Skepticism Aired Over Shifting DPS Boundaries
Administrators Provide Updates on Program Changes In the Works
On May 19 at Manual High School, Denver Public Schools Superintendent Tom Boasberg proposed that all incoming East 9th graders would attend a 9th Grade Academy at Manual for one year, then go to East for grades 10 through 12. Manual students would do the same, then choose whether to attend East or a STEM (science, tech, engineering and math) program located in the building.
A number of Park Hill residents attended the meeting. DPS administrators did not address most of the questions that came from both the Manual and the East communities. Manual students and community members expressed anger and frustration at the plan, while Park Hill parents conveyed skepticism and reluctance to move ahead.
Superintendent Boasberg said at the meeting that the hope was to implement the programs – as these were the best plans put forth – in the Fall of 2015. However, something happened between that Manual meeting and a subsequent meeting at East High School on May 27 – where DPS officials announced the plan wouldn’t be put in place until Fall 2016.
Although information about the meeting was disseminated by DPS only to parents who have children already attending East (not across the boundary), the auditorium was two-thirds full. Greta Martinez, Acting Assistant Superintendent, repeatedly referred to the Manual plan as a STEAM program (adding art into the STEM mix of science, tech, engineering and math) this time but did not elaborate.
Though most questions were directed to central district administrators, East High Principal Andy Mendelsberg fielded most of them on his own.
Many asked about the logistics and costs of splitting the campus between Manual and East. Others inquired about the politics behind the scenes, and questions about space, overcrowding and the number of students attending East came up more than once.
Indeed, as of the October 2013 count, 51 percent of East’s population choiced into the school.
From DPS Planning and Analysis – East snapshot
Making a case for keeping 9th grade within the East building, East High School junior Nate Koch said he has been underwhelmed by the social scene at the school. He noted that he and his sister, also at East, had benefited from being with older students who do drama, robotics and speech.
“Why,” he asked, “are you assuming that all freshman can deal with is hanging out with other freshman?”
The fact that DPS has slowed down the process for the East 9th Grade Academy puts its future into question, but the plan is not yet off the table.
George Washington High School
Parts of Park Hill are within the George Washington High School boundary, where there have also been announced changes to its famed International Baccalaureate Program.
Starting in the 2015-16 year, GW will eliminate its competitive pre-IB program in favor of an open pre-IB/Honors program. DPS’ reasoning is that this will create a more inclusive culture on GW’s campus.
Many parents, IB graduates and current students have objected to the plan, calling it a “dumbing down” of one of the best programs in DPS. They are worried about the long-term impact to the viability of the IB program and would prefer to see higher standards implemented to GW’s traditional curriculum.
DPS has been altering several of its honors and magnet programs in favor of what it deems a more broad and equitable approach. Critics are afraid that higher standards and quality programs are being lost in the shuffle.
New Stapleton High School boundary
In addition to Stapleton, the boundary for the new high school, which will reside on the newly named Paul Sandoval campus, was drawn to include a section of Park Hill: the corridor between Monaco and Quebec, extending from Colfax north to the city limit.
An additional priority enrollment to GW will be established for these residents, as GW was their original boundary school. Students living within this boundary will have a guaranteed seat the high school, should they choose to enroll in it.
In addition, an allocation of at least 35 percent of seats at the school will be designated for families living outside the boundary and assigned via the SchoolChoice system with the following priorities:
1. Residents living in Far Northeast Denver (east of Havana Street, north of Interstate 70 to the city limits);
2. Residents living in the Greater Park Hill Stapleton Middle School Zone who qualify for free or reduced price lunch;
3. Denver residents who qualify for free or reduced price lunch
4. Residents living in the Greater Park Hill Stapleton Middle School Zone
5. Denver residents
The Far Northeast was prioritized above other districts because it does not have a comprehensive high school. There, DPS phased out the high school, Montbello, and did not replace it with a traditional high school. Instead, Far Northeast residents have several charter options.
A number of community members from the Far Northeast attended the boundary meetings and made it clear that they desperately wanted access to a comprehensive high school. Given Park Hill’s access to East, High the committee prioritized the Far Northeast.
Within a few years, the growing populations of Stapleton and the Far Northeast are such that they will probably fill the school leaving little or no seats for students from other parts of Denver.
New schools in Northeast Denver
On June 12, the DPS Board of Education approved two new charter schools for the Near Northeast: Roots Elementary and a middle school, the Near Northeast Community Engagement School.
At this time, it is not known where these schools will be located.
Lynn Kalinauskas is Education Chair of the Greater Park Hill Board of Governors.