April 15, 2003
Superintendent’s Office
New Voucher Law
Tomorrow Governor Bill Owens is expected to sign legislation that will launch a voucher program for students in Colorado. It will be a highly visible and well-covered event.
The program would start with the 2004–2005 school year. Students who ranked “unsatisfactory” on at least one CSAP exam and who are eligible for free or reduced price lunch will be eligible to take advantage of what the bill refers to as “opportunity contracts.” The contracts would allow students to use public money—three-quarters of the district’s per-pupil revenue, or about $4,500 today—to help pay for tuition to private or parochial schools.
This pilot program affects only school districts that are home to eight combined “low” and “unsatisfactory” schools. If it was in place today, 11 districts including DPS would qualify. In the first year just 1 percent of a district’s student population (about 700 students in DPS today) would be eligible to take advantage of the program. (We don’t know yet whether the capacity exists in these schools to accommodate this many students—or to what extent these schools will be interested in accepting the voucher money.)
This is a contentious political issue, which the Board of Education has discussed at length. Following thoughts are what I’ll be saying, when asked, about the district’s attitude toward the new legislation.
· DPS is a district of choice. We know that one size does not fit all. Already, 30 percent of our students do not attend their “neighborhood” school.
· This is a law and we will comply with it. If we do our job, there won’t be as many parents who opt out of DPS as some people think.
· We are focused on our district goals—setting high expectations, improving the performance of all students, and closing the gap between better and poorer performing students.
· It’s unfortunate that the bill doesn’t require the private and parochial schools that might participate to administer CSAP on a schoolwide basis so we can accurately measure how overall school performance compares.
· In the 2001 School Accountability Reports, DPS was home to 21 “unsatisfactory” schools—11 elementary schools, five middle schools, and five high schools. All but six (one middle school, five elementary schools) of those schools have climbed out of the “unsatisfactory” category. Students are achieving at a higher rate. If we continue to move forward, DPS will remain the #1 choice.
Payroll
Direct Deposit of Payroll Required after August 1, 2003
All employees will be required to have their pay directly deposited to their bank account beginning next school year. Information that will assist employees in getting signed up will be distributed with the April payroll. See attached memo.
Student Services
DPS has registered for the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s Videoconference, “Community Responses to Truancy: Engaging Students in School.”
It will be broadcast live on Channel 22 and 48 on April 30 from 11:30 to 1:00 p.m.
Any DPS school that is equipped with a television and cable access will be able to view the videoconference. John F. Kennedy High School will host a group in the Communication Room. You are invited to attend. Please contact Haley Brown at 303-763-4536 or with questions or to RSVP. More information about the videoconference can also be found at http://www.trc.eku.edu/jj/.
Truancy continues to be a serious problem facing America’s schools and communities. Skipping school is a clear indicator that a student is facing problems that may involve family, school, or economic and student variables. Chronic truancy has been identified as an early warning sign that a youth is headed for delinquent activity, social isolation, and/or dropping out of school, factors that place a young person at a long-term disadvantage in becoming a productive citizen. Because the root causes of truancy are complex and varied, solutions must involve community partnerships that include the schools, social service agencies, law enforcement, courts and other community and faith-based organizations. During this videoconference, participants will learn about causes of truancy, as well as some promising strategies to intervene with chronic truants, address the root causes, and stop the youth’s progression from truancy into more serious behaviors. Many programs that will be featured include a combination of incentives and sanctions and target the reduction of risk factors associated with the incidence of truancy. The importance of raising awareness of policymakers, stakeholders, and community members about the consequences of truancy through educational outreach programs will also be reviewed. This broadcast is designed for anyone concerned with youth at risk of dropping out of school, including local and state policymakers, state directors of juvenile justice, judges, local community leaders, juvenile justice researchers, law enforcement, educators, school administrators, and social service or child welfare agencies.
Broadcast Objectives
· Explore the causes of truancy and its effects on youth, their families, schools, and communities
· Provide examples of community efforts to improve collaboration, intervention strategies, and public awareness surrounding the truancy issue
· Highlight available truancy prevention and intervention resources
Food Services
· The attached memo provides information for the 2003 Summer Lunch Program for Children.
