Denver Public Schools May 19, 2000 Volume 5 Number 26

Bernadette Seick Appointed Acting Superintendent

Newly appointed Acting Superintendent Bernadette Seick, a 30-year DPS veteran, has one major priority. "My primary concern is with completing a successful school year on a positive note." She has two immediate tasks. The first is to submit the 2000-2001 budget to the Board of Education for approval. The second is communication. Seick said she intends to have ongoing conversations with staff at all levels, parents and members of the community. She also intends to keep the door open to those community groups that Chip Zullinger successfully re-engaged.

Last Monday night, Zullinger and the Board of Education agreed to part ways over differences in leadership style.

"Chip Zullinger deserves praise for his effort to extend an open hand to the community, particularly to those who have felt that they did not have a voice within Denver Public Schools," said Board President Elaine Gantz Berman. "The Board supports his vision to streamline the DPS bureaucracy in order to improve education for students.

"However, concerns about Superintendent Zullinger's leadership style and his ability to implement his vision led to this very difficult step," she added.

Seick has served as Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education for the past six years. Before that she was principal of John F. Kennedy High School for five years. "I'm interested in helping out the district any way I can. I plan to do the job the best that I can and be responsive to all communities," Seick said.

Berman cited projects developed by Zullinger - such as starting school report cards, developing a close working relationship with the teachers' union and the launch of the Department of Community Relations - as worthy initiatives that reflect the progressive ideas he brought to the district.

The Board voted 5-1 Thursday night to accept a separation agreement with Zullinger. Board member Lucia Guzman voted against the motion. (Board member James Mejía was not present.)

In voting against the agreement, Guzman said, "Chip Zullinger opened doors that had been shut for too long."

Board member Bennie Milliner, voting for the separation, said, "His ability to reach out to the community was attractive, but the role of a CEO is so much more than that."

Zullinger was hired by the Board of Education in August, 1999.

The Board is fulfilling the terms of Zullinger's contract, including the provision that requires the Board to pay him 18 months' salary, along with unused vacation time, at the time the contract is ended.

New Goals Adopted

The Board of Education unanimously adopted a new set of goals at Thursday's legislative meeting.

Denver Public Schools

Mission: The mission of the Denver Public Schools is to provide all students the opportunity to achieve the knowledge and skills necessary to become contributing citizens in our diverse society.

Goals, ECE-12, 2000-2001: All DPS students meet or surpass district standards.

Strategies

Instruction

• Provide quality instruction based on high expectations in every classroom to address the academic needs of our diverse population.
• Align the curriculum and assessments with district content standards to ensure success on CSAP and in a career or post-secondary education.
• Ensure that speakers of other languages are provided a strong program of English language development.
• Build and support a comprehensive leadership and staff development program designed to increase student achievement.
• Integrate preparation for a career or higher education into classroom content, in coordination with counseling staff.

Community

• Energize parents, staff, community, and business leaders to share responsibility for improving student achievement.
• Provide support to ensure the effectiveness of Collaborative Decision-Making (CDM) teams.
• Expand the use of the school to serve families and community during non-school hours.
• Provide parents, staff, and community with easy-to-understand information about student achievement and the tools to support their children's learning.
• Form partnerships with the community so students come to school ready to learn.

Operations

• Provide efficient and effective district service systems that improve student learning.
• Recruit, support, and retain high quality employees.
• Serve schools by assuring that the central office supports each site's instructional program.
• Align resources with district goals, emphasizing classroom instruction.
• Develop high quality, user-friendly data systems that support student learning and effective district operations.
• Implement a compensation system for employees that recognizes high performance.

Mitchell CSAPs Jump

The Department of Assessment and Testing has released revised results for Mitchell Elementary School's results on the third grade reading assessment.

Mitchell improved dramatically on the CSAP from 1999 to 2000. In 1999 14 percent were "at or above proficient," and in 2000 36 percent were "at or above proficient." This 22 percent increase placed Mitchell in the top five schools in percentage improvements from 1999 to 2000.

And The Name Is... Green Valley Elementary

If the name fits, use it.

During the planning stages, the new school in northeast Denver has been known as Green Valley Ranch Elementary School, after the name of the neighborhood.

