School’s Out, but Not for Reform Efforts

With the leaves greening Park Hill’s neighborhood, our thoughts move from school to summer camps, vacation and BBQs. Nonetheless several important steps have been taken regarding our local schools in the last month.
ASHLEY ELEMENTARY
Two community meetings have been held at Ashley Elementary School. During the first, on April 24, DPS Office of Community Engagement teamed up with the Ashley Collaborative School Committee members, teachers and principal, Dr. Ken Hulslander. They all shared the stage in addressing the crowd.
Joe Amundsen, New Schools Manager at DPS’ Office of School Reform and Innovation, an nounced that parents and school  staff would have until late September to put forth a proposal  for the school. Given that the Board was scheduled to vote on the school’s future in June, this  was welcomed with excitement, which turned to loud applause when Assistant Principal Kim Hunter said, “Si se puede” (“Yes  we can” in Spanish).
Enthusiasm was not only  quashed but trust in DPS was heavily eroded when soon after that meeting word came down  that DPS would not be renewing  Principal Huslander’s contract even though the school’s 3rd  grade TCAP scores have gone  from 28 percent proficiency in 2011 to 52 percent in 2013. Instead,  a search for a new principal was already under way.
Ashley’s Collaborative School  Committee was able to negotiate with DPS to have an importantvoice in the new principal search  and the Ashley community continues to move forward with creating a new plan for the school.
PARK HILL/STAPLETON COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Another Greater Park Hill-Stapleton Community meeting was held at the Denver School of the Arts on May 7. Not as well attended as previous ones, this meeting provided little new information. The focus was on the two new middle schools proposed for Stapleton – one to be located in the same building as Swigert International School and another to be built in Conservatory Green.
Alyssa Whitehead-Bust, DPS Chief of Innovation and Reform, stated that the Denver School of Science and Technology (DSST) would probably move into the Conservatory Green space given its size.
Answering a question about a Stapleton ECE-5 elementary school located at Eastbridge, she noted that the principal hired to lead that school had K-8 experience and DPS might turn the school into an ECE-8 in the future.
Bill Kurtz, CEO of DSST schools, gave a short presentation about his schools and answered questions. It was unclear what access Park Hill would have to a proposed new DSST school, but his presence at the meeting pointed to the likelihood of a second DSST in the Stapleton neighborhood.
SMILEY BECOMES McAULIFFE/VENTURE PREP
The long awaited vote on the McAuliffe move to the Smiley building was held on May 17. As expected, the Board supported the move, 6-1.
When asked why she had opposed the move, Board member Jeannie Kaplan said, “This is not about wanting more integrated schools. We all want that. This is about the district not having a plan for the middle schools in Stapleton and Park Hill. This is another one-off decision, and I am tired of making those.
“I don’t want people to be back at the Board public comment in another year or two because DPS hasn’t addressed the whole middle school issue in the Near Northeast. In spite of being a “choice” district, the choice for most people would be to keep their students at their neighborhood school.
“Families want some certainty. This decision does not address either certainty or choice, even for the relatively small affected portion of the Near Northeast. This is a decision that should include types of programs as well as boundaries for these schools.”
Venture Prep Principal Ken Burdette said, “With the many changes surrounding the Smiley Campus, it is important to remember that the building currently houses a highly rated school in Venture Prep High School. Venture Prep High School is expected to enroll 255 students for the 2013-2014 school year. The school is a free public charter school open to all DPS students. Lastly, the school looks forward to working collaboratively with Mr. Dennis and the strong McAuliffe program that is scheduled to come to the campus in fall of 2014.”
QUESTIONS THAT REMAIN
Ultimately, when the choices are made about school programs and boundaries, a new host of questions will need to be addressed. With the Stapleton bubble of middle school kids hitting in a few years, will Park Hill students still have a decent chance of being accepted into their first or second choice middle school within the new Park Hill Stapleton enrollment zone?
Will McAuliffe still be the diverse school DPS has promised the community? Will Venture Prep be allowed to thrive as a co-located school? And finally, will DPS offer their long-term support for the community in making crucial decisions for their schools?

See Events Calendar for DPS meeting schedule.