DPS Board Votes to Approve Measure Affecting Innovation Schools
(CBS4) — The Denver School Board of Education voted to pass a measure Thursday that could impact dozens of schools and thousands of students. Denver Public Schools have had the option to implement an innovative model that seeks input from teachers and families, allowing flexibility in their curriculum. Many innovation school leaders believe the Executive Limitations passed by the district puts their autonomy at risk.
Alex Magaña, executive director of Beacon Network Schools, welcomed families to Kepner Beacon’s library to watch the virtual board meeting together. He says their students have had great success with their innovative curriculum.
“Innovation schools have done incredible things throughout Denver, and they shouldn’t be demonizing us,” Magaña said. “They should be celebrating schools and teachers and focusing more on the students and less on these politics.”
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The Executive Limitations mean that innovation schools can no longer opt out of the district’s collective bargaining agreement with the union. Supporters of Executive Limitations say this is about protecting teachers.
The majority of public comments during Thursday’s meeting were against the Executive Limitations.
Supporters who spoke say this won’t take the innovation out of schools.
“Innovation schools can honor the negotiated contract in this proposal and still be innovative,” said Kris Bethscheider, a teacher at DPS. “Happy teachers lead to happy students, and happy students learn better. That leads to happier districts and innovation leaders. A teacher who is worried, scared, stressed, overworked, underappreciated and not respected leads to the mass exodus of teachers we are already seeing this year.”
Magaña still believes innovation will be watered down,
“Their concern is about teacher rights, and what we want is to make those decisions at the school level,” Magaña said. “Our teachers actually have more rights because they have more leadership opportunities. They have more input in their curriculum and assessments.”
Board Vice President Tay Anderson joined Magaña and families at the school during the virtual meeting.
“If the legislature can hold long hours of testimony in person, the Denver School Board can hold long hours of testimony in person,” Anderson said. “This entire process for me has not been followed the way that it should have been.”
Anderson wanted the board to table the measure, saying this decision deserves more discussion and input in person. He voted no on the measure due to the concerns he heard from innovation school leaders, particularly those of color.
“There was a small survey done by DPS and teachers that took the survey overwhelmingly supported this plan,” Anderson said. “However, when we look at the community response, the community overwhelmingly opposed it. The school leaders overwhelmingly opposed it.”