View Resource: Call for New Quality Schools Supplement 2015
This document from Denver Public Schools is a combined invitation for new operators to apply and for pre-approved operators to seek a match placement at specific sites in the city that are in need of restart. This supplement was issued in May of 2015, after the standard Call for New Quality Schools process in Denver because the district did not receive sufficient applications from qualified schools to restart or replace designated low-performing schools. In matching a potential operator to school building that previously (or currently) housed a low-performing school, Denver utilizes a policy called the “Facility Allocation Policy”. This Facility Allocation Policy guides the matching decision.
Outcomes and Lessons Learned: One of the lessons learned in this process was the importance of starting a community dialogue as soon as possible; in this case, starting community engagement over the summer was not soon enough for a potential placement that takes effect twelve months later. Denver now attempts to provide 18 months between the initial invitation to operators and the opening day of the new school. Another lesson learned was specific to the nature of this invitation and the fact that it advertised excess space in a building that currently housed a school program. Specifically, opposition from the existing school community during the process reinforced the importance of starting the conversation early.
Related Resources:
Entire series of Community Engagement Process files from Denver
Call for New Quality Schools Supplement Overview Handout 2015