Two Denver schools are seeking to be the first in Colorado to ask for autonomy from district and state rules under a new state law put into effect last year.
Principals from Manual High School and Montclair Elementary School will ask Denver’s school board tonight for the OK to submit plans to the State Board of Education to be designated as an “innovative school.”
Both schools last year were granted autonomy by Denver’s school board, giving them power to control their own budgets, hiring, curriculum, length of the school day and teacher compensation. Manual also received waivers from the teachers union contract.
Principals in their presentations tonight will ask for further exemptions from state laws that govern employment rights for teachers hired by the school, how teachers are evaluated and standards schools are required to teach.
The requests also will ask for permission to hire unlicensed part-time teachers, which is currently against state rules.
“I’m trying to understand why they think they need that kind of autonomy,” said Michelle Moss, board vice president. “Why would I give them more than what they already got?”
Rob Stein, Manual’s principal, said the request for innovation would further clarify the autonomy that the school already has received.
“This just gives clarity that this is a responsibility that is delegated from the state,” he said. “It stipulates what responsibilities we have.”
Shannon Hagerman, principal of Montclair Elementary, said Denver’s teachers union never granted the school waivers from its contract, and she also wants that clarity.
“It never reached full fruition,” she said. “We are living in this state of limbo right now. (Innovation) is, for us, the next logical step.”
Kim Ursetta, president of the Denver teachers union, said the waivers that Montclair was seeking were addressed in the contract that was approved in September.
Senate President Peter Groff, D-Denver, who sponsored the innovative school bill, said he is pleased the first schools seeking innovation are from his district.
Jeremy P. Meyer: 303-954-1367 or jpmeyer@denverpost.com
