At his first school-board meeting as the new superintendent of Denver Public Schools, Michael Bennet stressed the need for an outside review of the district before deciding on a path for its new strategic plan.
“We’re trying to get to the bottom of why we’re working so hard and not getting the results we want,” he said Thursday, referring to stagnant CSAP reading scores.
School-board members and Bennet discussed plans to hire a new chief academic officer, who runs the district’s literacy program, and developing a strategy for closing achievement gaps and improving student learning.
Bennet also said the district will move ahead on developing a strategic plan with or without a chief academic officer.
“We’re moving down parallel paths, and sometime they’ll come together,” he said of the hiring process and the strategic plan.
He added that the new hire will have a strong role in further developing and implementing the new plan.
In the meantime, the district wants to hire a group called the Council for Great City Schools, based in Washington, D.C., to come in and do the district assessment.
Bennet said district funds would not be used to pay for the assessment but that he is not worried about finding money to cover the cost.
The timeline for the outside review and the strategic plan?
“As soon as possible,” Bennet said.
He also said the public must have time to consider the changes and comment on them.
In other school-board business, a group of about 40 students attended the meeting to comment on the district’s disciplinary policies, which may be revised this year. Members of Students for Justice called for a switch from traditional punishment-oriented discipline to restorative justice policies that allow students to give back to the community and victims they offend.
Staff writer Abbe Smith can be reached at 303-820-1201 or asmith@denverpost.com.
