The 4 short-term school options
City Councilman Michael Hancock hosted a meeting with DPS and Stapleton residents last night to talk about schools. I didn't make it, but heard the results were encouraging.
The notes from the meeting are here.
In short, the top four short-term options that the focus groups like are:
- The ECE programs will likely be dropped from Bill Roberts and Westerly Creek for the short term, freeing up 150 seats
- The ECE program might move to another building
- Middle schoolers may temporarily be reassigned to another building, while a third school is built, leaving both Bill Roberts and Westerly Creek as elementary schools (and isn't this the more traditional model, anyway?)
- Set up modular classrooms
The least popular options are:
- Art and music may have to give up their rooms, and be taught from a "cart" -- to free up those classrooms (originally I had this as a top option; it's not)
- Split schedules (what does this mean?)
- Reduce full day kindergarten to half day
- Redraw boundaries (what does this mean?)
If you're not part of the remaining focus groups and want to express your opinion, email:
StapletonInitiative at dpsk12.org
Were you there? What did you think?
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i'm not positive, but i don't think "art on the cart" made the top 4, it was actually one of the least favorite ideas at one of the focus groups - it really waters down the content of these "specials" programs. i think there were 2 options with regards to ECE in the top 4 - discontinue altogether or open a separate ECE/K center...., modulars, and move MS to round out the 4. don't quote me, but i'd like to know for myself what the 4 are....
You're right -- I updated the list to include the Top4 and the Bottom4...
The option you mentioned of moving ECE to another location is actually moving ECE AND Kindergarten to another location. The locationed mentioned was Whiteman, at 4th & Niagara.
Redrawing boundaries - currently all kids who live in "stapleton" are within the "stapleton school boundaries", ie, they are guaranteed a spot in a stapleton school. If the boundaries are redrawn, probably to mean shrinking the boundaries, some kids who are technically within "stapleton" might be required to go to, say, park hill school or some other neighboring school.
"split schedules" I think means a rotation where school runs all year but at any given time of the year, only 2/3 of kids are in school. So, your kids might have Aug-Oct off instead of the traditional Jun-Aug, etc.
Split Schedules are when you have kids go to school from 6 am to 2 pm, and 2 pm to 9 pm. So one school, two school days in one day. Doubles capacity, double the wear and tear on the facility.
Track school is when you are on school for 6 weeks and off for two weeks, all year round.
The boundry option sounds awful and the split sched sounds like we're moving. Eegads. I wish I were born an optimist;-)Thanks for the info