· Manager of the Year Award
In May 2003, the Department of Food and Nutrition Services will be presenting their 17th annual Manager of the Year awards. One award will be presented to a secondary school manager and one to an elementary school manager. This award recognizes managers who have demonstrated superior performance on a continuing basis.
If principals or staff would like to nominate their lunchroom manager for the Manager of the Year award, please send a nomination form (see attachment) with a letter stating the reasons the manager is deserving of the award. The nomination form and letter are due in the Food and Nutrition Services office on Friday, April 18.
Public Information Office
Board of Education Meeting
The Board of Education will hold its Thursday, May 1, meeting at Lowry Elementary School. The meeting includes a public hearing at 7:00 p.m. Attached are flyers (one in English, one in Spanish) to help spread the word.
My Dad is a Hero
The Rocky Mountain News is seeking entries in its “My Dad is a Hero” program, open for fourth and fifth grade students. The deadline has been extended to May 1. The Father of the Year Awards Dinner on June 10 will benefit the American Diabetes Association. The following link includes entry forms and rules: http://www.postnewseducation.com/hero.htm.
No Child Left Behind
See what DPS is doing to comply with the No Child Left Behind Act. Click here for an overview and answers to these kinds of questions—What does “adequate yearly progress” mean? What testing is required?
Marketing Tip of the Week
“There are so many good things going on at our school…if only people knew about them.” You asked for it! Click here (and then bookmark the page) or an easy-to-use school marketing resource kit offering tips on identifying what’s right about your school and getting those messages to the right people.
Curriculum and Instruction
Great News!
The Bank Street/New York Times will publish papers generated by our students on inquiry-based work they have done in the classroom. It’s a great motivation for our students to see their work in print! Showcase Denver Public Schools by helping our students enter this worthy project. The deadline is April 30. The attached letter describes this opportunity in more detail and includes the entry form to complete and return to Estevan Duran for submittal in one package to New York.
Community Relations
The Community Relations team wishes to thank Dr. Jerry Wartgow, the administrative staff, principals, parents, teachers, students, and the community for your support of CDM Gathering III. We hope the event was helpful and informative for the work of your CDM.
We also hope that it was a chance to connect with others who share the mission and focus of the achievement of all kids. Thank you!
DPS-DCTA Joint Task Force on Teacher Compensation
Meetings Explain Draft Salary Recommendations
The Joint Task Force on Teacher Compensation will explain its draft proposal for a comprehensive professional compensation system for teachers at a series of briefings Friday, April 18, for teams of teachers and administrators from all schools and DPS departments. Please note that the times below are the final ones. Some publications have contained different sequences of meetings. We regret any confusion.
The briefings will be given to school teams comprised of the principal and DCTA leaders, including the school’s association representatives and Compensation Council representatives. Teams will be given materials and information needed to brief their faculties in the following two weeks. Briefings will be given to audiences at the time and locations listed below. Department teams can attend the briefing most convenient for them.
Noon–1:15 p.m. / 1:30 pm–2:45 p.m.High School Teams / Southeast Elementary Teams / George Washington High School
Northeast Elementary Teams / Middle School Teams / Bruce-Randolph Middle School
Southwest Elementary Teams / Northwest Elementary Teams / Lake Middle School
A news conference explaining the draft compensation proposal will be held at 9:00 a.m. April 18 in the Board Room, and it will be cablecast live on Channel 22. The news conference will be repeated on Channel 22 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. April 18. An email advising teachers of the news conference broadcast will be sent April 17. This opportunity is not intended to displace any scheduled school-based activity during the planning or instructional day. It is merely an effort to allow teachers to find out details of the proposal before reports are published or aired.
On Monday, April 21, members of the Joint Task Force on Teacher Compensation are hosting meetings for teachers and administrators to respond to questions about the proposal in more detail. Those meetings are:
· Administrator Meeting—3:30–5:30 p.m., Lincoln Elementary, 710 South Pennsylvania Street.
