The Denver Post article notes that we were the largest, but DPS now has about 60 more students!  Between the two (JeffCo & DPS), there are 172,000 students.  That means about 20% or 1 in 5 students in the state go to either DPS or JeffCo.  1 in 10 go to JeffCo. Continue reading →

It’s worth reading the December 27th post on the coloradopols blog, “The Slaughter of Amendment 66 and How it Changed School Board Outcomes“. Continue reading →

This is a disturbing on several levels.  Continue reading →

We are a group of JeffCo Community members who are concerned about the new school board members elected in November 2013.  Specifically, we are worried about the ideological direction that they may try to take the district.  It is possible that they have little or no interest in improving the existing public schools, but instead want to ‘charterize’ the school district.

There are many risks inherent in that model.  Charter schools have far fewer rules and restrictions, they do not have to take all children, and existing neighborhood schools lose funding and attention.  Additionally, Charter schools do not have the financial oversight regular schools do which can increase financial shenanigans and in extreme circumstances bankruptcies can occur.  Also, teachers can lose out, because they are no longer provided any protections against capricious actions.

Because of this children can be hurt in the process.  Having fewer rules and restrictions sounds like a great idea at first, but public schools are supposed to accommodate ALL students regardless of their religion or personal conditions such as handicapped, gifted, or coming from a broken home.  Many of the current rules in place are there to protect students and teachers of all backgrounds so that they are treated fairly and appropriately when problems do arise.

This is a brand new blog.  It is a work in progress.  Please be patient with us as we work hard to improve the site!  We will be adding new content, features, and abilities in the near future.