE classes for the 2005-2006 school year. That would bring tuition for ECE classes for three- and four-year-olds to $195 a month and for full-day kindergarten for five-year-olds to $270 a month.
The plan also includes aligning Montessori tuition at Sandoval, Denison and Lincoln elementary schools in the next two years so that the cost to families is the same regardless of which program is chosen.
The Board is expected to make a decision about the tuition rates on Thursday, February 17.
Board Notes
The Board this week recognized outgoing Northwest Area Superintendent Melanie Haas. Retiring from DPS at the end of January, Haas will move on to manage a five-year, $10 million federal Teacher Quality Enhancement grant at Metropolitan State College.
"It’s with a fond farewell that we honor your dedicated service to Denver Public Schools this evening," said Superintendent Jerry Wartgow. "For 34 years, you set high expectations and unwavering standards for excellence in your tireless service to the students of Denver Public Schools."
Superintendent Wartgow has appointed Southwest Area Assistant Superintendent John Youngquist to replace Haas as Northwest Area Superintendent.
In other action this week, the Board of Education:
- Considered five charter school contract renewals for February – Challenges, Choices and Images; Community Challenge; Pioneer; Denver Arts and Technology Academy; and P.S. 1. Staff recommended denying the P.S. 1 renewal in February or delaying the decision until April so the school can submit a satisfactory restructuring plan addressing how it will boost student achievement.
- Approved changes to the ProComp agreement between DCTA and DPS to postpone the first ProComp opt-in window until after the anticipated November 2005 mill levy election. Members of the DCTA are voting on the changes this week. At press time, results were not tallied.
- Approved a new policy mandating a 3 percent contingency in the budget, created over three years.