After a fiery Denver School Board meeting that went on for hours, board members voted early Friday to approve a much- needed plan to improve K-12 schools in the Montbello and Green Valley Ranch areas. It was the right call.
Now, the really hard work begins. Those who truly care about improving education for this largely minority population of students will find an oar and start pulling.
We were inspired by the words of the principal of Martin Luther King Jr. Early College, a school in the area, and hope others will be as well.
“It is our commitment to do whatever it takes to make sure this is a success,” said Allen Smith, who was quoted in a Post story about the board meeting. “Turnaround is important work, it is hard work and it is also necessary work. This is where the conversation starts.”
Indeed, we hope those in the community who are not already familiar with the sweeping plan will push aside the misinformation about this effort, learn its intricacies and help make it a success.
First, a word about the lies and partial truths that have been circulated by supposedly responsible people. We are aghast that opponents would attempt to scare parents by intimating, for instance, that the plan would mean students would have to leave Montbello High School.
It’s not true. Even as the school is being overhauled one grade at a time, starting with freshmen next fall, the upperclassmen not only will have the option to stay at the school, but they also will have additional academic support.
We don’t have the space to take on all the inaccuracies being circulated, but there are many more.
The main opponents of the turnaround plans are the teachers and a faction of school board members who sympathize with them.
Many of the 400 teachers who work in the affected schools will now have to reapply for their jobs. Some may not be rehired, though we suspect many will be.
We understand that jobs are hard to come by and having to reapply for a job could be a scary prospect. Still, DPS Superintendent Tom Boasberg and the committee that put together this plan have nothing against teachers. This is about what is best for students.
The plan, which remakes Montbello High School and the schools that feed into it, is all about bringing programs with the very best track records to this often-overlooked part of town.
Yes, a portion of the seats in Denver’s northeast area will be in charter schools, which seems to inflame the teachers union. However, let’s keep in mind that charters are public schools, and the ones slated for the area are the best of the best — Denver School of Science and Technology and KIPP, Knowledge is Power Program.
The time for fighting is over. The deadlines in the turnaround plan are aggressive and the goals are lofty. Making this plan work for the 5,000 students in the area should be foremost on everyone’s agenda.
