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Denver schools Supt. Marrero sets goals to lift test scores, focus on staff retention
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Approved, Chalkbeat Colorado, Local

Denver schools Supt. Marrero sets goals to lift test scores, focus on staff retention

By Melanie Asmar | Chalkbeat Colorado Denver Public Schools Superintendent Alex Marrero has far fewer performance goals this school year. But the goals he does have are more ambitious, he said last month. For example, Marrero wants the share of Denver students in grades 3-8 who meet or exceed expectations on the state literacy test to increase from 40% to 42%. His goal last year was for that percentage to increase by just 1 percentage point. Marrero’s targets, which the school board unanimously approved at a meeting last month, might be more ambitious. But the district still isn’t on track to meet the academic goals he laid out in Denver Public Schools’ strategic plan in 2022. READ THE FULL STORY AT CHALKBEAT COLORADO
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Judge denies Denver Public Schools’ wrongful termination lawsuit dismissal request
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Judge denies Denver Public Schools’ wrongful termination lawsuit dismissal request

By Sage Kelley | Denver Gazette Former McAuliffe International Principal Kurt Dennis' wrongful termination lawsuit against Denver Public Schools will continue, a judge decided, denying a request for dismissal the school district sought. United States District Court Judge John Kane denied the district's motion, based on arguments implicating student privacy and confidentiality laws, to dismiss Dennis' case. The court granted the district's motion to dismiss property interest claims based on a Fourteenth Amendment argument the former principal had raised in court.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
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Denver Public Schools will need to decide whether to keep or sell seven closed campuses
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Denver Public Schools will need to decide whether to keep or sell seven closed campuses

By Nicole C. Brambila | Denver Gazette At the end of this academic year, students at seven schools to be shuttered in Denver will stream out of the hallways, spilling into courtyards and home for the very last time. But what will become of the buildings they leave behind? The short answer is Denver Public School officials don’t know yet. But parents have a few ideas. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
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Parent group sues Denver Public Schools over school closure decision, alleging ‘ulterior motive’
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Approved, Chalkbeat Colorado, Local

Parent group sues Denver Public Schools over school closure decision, alleging ‘ulterior motive’

By Melanie Asmar | Chalkbeat Colorado Seeking to reverse a recent decision by the Denver school board to close 10 schools, a group of parents sued Denver Public Schools this week, alleging district leaders had an “ulterior motive” for the school closures “of converting public resources to the private market.” The 142-page lawsuit was filed Thursday by Mamas de DPS. According to the lawsuit, Mamas de DPS is a limited liability company made up of parents whose children attend DPS. The group registered as an LLC with the Colorado Secretary of State’s office on Dec. 12. A group with a similar name, Mamás de DPS Peliando por Las Escuelas Públicas, rallied in 2022 in support of bilingual programming in DPS and against school closures, but it wasn’t immediately clear Friday whether the t...
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Denver teachers’ union cost of living dispute heads to arbitration
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Denver teachers’ union cost of living dispute heads to arbitration

By Nicole C. Brambila | Denver Gazette Denver Public Schools officials will face an arbitrator next month over a disputed 5.2% cost of living adjustment the teachers’ union officials said they are owed. A cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, is intended to help employees keep up with inflation. Raises — which district officials appear to be conflating in their argument — are separate from a cost-of-living increase. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
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‘If you are a student who is undocumented or a family who is undocumented, we will take care of you,’ DPS board member says
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Approved, DENVER7, Local

‘If you are a student who is undocumented or a family who is undocumented, we will take care of you,’ DPS board member says

By Colette Bordelon | Denver 7 As President-Elect Donald Trump promises a mass deportation effort — starting in cities like Springfield, Ohio, and Aurora, Colorado — Denver Public Schools (DPS) leaders vow to protect their immigrant students. During a work session meeting on November 7, DPS Board of Education member Scott Esserman addressed the crowd, saying the board is committed to the safety and security of immigrant students. "If you are a student who is undocumented or a family who is undocumented, we will take care of you. That is our responsibility; we’re here to do that. I think it’s important that you hear that," Esserman said during the work session. READ THE FULL STORY AT DENVER 7
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Faced with possible school closures, Denver teachers seek clarity about their jobs
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Approved, Chalkbeat Colorado, Local

Faced with possible school closures, Denver teachers seek clarity about their jobs

By Melanie Asmar | Chalkbeat Colorado At lunchtime meetings last week at Denver schools that may close or shrink, teachers were full of questions about their fate: Would educators at the closing schools be guaranteed jobs next year? Would they be able to follow their students to new schools? Unlike in 2023, when Denver Public Schools made a deal with the teachers union to guarantee educators at closing schools a one-year job at the schools that received their students, no such agreement exists now. With the Denver school board set to vote Thursday on whether to close or partially close 10 schools, many teachers are feeling uncertain. Students are, too. “I don’t think it’s right to close our school,” a fifth grader named Analizeth told school board members who visited Castro E...
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Denver Superintendent Alex Marrero gets a $17,000 bonus with his third performance evaluation
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Approved, Chalkbeat Colorado, Local

Denver Superintendent Alex Marrero gets a $17,000 bonus with his third performance evaluation

By Melanie Asmar | Chalkbeat Colorado Denver Superintendent Alex Marrero will earn a $17,326 bonus for meeting 85% of his goals last school year, according to his yearly evaluation approved by the school board Monday. The board voted unanimously to approve Marrero’s evaluation and performance pay with little discussion. Board President Carrie Olson briefly ticked off a list of the superintendent’s accomplishments, including his response to serving an influx of thousands of migrant students, the creation of six “community hubs,” and the district’s focus on environmental sustainability. “We’re really grateful for all you’ve done for Denver Public Schools and we’re excited to see what you’ll do over the next year,” Olson said. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORAD...
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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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