Career Education Center To Become Colorado’s First “Middle College” Program

Expanding its educational offerings, Fred N. Thomas Career Education Center (CEC) will add “Middle College of Denver” to its name in the fall. The change, approved by the Board of Education on Feb. 20, makes CEC the first Middle College in Colorado.

“There’s much more embodied in this than just the name,” said Superintendent Jerry Wartgow.
The new program is a new way for high school students to earn credits toward a college associate’s degree.

As Denver’s only comprehensive career and technical magnet school, CEC has been providing students with “real-life” learning experiences since 1976.

The move to the Middle College program means that students can take up to four courses a year at Community College of Denver (CCD) in lieu of academic courses at CEC. Upon graduation, students can complete their associate’s degree at CCD in one year, rather than two. CEC also has an affiliate agreement with Emily Griffith Opportunity School to provide industry certification for specific course work.

“This is something we’ve been working on since I arrived,” said Wartgow. “It’s a new collaboration with the community colleges, and we’re looking forward to a very very successful and exciting program.”

The Middle College concept came to life last year after educators and community leaders examined how CEC could best meet the changing educational needs of Denver’s youth.
“Nationally, middle college-style high schools have been a good fit for urban students,” said principal Peter Hergenreter. “They have improved attendance and academic performance and increased both graduation rates and the number of high school graduates that go on to college. We’ve impressed upon our students that these days it’s simply not enough to have a high school education.”

The school has both full-time and half-day students who take pre-professional classes at CEC while enrolled in their home high schools. It offers 22 career and technical courses taught by industry-trained professionals. Tuition is free for most students and busing is provided within the DPS service area.

 

Summer School Changes Among Proposed Budget Trims

The Board of Education this week analyzed a plan to make mid-year budget reductions worth $11.7 million.

Discussion focused on the proposal to restructure summer school – an idea that would save $2 million.

“When you’re eight months into the year … even with a budget our size, you have to look to money you have not yet spent,” said Superintendent Jerry Wartgow. “No one wants to do this but when you have your salaries committed … this is where you have to go.”

Among the propsed items are changes that would delay implementation of the upgrade to the financial system ($380,000) and reductions to planned technology improvements ($253,000). The proposed plan also would let General Obligation Bond interest money pay for capital projects and the Capital Reserve Fund pick up maintenance salaries ($3.1 million). This would require that some maintenance projects be postponed.

One form of savings can be achieved without doing a thing – utility costs are down because of this winter’s relatively warm temperatures, water limitations and utility bill efficiency audits ($500,000).
In all, the $11.7 million reductions amount to about 2 percent of the district’s $535.6 million general fund.

Under the summer school program changes, the high school component would be offered for 11th and 12th graders who have failed one or more of the classes required for graduation. The $25 per class cost would be maintained, with scholarships available for students who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.

The traditional high school summer school program will be offered at Abraham Lincoln High School and the Community College of Denver will offer classes that could provide high school or possibly college credit. On-line courses will also be offered at Montbello, Thomas Jefferson, John F. Kennedy high schools and the Career Education Center.

The district will continue to provide summer school with Title I (federal) money. Some 1,700 students could be served at 34 schools. Also, Summer Scholars will continue to offer reading programs at 16 schools for about 900 students. Summer Scholars is independently funded but uses DPS facilities. Emily Griffith Opportunity School will also continue to offer a summer program.

Services for grades three, four and six and some other high school components would be discontinued.

The district’s budget issues are the result of several factors. Among them: most of this year’s projected student enrollment increases didn’t materialize (resulting in $5.5 million in lost revenue) and the bankruptcy of United Airlines led to lower income from property taxes ($3.9 million). State lawmakers are also wrestling with budget reductions and the state is eliminating funding for textbooks under Amendment 23 ($1.4 million).

The Board will consider a Supplemental Budget for the 2002-2003 school year on March 6.

Board Considers Tuition-Based Preschool

To reduce district expenditures as revenues decline and economic growth slows, the Board of Education considered a proposal Thursday to establish a tuition-based early education program. The proposal would reduce district expenses by $1.3 million annually.

“We were the first district in state to use general fund dollars to support early childhood education,” said Cheryl Caldwell, director of Early Education. “This proposal isn’t in any way due to a lack of district commitment to early childhood education – it’s a lack of district resources.”

