Meet the 9 schools vying to open or expand in Denver

The Denver school board is expected to vote Thursday night on a fast-tracked plan to expand McGlone Elementary, a rising turnaround school in the far northeast part of the city, before turning its attention next month to eight other school proposals.

The proposals were submitted in response to Denver Public Schools’ annual Call for New Quality Schools, which outlines the district’s needs and solicits ideas to fill them. For the first time, DPS noted it would also accept proposals from new schools interested in replacing low-performing ones designated for restart under a closure policy set to go into effect this fall.

DPS staff vet the quality of the proposals and make recommendations to the school board, which votes on which schools to approve. Next, the board separately decides which new schools should get space in district buildings. Those that don’t are on their own.

The latest call, issued in January, asked for three things: a new elementary school, a new middle school and an additional 180 to 270 middle school seats to be available in fall 2017 in booming far northeast Denver, where many schools are crowded and struggling academically.

McGlone was the sole applicant to provide the additional middle school seats. It wants to add sixth grade next year, seventh grade the following year and eighth grade the year after that. The school currently serves kids in preschool through fifth grade.

But it doesn’t want to wait until fall 2017. Instead, McGlone is asking to start its expansion early by squeezing 60 sixth-grade seats into its current building this coming fall.

“This will allow us to keep our family together,” principal Sara Gips Goodall said.

Given that the school already has 79 kids who want those seats, DPS officials said they’ve fast-tracked the application, which is why the board is set to vote Thursday.

The board is scheduled to vote on the rest of the applicants June 16. In past years, the board has approved a majority of the applications it received.

Three schools originally expressed interest in filling the district’s need for a new far northeast elementary school. Two later withdrew, leaving just KIPP Montbello Elementary School, which is a link in a nationwide charter chain that has four other schools in Denver.

KIPP Montbello Elementary was approved in the 2014 Call for New Quality Schools process and opened its doors this past fall. But it doesn’t yet have a permanent home in a district building and is seeking one as part of this year’s process.

Similarly, DSST VIII middle school was approved last year as part of a massive expansion of the Denver-based DSST charter school network. DSST VIII, which would open in fall 2017, was the last applicant standing to fill the district’s far northeast middle school need after two others dropped out. It is also seeking placement in a district building.

DPS received just one application from a school interested in serving as a replacement for a low-performing one. Local charter school operator STRIVE Prep proposed opening a new elementary school in southwest Denver to replace any that might be shuttered in the future. STRIVE Prep already runs four schools in that neighborhood.

Proposed schools that don’t fit an identified district need can also apply for approval. This year, five such schools — four charters and one district-run — submitted applications. However, DPS has said it can’t promise buildings to any new schools that don’t meet a need.

Here’s a closer look at the proposals the board is set to vote on next month:

Approval of Academy of Law, Justice and Forensics, a district-run high school school with specialized programs to prepare students for careers in law enforcement and related fields. The school would be led by a longtime criminal justice teacher at DPS’ CEC Early College. Students would take dual enrollment courses to earn college credit while in high school.
Projected enrollment: Up to 400 students
Projected demographics: Between 60 and 90 percent students living in poverty; between 60 and 70 percent English language learners; between 10 and 15 percent special education students

Approval of The Boys School of Denver, a charter middle school for boys that would incorporate daily movement into the curriculum. The school would be modeled after DPS’ Girls Athletic Leadership School, a girls-only middle and high school. In addition to physical movement, students would focus on social and emotional movement and defying stereotypes.
Projected enrollment: 360 students
Projected demographics: 60 percent students living in poverty; 25 percent English language learners; 20 percent special education students

Approval of Cooperative Community Schools, a K-8 charter school that would be located in far northeast Denver and serve a diverse student population. Each student would be taught according to a personalized learning plan and be encouraged to do projects based on their learning style and passions. The school is being developed by an engineer-turned-educator.
Projected enrollment: 540 students
Projected demographics: 81 percent students living in poverty; 40 percent English language learners; 13 percent special education students

Approval of Our Neighborhood School, a charter school that would serve mostly low-income students in preschool through 8th grade in southwest Denver. Technology would play a big role in that students would complete individualized digital lessons and projects with help from their teachers. The school, which is being developed by current and former DPS educators, would emphasize fun through boisterous school-wide assemblies and a family-style lunch.
Projected enrollment: 536 students
Projected demographics: 90 percent students living in poverty; 60 percent English language learners; between 10 and 20 percent special education students

Approval of Sports Leadership and Management Academy of Colorado, a charter school that would be located in northwest Denver and serve students in grades 6 through 12. SLAM, as it’s called, is affiliated with the Miami-based charter management organization Academica and already has schools in Florida and Nevada. SLAM has partnerships with the NBA, NASCAR, Major League Baseball and Miami rapper Pitbull, according to its application. Its model provides high school students with internships in fields such as sports medicine, sports marketing and entertainment management.
Projected enrollment: 750 students
Projected demographics: 83 percent students living in poverty; 48 percent English language learners; 15 percent special education students

Approval of STRIVE Prep Southwest Elementary to serve as a replacement for a low-performing school designated for restart. Students would get extended math and literacy lessons and regular homework to ensure they understand what they’re learning.
Projected enrollment: 540 students
Projected demographics: 90 percent students living in poverty; 45 percent English language learners; 11 percent special education students

Placement of KIPP Montbello Elementary, an approved and currently operating charter school that will eventually serve students in preschool through fourth grade. It is seeking placement in a district building in far northeast Denver.
Projected enrollment: 524 students
Projected demographics: 77 percent students living in poverty; 51 percent English language learners; 11 percent special education students

Placement of DSST VIII, an approved charter middle school that is not yet open. The school plans to emphasize humanities and is seeking placement in a district building in the far northeast part of the city.
Projected enrollment: 450 students
Projected demographics: 86 percent students living in poverty; 35 percent English language learners; 11 percent special education students