FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
November 7,2024
Denver Classroom Teachers Association (DCTA) Statement on Denver Public Schools’ (DPS) Announcement of School Closures:
DENVER,CO — Today,Denver Public Schools (DPS) made its announcement of the 10 schools recommended for closure. Impacted schools include:
- Elementary: Columbian,Castro,Harrington,Palmer,and Schmitt
- Secondary: Denver School for Innovation and Design (DSISD),and West Middle School
- Grade Level Restructures:
- Kunsmiller becomes 6-12 only (removing grades 1-5)
- Dora Moore becomes ECE-5 only (removing grades 6-8)
- DCIS Baker 6-12 become DCIS Baker Middle School (removing grades 9-12)
The following statement can be attributed to Rob Gould,special education teacher and president of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association (DCTA):
“Every student deserves a safe,supportive,and fully resourced school—regardless of their zip code. Schools are the heart of our communities,and closures pose serious challenges for everyone. For years,the underfunding of our schools and budget decisions made by DPS have forced cuts or a reduction in services to essential student supports like multilingual learning,special education,mental health services,health care,arts,and physical education. These are critical rights that create a high-quality public education system that all students deserve.
“The school choice system created by Denver Public Schools over the last decade plus has led to the rapid expansion of charter schools,diverting students and crucial resources from neighborhood public schools that need them most. Without a sustainable,long-term vision,our public education system has become overextended,leaving underserved communities to suffer. We’re seeing the effects of this over-expansion now,evidenced by the communities who are being harshly impacted by these closures.
As we move forward,we remain committed to ensuring every student has access to high-quality,experienced educators and the resources they need to thrive. We have heard concerns about rising class sizes,inadequate mental health supports,and a lack of resources to support ever growing student needs. Addressing these issues are critical,and we call on DPS to prioritize resources where they are needed most. Every day,our committed educators are asked to do more with less,leading to overworked and overburdened educators who are doing their best to serve students.
We are also disappointed in the district’s approach to community engagement around school closures,which has been flawed and lacked a proactive,collaborative approach with educators,families,and impacted communities. PowerPoint presentations from district officials who are far removed from the classroom do not capture the realities or the experiences of our students,families and communities.
True engagement requires meaningful discussions about continuity for students,job placements,and resources for displaced families—conversations that were impossible to have during the district’s “community engagement process” as it was unknown which schools would be impacted by school closures. It was simply all hypothetical with no real opportunity to hear from educators,students,families and communities.
Many educators are understandably anxious about the future of their positions. We expect DPS to approach this situation with integrity by ensuring bias training for principals and hiring teams,so that educators from closed schools aren’t negatively viewed or labeled in the hiring process. In addition,we will track the number of educators from closed schools that are actually hired into open positions. We expect DPS to prioritize retaining its dedicated,experienced educators who currently serve DPS students and who know our students and communities best. The nearly 4,000 members of the DCTA will not relent on the fight to ensure that educators’ rights are upheld and that students have what they need to thrive.”
Educators remain focused on advocating for collaborative,proactive solutions that enhance students’ and educators’ working and learning conditions. These solutions include:
- A Student Bill of Rights that guarantees vital supports in every school,such as multilingual support,special education,health care,arts,physical education,and additional specialized services.
- A revised funding model to ensure all schools are adequately resourced.
- Reducing overwhelming class sizes,caseloads,and workloads to ensure students have access to the individualized support they deserve.
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The president of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association,Rob Gould will be available for interviews today,Nov. 7,between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. For Interview inquiries,please contact Angelina Reed via email: AReed@coloradoea.org or by call or text: 720-663-7618.
