| − | 1. Set high expectations for all students<br><br>two. Raise the overall achievement level<br><br>3. Close the achievement gap<br><br>To meet these goals, the district is focusing on six tactics, which include enhancing literacy a...<br><br>When thinking of Denver, Colorado, do you assume of stunning, snow-capped peaks soaring into the heavens? The Denver Schools method has objectives that resemble high mountainsattainable however challenging. The Denver Schools district has three overarching objectives:<br><br>1. Set high expectations for all students<br><br>two. Raise the general achievement level<br><br>three. Close the achievement gap<br><br>To meet these objectives, the district is focusing on six strategies, which contain enhancing literacy and math skills, providing much more immediately after-school support, strengthening middle and high schools, enhancing specialist development for principals and teachers, and escalating parental involvement.<br><br>The Denver Schools system is widely recognized as [http://www.denvernetworks.com/ denver networks] 1 of the best urban school systems in the country. Its roots can be traced to 1859, when the city was founded. The Denver Schools district was officially created in 1902 when voters authorized a constitutional amendment that developed the City and County of Denver.<br><br>Denver Schools are made up of 73 elementary schools, 15 K-8 schools, 17 middle schools, 14 high schools, 19 charter schools, 6 other schools, and 7 alternative schools. Student enrollment as of October 1, 2006 was 73,399. 57% of students are Hispanic, 20% are White, 18% are Black, 3% are Asian, and 1% is American Indian. 20% (or 14,450) of Denver Schools students are English Language Learners, and 13,337 students are Spanish speakers. Another 1,113 students speak one of 86 other languages. Denver Schools offer you an impressive array of foreign language classes. These consist of Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Lakota, Latin, Russian, and Spanish. 4,555 teachers are employed by the Denver Schools district, and the average teacher salary is $47,829. Denver Schools have a graduation rate of 76.9%, and a dropout rate (which considers all students in grades 7 by way of 12) of 4.6%.<br><br>Performance and statistics are not the only issues affecting the Denver Schools program. A proposal by Superintendent Michael Bennet to cut the districts pension strategy is below heated discussion by board members and teachers alike. Bennets program is to spend J.P. Morgan 5.five% a year for the use of $375 million. This would allow the district to use about $11 million that would have gone into the pension and place it [http://www.denvernetworks.com/it-support/ denver it support critique] into the classroom instead. Of course, the Denver Schools method need to ultimately fund the pension any brief-term losses would be their responsibility. The district asserts that it is committed to funding the pension program, and is making all the contributions it has committed to. The pension board sees this plan differently. They fear that if the money doesnt earn 8.five% every year, they will lose funds in the deal. (8.5% is the sum of the five.five% and the districts withheld monies) Also according to the pension board, the proposal prepared by J.P. Morgan would have the pension fund borrow $375 million at 5.5% interest, making use of its $2.8 billion in assets as collateral. Some see this as a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul. If, and its a large IF opponents argue, the fund returns 8.five%, the district could use that 3 percentage point difference (which would equal around $11 million) in the classroom instead. The showdown among the Denver Schools and the pension board comes as the district is also contemplating closing schools as a way to cope with its [http://www.denvernetworks.com/it-consulting/ it consulting] deteriorating finances. In the past four years, Denver Schools have cut $83.5 million dollars from its price range.
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