Tag: Dps
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DPS budget update shows more than $6 million lost to declining enrollment
Denver Public Schools has lost more than $6 million in public funding tied to declining enrollment since the budget was approved, a financial update to be presented to the Board of Education on Thursday shows. The revenue loss is reflected in the district’s amended draft budget. DPS enrollment dropped by about 1,200 students — a…
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‘New to country’ kids helped pad DPS enrollment | Jimmy Sengenberger
Earlier this year, Denver Public Schools tried to blame President Donald Trump for their enrollment crisis — and even made a federal case of it. They failed. But the district was right about one thing: enrollment is collapsing. They just couldn’t put the blame where they wanted to. Now, the chickens have come home to…
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DPS pillories a board member to elude scrutiny | Jimmy Sengenberger
In May 2022, Denver school board members Scott Esserman and Auon’tai Anderson publicly humiliated a Manual High JROTC instructor at a meeting of parents and students. They falsely blamed him for a district decision to move the program and accused him of racism. When the principal tried to take the blame, Anderson wouldn’t allow it:…
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DPS eyes next bond just 11 months after nearly $1 billion package approved by voters
Denver Public Schools officials are already talking about the next borrowing after Denver voters just approved a nearly $1 billion bond 11 months ago. As previously reported by The Denver Gazette, DPS has grown increasingly dependent on voter-approved borrowing to fund the district’s basic needs. Over the past three decades, voters have approved billions in…
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DPS named felon as interim principal before walking back appointment, raising questions about vetting
Denver Public Schools central office administrators informed parents in May that Peter Castillo would be the new interim principal at Denver School of the Arts — but they either didn’t know, or failed to disclose, that the retired educator was a convicted felon, The Denver Gazette has learned. Officials with DPS said Castillo, 59, was…
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When will DPS board rein in district’s lawyer? | Jimmy Sengenberger
For years, critics have hammered the Denver Public Schools board for flouting Colorado’s open meetings laws — something I first called out here in 2022, months before their notorious closed-door executive session following the shooting inside East High School in 2023. Even with three new members, the board hasn’t learned. In May, they committed their…
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Denver school board advances policy to set rules for hiring outside attorneys
In a split vote Thursday, the Denver school board narrowly advanced a policy outlining when it can hire its own attorney, sparking debate over whether the measure undermines the district’s first Black general counsel. The measure advanced with a 4-3 vote. Directors Xóchitl Gaytán, Scott Esserman and Michelle Quattlebaum — all of whom are up…
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Denver school board weighs hiring its own attorney
After the Denver school board filtered the contract language to the district’s general counsel, who answers to Superintendent Alex Marrero, the board of education is now considering a policy that would allow them to retain independent legal services. The Denver Public Schools Board of Education is expected to vote on a first reading of the…
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From a hunch to a headline: How the DPS open meetings story came together
Breaking news can look effortless. What readers don’t see is the chase — the hunches, the false starts and the dots that don’t quite connect until they do. I spoke on the Boardhawk podcast recently about what it took to break one of those stories. Here’s how it unfolded. In May, when the Denver Public…
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Four seats, 13 candidates: DPS board election could reshape Colorado’s largest school district
With four of seven board seats on the ballot this fall — and frustrations simmering over school closures, low test scores and board transparency — November’s election could reshape Denver Public Schools and chart a new course for the state’s largest school district. It’s a crowded field. Thirteen candidates have filed, according to the Colorado…