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Denver will use these criteria to decide which schools to close for low enrollment
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Approved, Chalkbeat Colorado, Local

Denver will use these criteria to decide which schools to close for low enrollment

By Melanie Asmar | Chalkbeat Colorado How many seats are filled and whether the neighborhood is experiencing declining enrollment are the first two criteria that Denver Public Schools staff will consider when deciding which schools should be recommended for closure. That’s according to a methodology released Monday night, a week and a half before Superintendent Alex Marrero is expected to make school closure recommendations on Nov. 7. The school board is set to vote on those recommendations two weeks later, on Nov. 21. District officials have not indicated how many schools will be closed or consolidated. The board directed Marrero to close schools to address declining enrollment. Although DPS enrollment is up 2% this year due to an influx of migrant students, officials said t...
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Denver school board considering lowering public comment time limits, restricting topics to agenda
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Approved, Chalkbeat Colorado, Local

Denver school board considering lowering public comment time limits, restricting topics to agenda

By Melanie Asmar | Chalkbeat Colorado The Denver school board is considering a new approach to community engagement that would limit one way parents, teachers, and others can address the board while adding another. The new limits would apply to the board’s monthly public comment session, where speakers can sign up to address the board for three minutes. Under a proposed policy, each speaker would get just two minutes instead of three. But the biggest change would restrict speakers to talking about the topics on the board’s meeting agenda. No such topic limit exists now, and speakers often talk about a variety of issues ranging from the broad, such as school safety or mental health, to the specific, such as changes to their child’s bus route or a bullying incident at their sch...
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Denver Schools students who commit murder could get five-day expulsion in new discipline matrix
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Denver Schools students who commit murder could get five-day expulsion in new discipline matrix

By Nicole C. Brambila | Denver Gazette Denver Public Schools officials on Thursday released the new discipline matrix used to address student misbehaviors that include a dozen new conduct categories, including students who commit or attempt murder. Characterized as a “level 7,” students who cause “the death of another person” could receive five days of out-of-school suspension and a mandatory expulsion request. Level 7 offenses also include attempted homicide and possession of a firearm. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
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Thanks to illegals, enrollment slump for Denver schools comes to an end
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The Center Square, Approved, State

Thanks to illegals, enrollment slump for Denver schools comes to an end

By Tom Gantert | The Center Square Denver Public Schools saw a boost in enrollment for the first time since the pandemic thanks to a surge of migrant students, according to a report the school board received this week. From 2014 to 2019, the school district’s enrollment had grown from 88,886 to 92,211. But the enrollment dropped three years in a row post-pandemic, dropping to 87,802 in 2022. In 2023, it grew to 88,258 with an additional 3,926 migrant students joining the district. By comparison, the district had 1,020 migrant students in 2021-22 and 1,543 migrant students in 2022-23. The district stated it was starting to see more migrant students leave the district after the city of Denver stated it would no longer provide long-term shelter for arriving migrants. ...
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Denver Public Schools to consider asking taxpayers for nearly $1 billion bond
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Approved, DENVER7, Local

Denver Public Schools to consider asking taxpayers for nearly $1 billion bond

By Adria Iraheta | Denver 7 News School may be out right now, but dozens of Denver schools need major improvements. Denver Public Schools is looking to ask voters for nearly $1 billion — it's largest ever — in the form of a bond. Much of that money would put air conditioning in the last buildings without it. The planning and advisory committee will present its findings and recommendations to board members during Thursday's board meeting. READ THE FULL STORY AT DENVER 7 NEWS
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Community input sought ahead of possible Denver Public Schools closures
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Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Community input sought ahead of possible Denver Public Schools closures

By Anna Alejo | CBS Colorado Despite a surge in the enrollment of migrant students this year, Denver Public Schools continues to experience a drop in the size of its student population. The school board is asking for community input as it plans how to consolidate and close schools. The school board says it's necessary to close schools to keep the district financially viable and to re-allocate limited resources. As proposed "guardrails", the board wants the Superintendent to consider schools of any size and not to use standardized test scores or school performance ratings as a condition for consolidation. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
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Denver Elementary students face racist slurs during City Council meeting
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Approved, Local, Westword

Denver Elementary students face racist slurs during City Council meeting

By Hannah Metzger | Westword Two young Black girls went before Denver City Council to ask for help for their school. Instead, they became the victims of a racist tirade. Fourth- and fifth-grade students from Monarch Montessori spoke during the council's weekly public comment session on Monday, May 13, requesting assistance in getting a yurt for their school. But less than a minute into their testimony, a voice from the online Zoom shouted at the girls to "go back to fucking Africa," followed by a series of insults and racial slurs. Council staff unsuccessfully tried to mute the anonymous speaker, but the racist rant continued for around thirty seconds, with the female-sounding voice repeatedly calling the children the N-word before the Zoom was eventually ...
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Denver teachers bear the brunt of layoffs amid declining enrollment
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Denver teachers bear the brunt of layoffs amid declining enrollment

By Nicole C. Brambila | Denver Gazette Faced with declining enrollment and tight campus budgets, school leaders across Denver Public Schools have laid off more than 900 teachers since 2022, The Denver Gazette has learned. Over the same period, school leaders cut just 16 assistant principals, district data obtained under the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) shows. Although teachers account for roughly 40% of district employees, they comprise — on average — 65% of the annual staff reductions. This suggests teachers are bearing the brunt of district layoffs. And parents have cried foul. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
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Denver schools’ Super Alex Marrero uses NDAs to prevent employees from speaking out
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Denver schools’ Super Alex Marrero uses NDAs to prevent employees from speaking out

By Nicole C. Brambila | Denver Gazette Denver Public Schools — under Superintendent Alex Marrero — has offered severance packages to employees only if they are willing to sign a confidentiality agreement that prohibits them from speaking about their experiences in the district for three years after their employment. The explosive revelation came Monday night during the time the board of education has set aside for monthly public comment. Will Jones, the former executive director of communications, said he was dismissed by Marrero in February after nearly nine years with the district. Jones was hired under previous Superintendent Tom Boasberg. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
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