April 8, 2005
Rosedale Elementary School, Baker Middle School Will Close
In a clearly heart-wrenching decision, the Denver Board of Education this week approved closing Rosedale Elementary School and Baker Middle School as part of the budget-balancing plan.
The decision to close Baker was approved unanimously as part of the consent agenda; the vote to close Rosedale was 5-1 with Board member Lucia Guzman casting the lone dissent and Board member Elaine Gantz Berman abstaining. "I haven’t decided," she said as the roll call was read.
"My heart says keep Rosedale open, however, having said that, I turn to the facts at Rosedale," said Board member Bruce Hoyt, who cited the school’s status as the smallest-enrollment school and that the enrollment has declined 25 percent in the past three years. With such a small student population (134 students this year), the overhead costs mean that Rosedale requires about $1,000 more per student to run than comparable schools, he said.
"One of the most inefficient parts about this district is we have way too many schools serving way too few students," added Hoyt. "The dollars that we spend on overhead and maintenance of those buildings, keeps money out from paying teachers ... We have to manage this district with our minds and not just our hearts. I am unfortunately in support of the motion."
Board member Guzman urged that the school be given another chance.
"We’ve closed some other schools, but I have yet to see a school that we might close that has had the community response that Rosedale has had ... and that is not just parents, it’s business people, the clergy and everybody who is a stakeholder in that community," she said. "I respect the fact that you have been jolted into looking at your school in the reality that it’s in ... I would hope we could take another year and just see if we could err on the side of keeping this school ... (of) giving this school an opportunity to be supported."
Guzman also said she opposed closing Rosedale this year because of the school’s relatively high percentage of poor and Latino students.
The motion passed by the Board means that the Rosedale Elementary School attendance area will be merged with adjacent attendance areas for nearby McKinley-Thatcher and Asbury elementary schools.
One proposal that was floated Thursday would have allowed Rosedale to temporarily share space with a charter school that is in the development stages. But that proposal failed to gather any traction with the Board.
The decisions about Rosedale (2330 S. Sherman St.) and Baker (574 W. 6th Ave.) followed a decision earlier this year to also close Gove Middle School (4050 E. 14th Ave.).
"Nobody feels good about closing schools," said Superintendent Jerry Wartgow. "This is a very, very difficult decision." But, he noted, "these are tough budget times."
The Board has tentatively approved an outline of a plan to reduce spending by $11.6 million to make ends meet for the 2005-2006 school year.
In the first year, closing Rosedale would save $250,000 and $300,000 each year following. In the first year, closing Baker would save $712,000 and $829,000 each year following.
The decision "causes me great pain," said Board member Theresa PeÒa, but "we need to more effectively utilize our empty school buildings ... As responsible stewards of the taxpayer’s money, that is not a responsible way to operate. I did not sign up on the Board to close schools (but this is) the lesser of two evils - the approach that least compromises student achievement. We may need to continue to look at closing schools."
The other option, she noted, was to reduce the per-pupil funding allocations given to every school in the district.
Wayne Eckerling, Assistant Superintendent for Research, Planning and Special Projects, noted that the district has previously closed and then later re-opened such schools as Slavens and Southmoor elementary schools as enrollment dipped and then surged back in those neighborhoods. "Closure is not necessarily forever," he said.
Board members Hoyt and others lauded the "inspirational" approach that had been demonstrated by the Rosedale community in responding to the proposal.
Community Meetings April 13-14 To Set Leadership Profile For Next Superintendent
The Board of Education has scheduled five regional meetings to ask all segments of the school district and the general community to assist in the search for a new superintendent.
The meetings will be run by Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates, Ltd., the firm selected by the Denver Board of Education to assist in the search for a new superintendent.
Those attending the meeting will be asked to assist the Board of Education in developing a "Leadership Assessment Profile" that will help establish what leadership qualities are needed for the next superintendent.
Those at the meeting will be given a survey asking: 1) what do you consider to be the two or three most significant strengths of the Denver Public Schools; 2) what do you consider to be the two or three most important issues or concerns facing the Denver Public Schools; and 3) please share two or three characteristics which you would like to see in the new superintendent.
Survey respondents also will be asked to rank the relative importance of such leadership characteristics as "the ability and willingness to deal directly and fairly with faculty, staff, students and parents," "the ability to articulate the district’s vision and provide the leadership to fulfill it," "the ability to empower others, delegate and hold individuals accountable" and others.
The survey also is available on the district’s web page: http://board.dpsk12.org/sup_search.shtml. You may return the completed form by Friday, April 15 to the Board Office at 900 Grant Street, Room 705, Denver, Colorado, 80203. You also may fax it either to the Board Office at 720-423-3216 or to Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates, Ltd. at 847-724-8467.
Wednesday, April 13
4:30 p.m. at Skinner Middle School, 3435 W. 40th Ave.
6 p.m. at Bruce Randolph Middle School, 3955 Steele St.
6 p.m. at Henry Middle School, 3005 S. Golden Way
6:30 p.m. at Lincoln Elementary School, 710 S. Pennsylvania St.
Thursday, April 14
6 p.m. at Montbello High School, 5000 Crown Blvd.
Mediator Selected For Teacher Contract Negotiations
Judy Mares-Dixon has been selected by Denver Public Schools and the Denver Classroom Teachers Association to serve as the mediator for the current teacher contract negotiations.
Mares-Dixon is an internationally experienced mediator who successfully facilitated the current contract between the district and the DCTA in 2002. She has continued to work within the district as a facilitator, assisting school communities in the process of school redesign and revitalization.
The following dates have been set for the mediation: Saturday, April 16; Monday, April 18; Tuesday, April 19; and Wednesday, April 20. Exact meeting times and locations will be determined at a later date.
"We fully expect to emerge from the mediated portion of contract discussions with a settlement that is in the best interests of both parties," said Andre Pettigrew, Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services.
The current contract expires on August 31, 2005.
Mitchell Elementary Options Presented Monday, April 11
The Board will hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, April 11 in the Board Room at the DPS administration building to hear proposals for a new educational program at Mitchell Elementary School.
To improve student achievement, DPS solicited proposals to operate the school.
1. Escuela Tlatelolco Montessori Elementary School proposes operating a Montessori program for students in grades pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. The district would operate the school during 2005-2006 while the applicant prepares for Mitchell’s conversion to a Montessori contract in 2006-2007.
2. Mitchell Village Academy proposes a charter or contract school offering a Montessori program in grades pre-kindergarten through fifth grade and an International Baccalaureate program in grades 6-8 starting in 2005-2006.
3. PACE Model: Parents, Accountability, Collaboration, Expectations would leverage existing DPS curriculum and exhibit high expectations, collaboration, parent partnerships, leadership and accountability.
The Board is expected to make a decision on Thursday, April 21.
Board Notes
In other action this week, the Board of Education approved:
- Learning Landscape construction contracts with the firm of Colorado Designscapes in the amount of $638,999 at Ellis Elementary School; $850,272 at Kaiser, Knapp and Traylor elementary schools; $511,934 at Fallis Elementary School; and $733,190.28 at Hallett, Teller and Wyman elementary schools. The Board approved another Learning Landscape construction contract with the firm of J.C. Brooks & Co. in the amount of $678,845 at McMeen Elementary School.
- Construction contract with the firm of Integrated Control Systems, Inc. in the amount of $632,585 for the East High School boiler and temperature controls project.
- Construction contract with the firm of W.M. Brown in the amount of $1,253,182 for the Kaiser Elementary School and Place Middle School renovation projects and $917,456 for the renovation projects at Bromwell, Holm, Lincoln and Montclair elementary schools and George Washington High School.