WHAT: Superintendent Jerry Wartgow Addresses the Pay for Performance Pilot Community Forum on the role of the pilot in the district's drive to raise student achievement.

WHEN: Friday, August 16 from 7:45 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.

WHERE: Fred N. Thomas Career Education Center, 2650 Eliot Street Denver

WHO: The Pay for Performance Pilot Community Forum is a group of community leaders who have been meeting bimonthly to follow the progress of the pilot. The group includes business leaders, elected officials, labor leaders and representatives of community organizations. The program encourages dialogue with members of the audience.

WHY: The Pay for Performance Pilot is a collaborative effort of the Denver Public Schools and the Denver Classroom Teachers Association to investigate the interrelated issues of student achievement, teaching processes and teacher compensation.

The pilot has received much support from foundations to research how teaching and learning is being improved through this reform. The district has a number of reforms underway. Dr. Wartgow will discuss how the role of the pilot relates to other district initiatives to improve student achievement.

OTHER: There are 16 schools and nearly 650 teachers participating in the pilot. The effort now includes a Joint Salary Task Force that is developing a new compensation system that will be voted on by teachers and the school board in March 2004.