Now, it's official - but with a slight adjustment. There's no "ranch," just "Green Valley." The Board of Education approved the name this week, following the school's Program Design Advisory Committee recommendation.

As a result, Green Valley Elementary will open in September for the 2000-2001 school year. Along with Marrama Elementary and Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, it will be the third school in far northeast Denver.

Apollo Charter For Highly Gifted Approved

The Board of Education has approved another charter. Apollo Charter School, which seeks to serve highly gifted students, was given the green light to open in the 2001-2002 school year, subject to certain conditions.

The school will initially serve students in grades one through eight and must open with an enrollment of 60 to 100 students. A site must be identified consistent with the school's application by March 1, 2001. School organizers must also submit a revised budget, a plan for identifying highly gifted students and a strategy to meet the needs of English language learners.

Noted Board member Bennie Milliner: "It's difficult to find another school district in this country that can match DPS for choices and opportunities."

East High Newest Indian Focus School

Starting next school year, East High School will be designated an American Indian Focus School, the Board of Education decided Thursday.

American Indian Focus Schools work to improve achievement among American Indian students by providing a peer group for support and faculty who can work directly with Indian students. Currently Brown, Wyman, College View elementary schools, and Hamilton Middle School and Career Education Center are Focus schools.

Under the new designation, American Indian students will receive enrollment priority. Those who live outside the 3.5-mile walk zone will receive RTD bus tokens for transportation.

Ideas For Counseling Improvements OK'd

The Board of Education this week approved recommendations by the Ad Hoc Task Force on Counseling, a group that has been studying ways to improve counseling services to students.

Approved unanimously, the motion calls for staff to implement the changes "to the degree that financial resources are available."

The changes include:

Adopting and implementing counseling content standards. These spell out that academic development, career development, and personal/social development are the roles of every school counselor.

Adopting job descriptions for counselors. These spell out the professional standards that all counselors must meet to be certified.

Adopting a requirement that all secondary schools maintain a counseling program.

The recommendations include a list of budget items. Top on the list is a proposal to spend $770,000 to hire staff to manage student scheduling in order to free counselors to work directly with students.

The single largest budget recommendation, for $1.1 million, would seek to increase the number of counselors in the district, from one counselor for every 400 students to one counselor for every 350.

Staff Changes

Several key staff changes were approved by the Board of Education this week. Thirteen new school principals were named. They are: Jerry Anderson, East High School; Wayne Butkovich, Baker Middle School; Michael DeGuire, McMeen Elementary School; Anita Gallegos-Theriot, Southmoor Elementary School; Deborah Johnson-Graham, Green Valley Ranch Elementary School; Reina Gutierrez, Hamilton Middle School; Sandra Just, Rishel Middle School; Toni Knight, Steck Elementary School; James Richardson, McKinley-Thatcher Elementary School; Reginald Robinson, Mitchell Elementary School; Sharon Robinson, Emily Griffith Opportunity School; Keith Roybal, Henry Middle School; and Joan Wamsley, Ebert Elementary School.

New Contracts

The Board this week approved a series of construction contractors to begin work on various bond-related school projects. Contractors were named to begin work on school additions at Cowell Elementary School, Horace Mann, Smiley and Rishel middle schools, and East, George Washington and Manual high schools. The Board also approved a construction management firm to oversee the new Denver School of the Arts. Also approved was the Construction Advisory Committee Final Report for the new Montbello elementary school and a contractor for that school.

Policy Revisions

On first reading, the Board of Education accepted five proposed policy revisions:

• Appointment and Procedures for Dismissal of Classified Employees
• Discipline of Students With Disabilities
• Student Restraint
• Student Attendance Procedures
• Staff Personal Security and Safety

Public comment will be accepted at the June 1 public hearing. The Board is set to vote on June 15. For a copy of the proposals, call Public Information, 720-423-3414.

DENVER PUBLIC SCHOOLS BOARD OF EDUCATION
Elaine Berman President Bennie Milliner Vice President
Sue Edwards Secretary Sharon Macdonald Treasurer
Lucia Guzman Board Member James Mejía Board Member Les Woodward Board Member

Board News is published after each board meeting
by the DPS Public Information Office,
900 Grant St., Room 402, Denver, CO 80203
Phone: 720-423-3414    TTY/TTD: 720-423-3741    Fax: 720-423-3413

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