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With a Stanford University reportcirculating that attacks the perfor-mance of charter schools, and anotherreport from the Colorado Children’sCampaign, the Metro Organization forPeople (MOP) and A+ Denver, call-ing “current achievement levels dis-mal,” the Denver Public School Boardhas approved ten new schools, nine of them charters. The approval has someparent activists attacking the processas flawed.The methodologically weak Children’s Campaign report carriesthe political freight going into the fallschool board campaign with an alarm-ist description of the current state of affairs. Alex Medler, one of the report’sauthors and long-time charter schoolanalyst/advocate argues that the reportis an apt and accessible recitation of the available data. Medler has beenquoted as saying his “primary inter-est is studying strategic coalitions and building a broader coalition that can better support quality charter schools.”The Colorado Children’s Campaignand MOP are both funded by theDonnel-Kay Foundation, and Donnel-Kay Executive Director Tony Lewis is both on the A+ Denver board and thesponsor of charter applicant EnvisionSchools.“Our community faces a crisis andthe people of this city need to knowthat,” said Federico Peña, Chairmanof the Board of A+ Denver and for-mer Denver Mayor. “We have a schoolsystem that is going to require majorchange to give the students in our com-munity the education they both needand deserve. And that will require sig-nificant public and political will,” headded. Just why there is a suggested deficitof political will in pursuing reforms isunclear. While there is opposition onthe school board to some of the newschools, the successful applications metwith nearly unanimous board votes.According to the Children’sCampaign, DPS SuperintendentTom Boasberg told those attendingthe report presentation, “This reporthighlights the need to accelerate thereforms under way in the DenverPublic Schools. Though we are makingprogress in key areas, the status quois profoundly unacceptable. We needto work closely with our families, ourstudents and our teachers to speed upthe pace of improvement in our schoolsso that every one of our students hasthe opportunity to graduate from highschool and attend college.”Yet, while district energies focus onnew schools, the vast majority of DPSstudents still are in traditional schools,of which nearly one hundred are ratedlow or unsatisfactory.The New Schools approach, andaccompanying air of desperation politi-cal campaign, come as parents acrossthe city have formed a new organi-zation, the Denver Education ActionNetwork (DEAN), to demand that thedistrict focus upon existing schools.Many have characterized the dis-trict focus on new schools as effectivelya union bustin’ campaign, as the char-ters are not unionized. Why the union-ized teachers are seen as the core issueis unknown— research by economistspoints to other keys in fixing Denverschools— better early childhood edu-cation efforts and a critical need toimprove the performance of non-nativeEnglish speakers. Poverty, mobilityand a lack of kindergarten preparationare all known to have a more power-ful impact than whether a classroom’steacher belongs to a union and worksunder a union contract.The district staff claimed they dis-regarded the input they sought out (at

For years, Colorado tourists andgamblers have been wishing for morecasino games and the ability to betand win more. And, for the benefit of the state’s community college system,Colorado voters granted the wish.Next month Colorado’s 17-year-oldgaming laws will get an upgrade.With the state facing a massive budget gap, higher education has beensuffering, particularly the communitycollege system, which has a limitedability to increase tuition. The strain ismade greater by the number of peoplewho are seeking new job skills, par-ticularly those out of work or facinga career change. Community colleg-es have become vital economic cogs,prepping workers to attract new com-panies and investment to Colorado.On July 2, Amendment 50 took effect in Central City, Cripple Creek and Black Hawk, where there will be24 hour gaming, the addition of rou-lette and craps, and $100 maximum bet limits.Each of the three towns had to voteto approve the changes.The nearly unanimous vote byCentral City residents in January wasabout building momentum and jobopportunities in Central City. Thehistoric mountain town expects a 10percent increase in the overall work-force, adding jobs when the economyis shedding them by the thousands.It also gives Colorado a boost fromplayers who had otherwise been mak-ing trips to Las Vegas, in search of moregames or bigger bets. While Coloradoremains a limited-stakes gaming state,the changes match what customersand voters wanted— especially aftervoters had rejected previous proposedchanges in Colorado gaming laws.“This is a win-win for both CentralCity and Colorado community col-leges,” said Joe Behm, president of theCentral City Business ImprovementDistrict. “With plans for two new casi-

North Denver

NEWS

July 3, 2009

mailed to14,136Homes

Potter Highlands • West Highland • Sunnyside • Sloan’s Lake • Berkeley

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• a voice for the new North Denver •

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* * * T I M E S E N S I T I V E M A T E R I A L * * * P O S T M A S T E R P L E A S E D E L I V E R B Y J u l y 6

New law brings big changes tocasinos, community college funding

This month

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Sminthon Clinic comes toNorth Denver

p.16

Church affirms LGBTmembership

p.14

Breck turns 150

p. 11

Pull-out Summer Calendarof Events

p. 17 & 18

Dining Detective - Museumof Contemporary Art

p. 23

Denver approves newschools amid protests

by Staff

With rezonings coming across thecity, the policy direction and commu-nity sentiment has pointed towardsredevelopment focused on high-quality single family housing. Butwhile neighborhood advocates andcity planners have identified this as agoal, including housing forms, sizesand setbacks in keeping with existingneighborhood types, building thosesingle-family homes isn’t simple, evenwhen the market is calling for them.The

