An arts-based middle school program facing closure for low academic performance and lagging enrollment got a reprieve Thursday night from the Denver school board.
The board voted 7-0 to table a district recommendation to phase out the sixth, seventh and eighth grades at Noel Community Arts School, which serves students in grades six through 12 in the far northeast part of the city.
Board member Happy Haynes made the motion, citing in part the short time frame. Denver Public Schools staff recommended the phase-out Jan. 14 and the board was expected to vote on it a week later. Instead, she asked district staff to develop a plan to improve Noel.
“Part of my purpose in asking for it to be tabled rather than just voted down altogether is to send the message that there is a sense of urgency about what must be done, but there are a lot of questions,” said Haynes, who visited the school Thursday morning.
The board recently approved a policy for when to close persistently low-performing schools, but it doesn’t take effect until the fall.
Chalkbeat Colorado is a nonprofit news organization covering education issues.
