Denver school administrators unveiled ambitious plans Wednesday to build on popular Montessori and dual-language programs, as well as kindergarten-through-eighth-grade schools.
Those plans were spelled out to community members in the Manual and North high neighborhoods.
The four-hour whirlwind of school-reform announcements was made so quickly in northeast Denver that Superintendent Michael Bennet left a gym full of people with their hands up to zip across town to talk to people in northwest Denver.
Administrators say the reform plans were built from resident suggestions in dozens of community meetings held in both neighborhoods this fall.
“We do have a pretty good grasp of what the community is looking for,” Bennet said.
But some parents wanted more information. “When are we going to get our details?” asked Jennifer Draper Carson, president of the Northwest Parents for Excellent Schools. “What does (North High) redesign mean? I think the only one who knows that is Michael Bennet.”
In December, Bennet told all North High teachers that they must reapply for their jobs at the end of this school year. The school will be a “comprehensive” high school this fall with an ample number of Advanced Placement classes and world language offerings, said principal JoAnn Trujillo-Hays.
Among other changes announced Wednesday for this year and next year:
At the northwest Denver meeting, which had more than 100 people packed into an auditorium, Bennet said he was proud of the turnout.
“Nowhere in the U.S. tonight is this large of a group of people coming together to have a conversation about their schools,” he said.
But some residents walked out of both meetings with questions.
An active northwest Denver resident, veterinarian Jeff Young, asked who was going to “quit or get fired” if North High School didn’t improve enough.
Ricardo Martinez, co-director of parent advocacy group Padres Unidos, said that he was ready for change in northwest Denver.
“I think for the students we need to transform North High,” he said. “What is happening there is not working.”
Staff writer Allison Sherry can be reached at 303-954-1377 or asherry@denverpost.com