North Denver News

has beenthe leader in balanced coverage of the zoning issue. But to really under-stand the realities of redevelopment inDenver, we exhaustively interviewedtwo developers building new single-family homes in North Denver. Bothdescribe the efforts to build high-quality homes as risky, because of thecosts, and difficult because of the rar-ity of redevelopment compared to thelot-to-lot duplexes and triplexes thathave been built.Bruce Prior, of sprawlalternative.com, and Dave O’Brien, of Flatgrass,are both chasing a dream. In a marketroiled by housing price declines andnervous lenders, it is a risky dream.O’Brien has built a brick homethat mirrors the flavor of the neighborhood; Prior, a single-family homewith solar— using a design he likes somuch, he built it next to his own home.Those decisions, with price tags in thefive figures, have narrowed profits,and perhaps put their businesses atrisk. Both share a commitment for building for the neighborhood, rather

Building single family homesin North Denver tough road

by the North Denver Newssee CASINO on page 5by Guerin Lee Greensee SINGLE on page 10see CHARTERS on page 2

New construction— this home for sale at 4230 Raleigh marks a new trendin redevelopment in North Denver — a quality built single family home

July 3, 2009Page 2

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multiple public meetings) using a pro-cess they designed because it was notscientific and not based on a survey.In DEAN’s recent meeting withMarc Waxman, Director of the NewSchools Office, Mr. Waxman admittedthere was no real market research tosupport the decisions being proposedand that the New Schools Office wouldhave to “make tough choices based onthe little information we have.” DEANthen offered the assistance of DPS par-ents with expertise in market researchto assist the district in designing andimplementing a survey using a validstatistical sample of DPS parents or the broader community of Denver parents,which the district refused stating firstthey would want a third party to con-duct the survey, then stating that therewas not time before the June 18 vote.“Especially in this economy, wecan’t afford approving schools withexcessive salaries and that aren’t finan-cially sound,” says Deborah Ortega.“And as parents and citizens, we havethe right to demand that New Schools’claims to academic excellence can besupported.”“Without this basic level of account-ability, we are concerned that onceagain the taxpayer’s dollars are beingwasted.”The district had recommendedseven of the 17 new-school applica-tions, after a thorough evaluation of theproposals against the district’s criteriaof having a solid research-based edu-cational model, proven school leader-ship, highly qualified design teams,strong board governance and demon-strated community support. The school board approved theopening of the following schools:Denver Green School (preschool-8)- A “performance” (district-run) schoolwith a preschool-through-eighth-gradeprogram will open in 2010. The school’sprogram will integrate project-basedlearning and community service, withan overall focus on the importance of protecting the environment and build-ing a sustainable future. The preferredlocation for this school is the southeastquadrant of the city.Two campuses of West DenverPrep (6-8) - A charter college-prepara-tory middle-years program will opentwo schools in 2010. West Denver Prephas successfully operated its first schoolin Denver’s Westwood and Southwestneighborhoods yielding high studentachievement. The preferred locationfor both schools is the northwest quad-rant of the city.Four campuses of the DenverSchool of Science and Technology(DSST) - Four charter college-prepa-ratory schools—each focused on theareas of science, technology, engineer-ing and math—will open over the nextfour years. The program will servegrades six through 12, with the firstschool opening in 2010 at the newGreen Valley Ranch building. DenverSchool of Science and Technology’sfirst school, located in the Stapletoncommunity, has seen 100% of its highschool seniors gain acceptance to four-year colleges and universities.SOAR Charter School (K-5) - A kin-dergarten-through-fifth-grade charterschool will open in 2010. The schoolwill offer a rigorous, enrichment-focused, holistic approach to educat-ing children, a replication of the highlysuccessful Future Leaders Institute(FLI) School in the Harlem neighbor-hood of New York City. The preferredlocation for this school is the far north-east quadrant of the city.Denver Language School (K-8) - Acharter school with a kindergarten-through-eighth-grade program willopen in 2010. The school’s programwill focus on language immersion inMandarin and Spanish. The preferredlocation for this school is the northeastquadrant of the city.KIPP Academy Middle School (5-8)- A college-preparatory charter schoolwith a middle years program will openin 2011. The preferred location for thisschool is either the northeast or farnortheast quadrant of the city. ***

