After all the fuss and late-night meetings, we’re glad to see the Denver Classroom Teachers Association found a way to approve autonomy requests from two Denver schools.
The move means that Bruce Randolph School and Manual High School can control such seemingly simple matters as how teacher time is allocated and whom to hire.
It’s a positive development, but did it really have to be this difficult?
To see an entirely different experience with some of the same issues one need look no further than Aurora Public Schools.
Next week, Aurora’s school board will consider whether to allow William Smith High School the same sort of autonomy, plus even more freedom over operation and curriculum.
Predicting the behavior of public officials typically is a dicey proposition, but we’re reasonably assured this request will pass without the drama we saw in Denver.
The Aurora Education Association supports the idea and has been involved in the planning from the start. And that may very well be the difference right there.
Last spring, the teachers union and the administration in Aurora began working together to explore ideas of how autonomy might improve learning.
Aurora Public Schools superintendent John Barry said one of the first things he did was to send the president of the teachers union and the deputy superintendent to Boston to see a similar plan in action.
Barry told us that Aurora Education Association president Brenna Isaacs and Deputy Superintendent Tony VanGytenbeek came back enthusiastic about what they had seen.
Together the union and administration came up with a framework for a pilot school program. The schools will remain public, but each school will control its school calendar, budget, staff time and even its curriculum.
In exchange for the freedom, schools are obligated to deliver above-average test scores and other improvements.
It likely will take years to see how the Aurora pilot program fares, but it’s a bold move by a school district with significant challenges.
We would hope to see that same spirit of cooperation in Denver Public Schools, which has many of the same challenges, including low test scores and high numbers of English- language learners.
We look forward to seeing how leaders at Bruce Randolph and Manual use this flexibility to improve student performance. And we’re intrigued by a recent proposal to create an 18-school autonomy zone in northeast Denver.
It’s clear, however, that in order for this sort of operation to work, there must be cooperation and trust between the teachers union and the administration. Unfortunately, that seems like it could be a long time coming. However, they took an important first step this week.
