Denver Public Schools Superintendent Michael Bennet and 20 volunteers and staff members went door-to-door Sunday to talk to former Manual High School students and their families.
“Nothing replaces face-to-face contact,” said Bennet as he stood in front of a house on Clayton Street. “We are making sure they have selected a new school, telling them when their new school’s orientation begins and figuring out transportation for them.”
The Denver school board closed Manual for a year, prompting protests from some students, parents and neighborhood activists, who said they should have been more involved in the decision. Manual is to reopen in 2007 as a “premier” neighborhood high school.
Sarah Hughes , Bennet’s chief of staff, said 558 students from 460 households will go to new schools. Bennet’s team plans to have visited every household after seven more weekly treks. Bennet said that he has not encountered any residents angry over the move. “Yesterday we got a universally positive response from everyone we met,” Bennet said of his visits.
One student Bennet spoke with Sunday is facing new transportation issues. Jesus Cuevas, 16, will start his junior year at South High School.
Cuevas, who plans to take Regional Transportation District vehicles to his new school, estimates that the trip will take 25 to 35 minutes longer than it did to get to Manual.”(Manual) was all right. I enjoyed my teachers and all of my friends,” he said.
Staff writer JP Eichmiller can be reached at 303-820-1201 or jeichmiller@denverpost.com.