Charters seen as new answer for DPS reform efforts

continued from page ONE

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The Woodbury library is closed forfive months of remodeling, and I’m suf-fering withdrawal. I arranged to havemy holds sent to the Smiley branchof the Denver Public Library (DPL)at 46th and Utica, although Blair-Caldwell at 24th & Welton is actuallycloser. Smiley is a nice library, but itisn’t home. I’ve beengoing to Woodburysince childhood. Also,nobody knows me atSmiley. I like havingthe people at the library call me byname (and comment on my mostrecent column). Smiley is also muchsmaller than Woodbury, and I worryabout all the kids who used the com-puters at Woodbury. Where will theygo now?In an unusual fit of maturity, I’vedecided to quit pouting and act likea grownup. To turn my pique intoan adventure, I’m going to use thesenext few months to visit other librar-ies both within and outside of theDPL system.* * *One of the books I’ve orderedfrom the library is called, Brooklyn: ANovel by Coin Toibin. That’s relevant because Men’s Journal recently fea-tured my neighborhood—Highland--as one of the best neighborhoods inAmerica, claiming “Denver finally hasits own Brooklyn.” Since I’ve never been to New York, I choose to take thatas a compliment. They call Highlandmore diverse than the“increasingly beige” areasof Cherry Creek and Washington Park.We don’t have the shopping of one orthe park of the other. What we do haveis great restaurants, a growing varietyof quirky retail shops and hundredsof young parents pushing babies instrollers and taking dogsfor walks.Okay, I’m not total-ly happy with this arti-cle. It refers to Highlandneighborhood as “East Highland.”Newsflash: there is no East Highland.There’s Highland (bordered by FederalBlvd, I-25, Speer Blvd, and 38thAvenue) and West Highland, whichstarts west of Federal. East Highlandis a term invented by realtors becausethe general public seems to believe thatHighland is the area around 32nd andLowell.* * *In a similar vein, Fast Companymagazine named Denver as one of the thirteen most creative cities in theworld, citing the Five by Five programthat grants free access to museums andother cultural venues to Head Startfamilies, who made 30,000 visits lastyear. I’m sure if they broke it down toquadrants, North Denver would winthe designation hands down. Anythingelse would definitely annoy me.* **

Visit Dixie’s blog at dixiedarr.com.***

Dixie DarrNorth Denver Notions

Minorannoyances

Highlands United Methodist Church

3131 Osceola Street, Denver CO 80212303.477.5857 www.highlandsumc.com

Worship 10:00AMChildren’s Worship 10:00AM

Fellowship Hour 11:00AMSunday School 9:00-9:45AM

Child Care provided at all Services

Rev. Dr. Betty Bradford

Open HeartsOpen MindsOpen Doors

All are welcome

No Summer Sunday School

North Denver

NEWS

North Denver’s Bigger, Better Paper

To Advertise: 303.458.7541

July 3, 2009

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Historic Highlands church votes tobecome reconciling congregation,publicly affirming LGBT people

Highlands United MethodistChurch voted on May 17 to adopt apublic statement welcoming lesbian,gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT)people to “full participation in the lifeand leadership” of the congregation.“We have long been a place whereLGBT people are welcome and fullyaccepted,” explained Senior Pastor,Rev. Dr. Betty Bradford. “But recentlywe have focused on the importanceof proclaiming publicly our belief inGod’s unconditional love for all peo-ple, because so many churches are nota safe place.”The adopted statement reads:Highlands United MethodistChurch embraces Jesus’ message thatGod loves and accepts every person,and so our welcome knows no bound-aries. In the name and spirit of Jesus,we welcome people of every age, race,ethnicity, culture, gender identity, sex-ual orientation, marital status, physicalor mental ability, and economic condi-tion into full participation in the lifeand leadership of our congregation.The vote was the result of a nine-month process of conversation, edu-cation, prayer, and discernment thatincluded Bible study, conflict resolu-tion workshops, and sharing of per-sonal stories. Associate Pastor, Rev.Kerry Greenhill, observed, “For somepeople, the decision to be fully wel-coming is obvious. Others strugglewith what the Bible seems to say andwhat they have been taught to believeabout sexuality and sin. But in theprocess, we witnessed some reallythoughtful discussions, and a level of respect and grace for others that wasquite powerful.”The official stance of The UnitedMethodist Church is that “all personsare individuals of sacred worth,” andthat “Certain basic human rights andcivil liberties are due all persons…regardless of sexual orientation,” butthat “the practice of homosexuality…[is] incompatible with Christian teach-ing.”This ambivalence has led to thedevelopment of the ReconcilingMinistries Network (RMN), which,according to their website, is “a grow-ing movement of United Methodistindividuals, congregations, campusministries, and other groups workingfor the full participation of all people inthe United Methodist Church.” (www.rmnetwork.org) Churches that makea public statement welcoming peopleof all sexual orientations and genderidentities can be listed as “ReconcilingCongregations” with the national orga-nization.ABOUT HIGHLANDS UMC –Highlands United Methodist Churchis located at the corner of 32nd Ave andOsceola St. The building is a historiclandmark in the neighborhood, andhas received two Colorado HistoricSociety restoration grants in the pastthree years. The congregation hasapproximately 120 members, and itsparking lot serves as the children’sarea for the Highlands Street Fair each June. Visit the church website at www.highlandsumc.com. Or learn moreabout Reconciling Ministries Network at www.rmnetwork.org.

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