Principals all across Denver this week are scrambling to figure out how many electives they can offer this fall.
High schools may offer fewer “choice” classes such as art, music or business because Superintendent Michael Bennet plans to dramatically increase the amount of time struggling students spend on math and reading during the school day.
This plan, called for as part of a broader reform effort, would force students below grade level in reading and writing to nearly double the amount of time spent on those subjects. Administrators hope this will ease achievement problems high schools face.
Currently, 20 percent of ninth-graders in Denver Public Schools are unsatisfactory readers, and 16 percent of 10th-graders are unsatisfactory writers.
But because no additional money has been promised to schools to pay for the change, teachers who teach electives such as art, foreign language, physical education and music could be asked to find positions elsewhere or pick up a math or literacy class.
“There are some kids who are here just because of the electives, and that’s going to be hard,” said Antonio Esquibel, principal at Abraham Lincoln High. “But again the focus has to be on reading, writing and math.”
At South High, administrators are contemplating offering electives after school.
At George Washington High, principal Mario Williams hopes to use another pot of money set aside for postsecondary options to pull in college professors to teach elective classes, such as women’s studies or art, and allow students to get college credits at the same time.
“It’s very, very difficult for me,” said John de la Garza, assistant principal at North High, where nine out of 10 students are not proficient in math, he said.
“We’re trying our best to attract more students to North High. … One of our fears is that all Denver high schools will lose electives and will also lose students who would come to our school,” he said.
Bennet, who has been traversing the city for the past two weeks talking about his reform document, “The Denver Plan,” said late Thursday that schools must take drastic measures to get students up to grade level in reading and math.
“We will have a set of electives that are comparable with other high schools in the region,” he said.
“I don’t want to be graduating people from this district who can’t read.”
Though DPS administrators are already planning for next year, “The Denver Plan” is still in draft form. The Board of Education will probably vote on it in February before it becomes policy.
South High art teacher Shauna Twardzik wonders how those doing well in school will feel when they don’t have as many options this fall.
“Some students won’t be able to take the classes they want to,” she said.
Staff writer Allison Sherry can be reached at 303-820-1377 or asherry@denverpost.com.
