My dad used to tell me the one constant you can count on in life is change. Boy, isn't that the truth around Jefferson County schools?
The new school board has been in place now for about six months, and recently board members have shown their thinking about the future of the district with the release of the "District-Wide Facilities Master Plan." This far-ranging document takes into account the growth patterns in the district, the condition of current facilities, and even philosophical concerns, like age groupings in other school districts. More importantly, this Master Plan is aligned with and built to support the broader district strategic plan.
This feels different to me than how Jeffco has done things in the past.
Let me give you one example to demonstrate what I mean: Many years ago, the building I taught in was wildly overcrowded --; so much so that we had to have a rotating schedule that had 10 percent of the school out of the building every day. So, the district built a huge addition onto that building, which made the next year a much more comfortable year for everybody, even though there was already a plan to open a new building two miles away, which reduced our enrollment by roughly half.
To this day, that building is on the facilities list as "under-utilized." By contrast, at roughly the same time, Cherry Creek School District built a huge building in the middle of nowhere. When Eaglecrest High School opened, there was barely a convenience store within walking distance of the school, much less a neighborhood with enough population to support it. Now, Eaglecrest serves 2,500 students in the middle of a classic suburban community.
In other words, for all of my life that I can remember, Jeffco has been reactive to developments around it, rather than strategic, the way Cherry Creek tends to be. So, this master plan strikes me as a step in the right direction, towards aligning future needs with current resources and possibilities.
Of course, this won't be a cheap transition: the number I've heard so far is $800 million. That's not an official number, and that won't be finalized until the district puts whatever it plans to put on the actual ballot later this summer.
Don't read me wrong: I'm not saying yet that I support this move--;I have a lot of questions still. For instance, when the sixth grades are moved to the middle schools, is the funding going to be altered so that those schools can implement a full middle school philosophy? Or are we just moving the sixth grade into new buildings but keeping the same approach?
In the Arvada West area, the plan calls for leaving Drake Middle School, a 7-8 facility, while converting some elementaries to K-5, while building a new K-8 facility in the area, and leaving Bell Middle School a 6-8 facility. How, exactly, is that going to work? And, for that matter, in the Ralston Valley area, we're converting Oberon to a 6-8 middle school, but opening a new K-8 in the area. And, from a purely parochial standpoint, my current job involves fifth and sixth graders. What happens when those grades split, even within one job "jurisdiction"?
All I'm saying at this point is that this plan shows me some new thinking. And the district is providing numerous opportunities for the community to ask the kinds of questions I have, plus many others. There are going to be eight more community meetings between May 31 and June 8, to follow up the four that have already been held.
I would encourage anybody who is concerned about the public schools, or taxes --; or the future of civilization --; to attend one of those meetings and ask your questions and voice your concerns. The one thing I do know: The district makes smarter decisions when the community is involved in them.
from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.comhttp://arvadapress.com/stories/Get-involved-in-Jeffcos-facilities-plan-discussion,213205?branding=15
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