Last night's DPS meeting at East High - notes from FB

Also see more here.

Joyce Madrid-Andrews
I attended the East/Manual merger meeting tonight...They are not being truthful. During the Q&A session, A gentlemen commented that he attended the Manual community meeting last week, and it was mentioned at that meeting that a proposal was made from teachers, students, and parents from Manual. Greta Martinez, interim assistant superintendent said they have not seen any other proposals. Well, that is not the truth. My son, who is senior class president at Manual, and fellow classmates hand delivered a part of this proposal to Greta Martinez. Again, Manual and it's kids are an afterthought for this district. There is no such thing as a fair equality education for the Manual community.

Traci L. Jones

Just a reminder about the East parent meeting tonight. I just received this e-mail "Please get everyone you know to come to this meeting. I have been to 2 meeting about this at Manual and it's a real mess. I am distrustful that this is completely a proposal from Andy and the Manual interim (place holder) principal, Don Roy. My experience tells me this is a DPS driven mess and Andy is a pawn in the game.

Andy did have designs on having 9th grade at Manual starting in fall 2015 and was intending to submit a proposal this Feb to that effect. DPS said no, that Manual didn't want East there and was working on their own proposals. East backed away.

Then in Feb/March DPS received 7 million from the Federal Depart of Labor to install STEM programs in schools. Suddenly DPS came back to East asking for their proposal to be submitted. It has since morphed and been combined to support 2 STEM tracks going into Manual. The STEM programs need about 100-150 per grade starting in 10th to make them successful. Hence let's use East's draw and allow the traditional 9th grade to grow to about 800. At Manual all 9th graders would be exposed to sample STEM classes and at the end of the year students would choose to do the STEM track or traditional East classes.

STEM has been portrayed as vocational and a guarantee to community college and some 4 year colleges in state (no out of state). Questions have also arisen as to HS students not being prepared for rigorous math, science, and engineering classes.

Students cannot go in and out of STEM classes: you either take all or none.

Eventually our 9th graders would be at Manual and there would be 100+ 10th, 11th and 12th graders at Manual in the STEM classes so not sure what benefit it is to have our 9th graders with upper classmen there vs upper classmen at East.

This is not a well thought out proposal, nor does it or will it have the full positive marketing by DPS to be successful. Costs will extremely high and DPS will only use per pupil funds and add no more towards add'l admin. costs. WHEN this fails, it will be East's failure of Manual, and not DPS's failure of Manual. This is not a good thing. "

There is a lot of information that needs to be addressed and hopefully we can get some answers tonight! If you have a fifth, six, or seventh you should definitely try to come!

OIL AND GAS SPILLS IN COLORADO

Go here for interactive map

Meeting to discuss potential additional options for Manual and East High School students

Please join East High School Principal Andy Mendelsberg Tuesday, May 27 at 6 PM for a meeting to discuss potential additional options for Manual and East High School students that would be available in the 2015-16 school year. 
We invite parents, families and community members to attend this meeting and to share their thoughts on potential changes.
 
Tuesday, May 27, 2014  |  6:00 - 7:15 p.m.
East High School Auditorium
1600 City Park Esplanade, Denver, CO 80206
For more information, please contact Amber Callender at 720-423-3242

Community Meeting - BIG changes are in the works across this district

It's Time WE Take Back OUR Schools

Students, Parents, Teachers, Neighbors, Business Owners East High School Rally and Community Meeting

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CENTRAL DENVER RECREATION CENTER MEETING - TUESDAY, JUNE 3, EAST HIGH

Piton Foundation's Data Initiative's expanded regional focus

Learn about the Data Initiative's New Regional Focus Informational Open House, June 5 Whether your work is already immersed in data, or you're curious about accessing and utilizing meaningful information, we hope you will join us for an informational open house on Thursday, June 5 that will showcase the Data Initiative's expanded regional focus, areas of expertise and future projects. Thank you, The Piton Foundation's Data Initiative Team

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Colfax Marathon 2014 - Sunday, May 18

Close PCMS, says Not 1 More Acre!

Colorado Springs Independent
Posted by Pam Zubeck 

Full story:  http://www.csindy.com/IndyBlog/archives/2014/05/08/close-pcms-says-not- 1-more-acre

The Army's desire to use heavier arms fire training and drones at the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site is drawing opposition, judging from comments made during a public meeting in Trinidad on Tuesday.
Not 1 More Acre! spokeswoman Jean Aguerre urged the Army to simply close PCMS, saying the 235,000-acre short-grass prairie can't survive heavier use, according to the Pueblo Chieftain's story about the meeting.

"You can't train soldiers in a Dust Bowl," Aguerre said, drawing applause, the Chieftain reported.

The Army isn't seeking to expand PCMS, as it has in the past. This time, it wants to intensify use of the property in southeast Colorado. As the Chieftain describes, the Army is studying the impact of drone aircraft, helicopter gunnery, drop zones for paratroopers, electronic jamming and demolition training.

[Click here to listen to the list of expanded weapons systems the PCMS EIS will analyze for environmental, cultural and socioeconomic impacts.]
Not 1 More Acre! issued a statement of its position prior to the meeting: 

The Department of Defense has spent more than a decade implementing plans to expand the PCMS through additional training, intensified use, expanded operations and land acquisition.
Every internal military planning document obtained by Not 1 More Acre! has insisted that the PCMS in its current size can neither meet mission requirements nor sustain the environment to meet multi-force training requirements.

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The future of the City Park West Neighborhood Organization (CPWNO)

Dear City Park West Neighborhood Organization members,
I am writing today to discuss the future of the CPWNO. Many of you know that I took on the role of
president to accomplish three things: to fulfill the responsibility of sharing information from the city via email and by hosting representatives at the meetings, to build a stronger community by increasing
membership and partnering with other community groups, and to organize and conduct community
events with an emphasis on service.
At this point in time I believe I have achieved some of these goals. I have included a timeline of the
organization from the first reformation meetings to date. As a group we have accomplished many great things and made great progress towards these goals.
However, as I have learned firsthand, it is quite difficult to achieve many of these goals without
financing and an established organizational and communication structure. It is with this thought in mind that I believe we should dissolve our organization and participate in one of the two other organizations that share our boundaries - Uptown on the Hill and Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods, Inc. I have provided contact information for both organizations at the end of this letter. However, if there is anyone that would like to continue with this organization I will gladly pass on the information required for continued operation.

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Barnes-Gelt: The hinky history of Denver's land swap

Early this month, following more than a year of political shenanigans, civic and media consternation, lawsuits and failed appeals, Denver District Court Judge Herbert Stern affirmed the legality of Denver Mayor Michael Hancock's decision to transfer 11 acres of open space in southeast Denver to Denver Public Schools for a new elementary school.

In exchange for the acreage and $710,000, the city got an obsolete DPS building in the Golden Triangle that will house a domestic violence center for women.

No one disputes the value of a new elementary school or a domestic violence center. At issue is how the city administration managed the deal. To recap:

In late 2012, Lauri Dannemiller, manager of Parks and Recreation, asked her 18-member advisory board to approve the swap and de-designate 9 acres of Hentzell Park as open space and the adjacent 2½ acres as a parking lot. The board opposed the measure, 11-6. The board, charged with oversight and stewardship of Denver's treasured parks and open space, was chagrined when Dannemiller overruled the majority opinion.

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