Joint Operation Of Green Valley Ranch Rec Center Approved

School District and City will collaborate at K-8 school in a “groundbreaking” arrangement

The Board of Education this week authorized Superintendent Jerry Wartgow to negotiate an agreement with the City and County of Denver allowing joint community and student access to the new school’s recreation center, gymnasium and play fields.

“This is quite a groundbreaking arrangement that Denver Public Schools has created with the city,” said Board President Elaine Gantz Berman. “We hope this will be the first of many such agreements that allow for efficient use of resources.”

Under the agreement, DPS would use the city’s play fields, gym and recreation center rather than constructing them separately as part of the school. Although funding for the construction of the play fields currently is uncertain, the city must agree to provide DPS with use of the play fields when funding becomes available and the fields are constructed.

Sharing the construction costs for the joint facilities could save DPS, at a minimum, $535,000. The construction will occur under a “design/build” contract with Oakwood Homes in fast-growing far northeast Denver, where enrollment has ballooned in recent years.

The idea is to maximize the use of the gym by making the recreation facilities available to students during the school day and to the community after the school day ends. DPS also would have priority use of the gym after hours from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. for prep league and other occasional activities involving the school’s students.

According to a parameter of the agreement, DPS and the city will share operating costs for the next 25 years. The city will staff the educational program with teachers who meet DPS requirements, including background checks and fingerprinting. The city also will manage the gym and recreation center and provide security for the gym to the extent that it provides security in comparable city recreation centers. DPS will share in the maintenance and utility costs for the gym in proportion to the district’s use.

Berman credited Board member James Mejia – also the city’s Manager of Parks and Recreation – for wearing two hats. “It was his vision and persistence that got us to where we are today,” she said.

If the agreement is approved by city council in the near future, the new school would open in time to serve students for the 2004-2005 school year. The facility is slated for property on the northeast corner of 48th Ave. and Tower Road in an area known as “Town Center.” It would serve students from kindergarten through eighth grade. Projected enrollment is 650 to 800 students.

Framework For Beverage Contract Approved

The Board of Education this week approved parameters for negotiating a new contract with a soft drink vendor.
The 4-3 vote was taken at Lowry Elementary School, where the Board held its meetings. “No” votes were cast by Elaine Gantz Berman, Lucia Guzman and James Mejia.

The parameters require that the contract generate revenue between $8 – 12 million over a five-year term. The “minimum business terms” state that vending machines in elementary school public areas sell only water, that water not cost more than other products, that vending prices be consistent throughout the district, and that the graphics on new or upgraded vending machines promote water products or use images depicting athletic activities.

Under the parameters, the vendor would install battery operated timers to prevent lunch hour use, underwrite expenses for one district fitness event per year, and donate one bicycle to each middle school for student incentives, among other requirements. The district could terminate the agreement annually if it determines that implementation of or performance under the contract has had “adverse impacts” on the educational experience of students.

The district is currently working on a potential contract with Pepsi, the firm that has held an exclusive deal with the district for the last five years.

Superintendent Jerry Wartgow said the parameters represent a “measured, reasonable” response to those who suggest the school district should not play a role in dispensing sodas. The majority of machine use is by adults after hours. Given the recent round of tough budget cuts, he said, the vending machine revenues support programs that otherwise might not be available.

“I don’t see anything in here from my perspective as a parent or as a Board member that gives me reason not to support this motion,” said Board member Kevin Patterson, adding that parents have great influence over the nutritional choices of their children.

But Board member James Mejia disagreed. “I do not believe that we should be selling this product to children…I think we are accepting low-hanging fruit to fix budgetary problems instead of taking a much harder look at where sponsorship dollars could come.”

Town Meetings Planned To Discuss Proposed New Teacher Compensation Plan

Four town meetings are scheduled during May for all DPS staff and the community to learn more about the recently-unveiled proposed new compensation system for teachers in Denver Public Schools:

Thursday, May 8

• 4:30-6 p.m., Henry Middle School, 3005 S. Golden Way
• 7-8:30 p.m., Bruce Randolph Middle School, 3955 Steele St.

Tuesday, May 13

• 4:30-6 p.m., Thomas Jefferson High School, 3950 S. Holly St.
• 7-8:30 p.m., Columbian Elementary School, 2925 W. 40th Ave.

• Approved the appointments of Claudia Beck as principal at Cheltenham Elementary School and Mark Hernandez as principal at Smedley Elementary School.