District To Seek Bond, Mill Levy Approval In November Election

The Board of Education voted Thursday to place both bond and mill levy ballot issues before Denver voters at the November general election.

After extensive discussion of the proposals presented by the Citizens Committee on Facility Needs (CCFN), the Board asked staff to develop a mill levy proposal in the range of $20 to $22 million as well as alternative bond issue packages of $425, $450 and $470 million. The Board will discuss these proposals at its Aug. 7 meeting.

The Board rejected the idea of a $310 million bond that the CCFN proposed as one alternative because too many necessary projects would have to be excluded. (For the same reason, the $310 million proposal admittedly was not favored among committee members.) A $470 million bond issue would cost the owner of a $237,000 house about $1.60 in additional in taxes per month.

At its daylong work session Thursday, the Board thoroughly reviewed the $470 million proposal made by CCFN and asked staff for additional information on a number of items before making a final determination in August on what will be included on the bond issue.

Under the CCFN proposal, $69.7 million would be spent on new schools, including one new K-8 school in Green Valley and another in Montbello. However, staff believes that each of those areas may need two new schools based on enrollment projections. The revised bond proposal to be considered Aug. 7 could contain up to four new K-8 schools – two in Green Valley and two in Montbello.

The Board will continue its discussion of whether the bond should include a new high school for Green Valley Ranch or Stapleton. The Board is leaning toward building the Green Valley high school first to address the expected more immediate growth in that area. If the Board decides not to build a high school at Stapleton with proceeds from this bond issue, it will consider whether to purchase the land now for a future school.

The Board expressed support for building a facility for the Denver School of Science and Technology, a charter school.

“One of the great things about this proposal is that we will have a new educational offering and the building will be an investment for DPS,” said CCFN chair Steve Kaplan.

KIPP Academy is the other charter school that the CCFN recommended be included in the bond package, but the Board asked staff to further research and review the KIPP proposal. A concern was that KIPP wants to build modular structures rather than a building.

The Board rejected the idea of air conditioning six year-round schools at a cost of $16 million and requested more information about the proposal to spend $49 million on technology improvements, which includes $33.2 million for network improvements to schools and $4.1 million to build a data warehouse, among other items.

Also discussed was the security proposal, which includes an expansion of closed circuit cameras for all schools, improved radio systems for security staff and new intrusion alarms.

Boilers, chillers, roofs, windows, hot water heaters, flooring, masonry restoration, painting and athletic fields are among the required repair recommendations. Additionally, a $10 million restoration of North High School is proposed. The Board will receive a comprehensive facility review of North and further staff recommendations about these projects in August.

Under Educational Programs, CCFN recommended $8 million to overhaul the soon-to-be-vacated Byers facility that currently houses the Denver School of the Arts (DSA) and $4.9 million to improve the Career Education Center. Staff will develop a proposal on how Byers can best be utilized when the new DSA location opens.

The bond issue proposal also includes $8 million for educational program enhancements to improve neighborhood schools. These funds would be used in conjunction with mill levy funds to revitalize low performing schools or schools that are losing enrollment. The Board will continue discussion of this item.

Board Examines Mill Levy Ideas

The Board discussed the mill levy proposal this week forwarded by the Citizens Committee on Facility Needs (CCFN) but did not come to consensus on which issues should be included in the November mill levy election. The CCFN proposal includes six elements:

• School Revitalization, $2.5 million – Establish new choice programs at existing schools and begin revitalization of low-performing schools.
• Art/Music, $7 million – Provide an average of one new non-convertible art or music teacher at each elementary school.
• Early Childhood Education, $2.1 million – Provide at least one tuition-free early education class at each district school.
• Textbooks, $3.5 million – Provide funds to purchase additional textbooks.
• Secondary School Teachers, $3.1 million – Restore middle and high school teacher staffing ratios to their 2002-2003 levels.
• All-Day Kindergarten, $2 million – Establish at least one all-day kindergarten class for students from each school with 50 percent or higher free/reduced-price lunch eligibility.

Board Adopts “Good, Fair” Budget

The Board of Education approved the 2003-2004 budget this week, including $30 million in reductions in order to make ends meet.

“As tough as this budget is, it’s a good budget,” said Superintendent Jerry Wartgow. “It’s a fair budget, and it will serve DPS well.”

The adopted budget for each of the district’s 16 funds totals approximately $866 million, with a general fund budget of almost $518 million.

Superintendent Wartgow said the budget development process was a challenging one. “Everybody stepped up to the plate,” he said. “From our union partners, to employees who lost their jobs during the recent cuts, to the people in this building who cut over $8 million from their budgets, I commend the professionalism and dedication of DPS employees. It’s because of you that DPS has a bright future.”

The budget is posted on the district’s web site at budgetandfinance.dpsk12.org, or call 720-423-3225.

DPS Honors Mayor Webb As “True Friend Of Public Education”

The Board of Education passed a resolution on Thursday honoring Mayor Wellington E. Webb for demonstrating unwavering support for the educational well-being of Denver’s children over the course of his 12 years in office. Declaring him a true friend of public education and Denver Public Schools, the resolution cites Webb as a creative and thoughtful partner in helping improve the quality of learning for all students.

Webb was recognized for a host of accomplishments, including having established a national model for making medical care accessible to children through school-based health clinics; supported Early Childhood Education programs and Head Start; improved the quality of life for tens of thousands of elementary school students through his ongoing support of the Learning Landscapes program; championed academic achievement and individual student success through the twice-annual Mile High Scholars events; worked to improve campus safety and security by providing a police officer to work directly with students in all Denver high schools; and collaborated on the development and operation of a new recreation center in Green Valley Ranch – a recreation center that will be jointly managed with the Denver Public Schools, generating significant savings for taxpayers.

• Recognized the appointments of Offie Hobbs as principal of Emily Griffith High School and Scott Mendelsberg as principal of Abraham Lincoln High School.
• Approved the agreement with the University of Pittsburgh on behalf of its Institute for Learning, providing for the assignment of Dr. Sally Mentor Hay as the Chief Academic Officer through June 30, 2004.
• Approved a 2.8 percent total compensation increase for the Communication Workers of America effective July 1, 2003, and the Denver Association of Education Office Professionals effective Sept. 1, 2003, through Aug. 31, 2006.
• Approved 2003-2004 contracts and a 2.8 percent total compensation increase for administrators, managers, supervisors, professional-technical and non-affiliated employees.
• Appointed the bond underwriting firms of RBC Dain Rauscher (senior manager, 33 percent) and George K. Baum and Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Inc. (co-senior managers, 13 percent each) for future general obligation bond issues, with such bond authorization subject to future voter approval. Seven firms were appointed co-managers.
• Approved the building purchase and ground lease at Front Range Airport for the Emily Griffith Opportunity School Aircraft Training Center project.
• Approved the charter contract for Denver Big Picture High School #1 (to be called Skyland Community High School); renewed the contract with Odyssey Charter School; approved the request from KIPP: Sunshine Peak Charter School to use its site of 2880 Holden Place for one additional year; approved a Denver Arts and Technology Academy (DATA) Charter School 30-year charter contract renewable at 3-year increments; and approved a waiver from the parent membership provision for Ridge View Academy Charter School.
• Recognized the Risk Management Department for receiving Best Product for its safety bookmarks and second place for the 2002-2003 Safety and Health Calendar from the Public Risk Management Association. The department also won a merit award from the National School Public Relations Association for the DPS safety mascot.