Press Release
March 10, 2008
DPS Releases New School Request For Proposal
Denver Public Schools (DPS) today released a Request For Proposal (RFP) inviting motivated and talented individuals to start new schools in Denver neighborhoods, especially high performing middle year programs and options for secondary students at risk of dropping out.
“It is our hope that the release of the RFP for new schools will encourage the many talented leaders we have in this District as well as others to create high-performing new schools in Denver,” said Superintendent Michael Bennet. “The push for innovative new schools with proven educational models, along with reforms we our pursuing with our existing schools, will help increase the number of high-quality choices for our students.”
“Our district already has great students, educators, parents, and communities,” said Board of Education President Theresa Peña. “The RFP process will allow us to match our great people with new individuals that have the experience and resources to develop new schools with innovative and successful educational models.”
With the commencement of this process, DPS hopes to achieve their goal of encouraging collaboration among the Denver community and all DPS stakeholders in order to offer high quality educational programs in every school and classroom. The RFP process encourages participation from both current DPS educators and other outside providers.
While the Request for Proposal is an “open call” for all types of new schools, the district is designating two areas of urgent priority: Improving and expanding the educational offerings to middle years (grades 6 to 8) students and providing a diversified array of educational services and programs to meet the needs of secondary students identified as being “at-risk” of dropping out of school.
Middle Years Option
The district seeks to establish new high performing academic options for students in 6th through 8th grade. This priority is not limited to traditional middle school configurations; it includes any educational model that serves students in grades 6, 7 and 8, such as a K-8 model or a 6-12 model.
Under-credit and/or Overage Secondary Options
A review of DPS dropout data from the 2006-2007 school year reveals that the majority of dropouts (over 90%) do not have adequate credits to progress to the next grade level, and that over 30% of the total dropout population in grades 10 through 12 are considered to be “overage”. These two findings indicate that dropouts consist primarily of students who lack sufficient credits and that a notable number are also considered to be “overage”.
Proposal Review Process and Timeline
All applicants should submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) by April 18, 2008, for the “early stage” or June 27, 2008, for the regular cycle. Final proposals are due to be submitted to the district by May 16, 2008, for “early stage” or September 2, 2008, for the regular cycle. A copy of the RFP package can be found online at http://planning.dpsk12.org/newschools/RFP.
For more information on the proposal review process, please contact the Office of New Schools at 720-423-1234. For media inquiries, contact the DPS Communications Office at 720-423-3414.