Currently, early childhood education (ECE) services are provided to eligible four-year-olds in every elementary school except Bromwell and Knight Academy. Funding is provided through the state-funded Colorado Preschool Program (CCP), federal Title I and Head Start dollars, and Denver Public Schools general fund dollars.

The proposal is to modify the classrooms that are funded with general fund dollars into self-sufficient ventures by charging tuition. Half-day programs would be $305 per month, and full-day programs would be $590 per month for six and a half hours a day.

Under the new proposal, a greater number of students could be served than in the present model, where schools receive only a fixed number of early education allocations. In addition, two scholarships per classroom would be offered. Full day, tuition-based programs could also be offered, based on parent demand.

“I like the move away from general fund dollars,” said Board member James Mejía, “but I think the allocation of scholarships should be done in a more equitable way based on the number of free and reduced lunch kids in a class.”

The proposal would allow students residing in areas offering tuition-based ECE programs to exercise choice into programs funded with Head Start, CPP or Title I funds.

The proposal cites that when parents consider sending their children to a DPS preschool or kindergarten, class size and adult-to-children ratios are key in their decision-making process. In the tuition-based program, the target class size would be 16 students, with a 14-student minimum required to establish a preschool class.

“As we look to enrollment declines, it’s in our best interest to attract students as early as possible,” said Elaine Gantz Berman, Board President. “This is an interesting proposal, and we look forward to future public comment on it.”

 

Modular Units Considered For Montbello, Green Valley Ranch

District staff proposed this week to add seven modular units to schools in Montbello and Green Valley Ranch in order to accommodate the surge of growth throughout Far Northeast Denver.

Modular units can each serve 50 students. The units would only be in place until new schools are built. A bond proposal is being considered for the November 2003 ballot.

Several Board members balked at the projected one-year costs of lease plus utilities – an estimated $600,000 – and discussed the value of the investment compared to continued transportation to overflow schools. They also asked for analysis to compare the use of modular units to the idea of switching schools to a four-track schedule. Under the four track system, three-quarters of the school’s student body are in classes at any one time while one-quarter of the student body is off.

This year, district staff said there were 75 students who never materialized at overflow schools or other schools after being turned away from their neighborhood school due to enrollment caps. That means lost revenue to the district.

The modular units would be installed at Amesse (one), Maxwell (two), Green Valley (two) and Marrama (two) schools.

District staff members said the issue would be brought back for further Board discussion in two weeks.

 

Sabin Student Honored For Heroic Actions

The Board this week honored 10-year-old Sabin Elementary School student Sarah Harmon, who acted quickly on a field trip recently when a teacher passed out while driving to the Air Force Academy. “With one hand I was trying to wake him up, with the other I was trying to drive,” said Harmon, who successfully brought the car to a stop and called 911. “Such a brave little girl,” said Sabin principal Linda Gordon.

 

  

Board Notes...

In other action this week, the Board of Education:

• Approved a Dual Language School-Within-A-School at Fairmont Elementary School (520 W. 3rd Ave.) “We’re tremendously excited about this,” said Board President Elaine Gantz Berman. “We’re hoping that this will be as successful as the one at Academia Ana Marie Sandoval.”
• Approved three-year renewals for Wyatt-Edison and Odyssey charter schools.
• Approved changes to a policy that governs revenue from non-tax sources and a separate policy that governs advertising in schools.
• Held the first reading of the proposed policy changes for staff concerns, complaints and grievances. Policy GBK was originally adopted in 1970 and now requires updating. The Board will hear public comment on the proposed updates at the March 6 meeting and will take action on March 20.

 

Don't Forget!

The Thursday, March 6 Board of Education meeting will be held at Grant Ranch School, 5400 S. Jay Circle. Work Session: 4 p.m., Regular Meeting 5 p.m. and Public Hearing at 7 p.m. To speak at the public hearing, please call 720-423-3210 by 4 p.m. on March 6.

 

 

Denver Public School
Board of Education

Elaine Gantz Berman, President
Lucia Guzman, Vice President
Sue Edwards, Secretary
Kevin Patterson, Treasurer
Michelle Moss, Board Member
James Mejia, Board Member at Large
Les Woodward, Board Member at Large

BoardNews is published after each Board Meeting. For a free subscription contact 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