It is a shame that public outcry rarely emerges when schools year after year offer children a substandard education.
Yet, objections predictably occur when a school district moves to shutter those very failing schools or impose dramatic changes.
If the past repeats itself, Jefferson County’s school district should expect to hear disagreement who hope to improve troubled Jefferson High School.
The idea is to close Wheat Ridge 5-8 School and move Stevens Elementary into the building.
Jefferson High School would expand and the schools would seek what is known as innovation status, giving them autonomy on budgeting, staffing and contracting services.
Attempts have been made before to fix ailing schools that feed Jefferson High — the lowest-performing high school in the district.
In 2010, the district sought to close Wheat Ridge Middle School, which at the time was only half full and whose students struggled with academic achievement.
Unfortunately, the district buckled under public pressure and scrapped the idea.
Instead, the district added fifth and sixth grade levels to Wheat Ridge Middle School and kept the school open. Things didn’t change much. Recent test scores showed 43 percent of students were proficient at reading and just a quarter were proficient at math.
Not surprisingly, the head of the teachers union told that while the changes may benefit the schools, he is upset teachers weren’t involved in the planning.
Of course teachers should be part of the discussion and planning, but the goal is to help these kids who have been placed in a bad situation that doesn’t seem to improve. This shouldn’t be an argument between adults over who came up with the idea.
Undoubtedly pressure will be applied to try to halt the change, but the district must not give in this time.
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