· DCTA Compensation Council Meeting—4:30–7:30 p.m., Place Middle School, 7125 Cherry Creek Drive North.
Questions about these meetings can be directed to the Pay for Performance Design Team Office at 303-764-3618, which assists the Joint Task Force on Teacher Compensation. Information can also be found on the Web site at denverteachercompensation.org/.
TUESDAY TELEGRAM ARCHIVE
http://www.dpsk12.org/docs/tuesday_telegram/tue_tele_archive.shtml
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OFFICE OF BUDGET AND FINANCE
INTERDEPARTMENTAL COMMUNICATION
TO: Denver Public Schools Staff
FROM: Richard H. Allen, Assistant Superintendent, Office of Budget and Finance
André Pettigrew, Assistant Superintendent, Administrative Services
DATE: April 1, 2003
SUBJECT: Direct Deposit Required for All Employees Effective August 1, 2003
All Denver Public School employees will be required to have direct deposit of their pay after August 1, 2003, unless they are ineligible to have a bank account. In cases of extreme hardship, an exception may be requested in writing from Denver Public Schools’ Disbursing Manager. These requests and the reasons cited in the replies will be kept confidential. This policy is being introduced to reduce the exception process of paychecks and the associated problems of reissuing lost checks. Additionally, this policy will benefit our employees as they will be assured funds in their account on payday without regard to mail delays, address changes, school holidays, or the occasional unplanned trip on payday. Employees may have their pay directed to the bank of their choice, but many banks, such as Wells Fargo, UMB Bank, and the DPS Credit Union offer free checking and waiver of maintenance fees for DPS employees who sign up for direct deposit of pay. Direct deposit forms may be obtained by going to the Disbursing Office Web page on the DPS Web site and downloading the form under “Want Direct Deposit?”
Comments about this new policy may be directed to Barton Beckley at 303-764-3720 in the Disbursing Office.
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Denver Public Schools
Department of Food and Nutrition Services
Interdepartmental Communication
To: Elementary and Secondary Principals
From: Shirley Delgado, Summer Lunch Program Coordinator
Date: April 11, 2003
Subject 2003 Summer Lunch Program
The Department of Food and Nutrition Services is sponsoring the Summer Lunch Program for Children from June 5, 2003, through July 18, 2003—five days a week with a holiday on July 4. The following is a list of the selected sites:
Northeast Area
/Southwest Area
/Central Area
/Montbello Area
Randolph / Barnum / Del Pueblo / ArchuletaAshley / Castro / Fairview / Ford
Barrett / College View / Greenwood
Columbine Annex / Knapp / McGlone
Gilpin / Munroe
Smith / Schenck
Swansea
Whittier
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DENVER PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICES
INCENTIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
NOMINATION FORM
FOR
MANAGER OF THE YEAR AWARD
Return this form to:
Food and Nutrition Services
Yuma Street Center
This form must be accompanied by a letter stating reasons you feel the manager is deserving of this award.
I wish to nominate Manager ______
of the ______School
food service program for the Manager of the Year award.
Nomination submitted by:
Name
School
Address
Phone
Signature Date
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
To be considered by the Manager of the Year Selection Committee, nominations must be received by the Food and Nutrition Services Department no later than Friday, April 18, 2003.
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BANK STREET COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Division of Continuing Education
New York Times Extending Opportunities for Learning
Dear Colleagues:
Thank you for participating in the Bank Street College and the New York Times Extending Opportunities for Learning Institute. This collaboration began with a three-day intensive institute that focused on an inquiry-based approach to research using the New York Times. The institute was then followed up with an additional two-day workshop in March that focused on data collection, compilation, and synthesis of research. As a result of the work accomplished during these five sessions, we are proud to launch a new addition to the New York Times, A Voice of Our Own. A Voice of Our Own is a Dodger (newspaper) comprised of research articles written by students who are trained by teachers you work with and have met the criteria for inquiry-based research.