In addition, earlier this year, DSST came in second place in a nationwide Commencement Challenge that held out as a prize an address by President Barack Obama to be given in person at the winning school’s graduation ceremony.
Among the brightest jewels in DPS’ crown of magnet and charter school offerings, DSST, with locations at Stapleton, Green Valley Ranch, and a third set to open next year at Cole Middle School – is being courted by an enthusiastic group of south Denver parents and politicos determined to bring DSST’s highly touted 6-12 grade curriculum to the vacant Byers school building at 150 S. Pearl St.
Unfortunately, the 80,000+-square-foot building, listed on Denver’s roster of historic places, has stood empty since 2002 when Denver School of the Arts moved from Byers to the former Colorado Women’s College campus at Montview Blvd. and Quebec St. With the cost of restoring Byers to active status estimated at $10 million, it has been the view of the DPS Board and staff that the merits of retaining the school as an asset are overshadowed by the price tag, and it should be sold.
“The DPS Board of Education voted in May 2009 to dispose of four properties, including Byers,” said David Suppes, chief operating officer for the school district. “This did not dictate a sale; it also allowed for a long-term lease or pursuing other options when the market opportunity allowed.”
Michael Vaughn, communications director for DPS, indicates the district has not wavered in its evaluation that Byers is not an appropriate candidate for reuse. “We don’t consider Byers a viable option for any school,” he recently told The Profile.
Homeowners in the West Washington Park neighborhood have repeatedly stated a preference for maintaining Byers as a school, rather than having it redeveloped for commercial or residential uses.
DPS board member Jeannie Kaplan feels “positive about the possibility” of bringing DSST to Byers. Kaplan said, “There are some creative ways being thought about to get some of the funding in place,” including money from the 2003 school bond issue that has become available since the current economic slowdown has projects being priced at less than originally budgeted.
City Councilman Chris Nevitt, whose District 7 includes the West Wash Park neighborhood, agrees with Kaplan. In addition to “$100 million that has not been bid out” from the 2003 bond, Nevitt points to DSST, and their fund-raising ability. “They’re among the stars of the charter school world. They have the ability to raise money,” he said. “It would certainly be a significant investment” to reopen Byers, “but it provides an educational choice south Denver parents are clamoring for and will bring more kids into DPS.”
DSST Chief Executive Officer Bill Kurtz does not see it as appropriate to ask his school to provide funding for such a project. “We’re a public school, and like other public schools, we need to have the system provide us with buildings. We don’t bring an independent pocket to any of this.”
Michael Craig’s three daughters are all graduates of Grant Beacon Middle School, situated 15 blocks south of the Byers campus at 1751 S. Washington St. His eldest is now a DPS teacher, his middle child is ranked in the top 10 of her senior class at South High School and his youngest is a freshman at South. Craig, who sits on Grant’s community advisory board and defines himself as a “traditional neighborhood school guy,” sees DSST as an unnecessary addition to a neighborhood that is already rich in educational offerings.
“A decade ago, there were some real issues at Grant,” said Craig. “But they’ve made great strides in recent years, and we’re starting to get neighborhood kids back. Unfortunately, we do still lose too many of the neighborhood population to the specialty schools – the Morey (Middle School) High Strides program, the International Baccalaureate (IB) program at Hamilton, and DSA. Those are the big three.”
Craig believes that, “We have in Denver a situation that is unusual to large cities in that we have well-serving public schools. They’re responsive. If there’s a problem, and you put your shoulder to the wheel, you can fix it. We did that a number of years ago, when we hired (former principal) Elmer Manzanares. In one year he brought the school from third from the bottom (of DPS middle schools) to third from the top.”
Craig believes that a DSST location at Byers would “siphon off” students functioning at a high level, and lower the bar at Grant. “I think if they put in DSST it will be the death knell for Grant. It will be so close. If they took all that money (being sought to renovate Byers) and invested it in teachers and curriculum for the middle schools we already have, all the kids would benefit, not just those at DSST. We’ve got Grant on such a good track, why compete with yourself?”
Kristi Burgert’s daughter, Katie, recently moved over to South High School from Grant. “She went there because it was our neighborhood school,” said Burgert. “Apparently Grant had a bad ‘rep’ about 10 years ago and some people can’t get over that. So much of what people hear is rumor. If they just went to the school and met the staff, they’d see it’s not a scary place. The classes are small, and the staff is amazing. That’s what we liked best.”
“It’s a concern for my staff and advisory board,” said Grant principal Alex Magaña. “People need to look at the ramifications of what happens if I lose students. I don’t pick kids. I get what I get. DSST limits the number of free and reduced price lunch kids – based on their charter. They can establish their own criteria. Mine’s based on my boundaries.”
Stacy Miller is principal at Merrill Middle School, 1550 S. Monroe St. She admires the early success that DSST has achieved, but also worries about the effect a nearby location would have on Merrill’s enrollment. “I am concerned it could have a substantial impact. The schools in this area have been showing great growth and improvement. We are working hard to keep our local kids in the feeder pattern from elementary to high school.”
Nevitt believes fears of a negative outcome are overstated. He thinks bringing a new charter school into the area will inspire the existing programs to continue their improvement, and that changing demographics will bring plenty of students to fill the seats.
“DPS will say, ‘We don’t know if we need a middle/high school in south Denver, because we have schools with empty seats,’” said Nevitt. “They’re looking at current seats in 2010, and demographics from 10 years ago. If you look at local elementary schools, they’ve gone from 60-70 percent full to 110 percent full. They’re packed.
“The (student) capture rate (of available children) for DPS in south Denver is among the worst in the city. You walk around some of these neighborhoods and it’s stroller central,” he continued. “We’ll get data in 2011, and I expect this will tell us that it’s clear that there’s a growing demand. There’s a pig making its way through the python and (it) will reach the middle and high school levels quickly.
“If we have empty seats right now, it’s not because there aren’t kids to fill them, it’s because they’re going somewhere else. What DPS is selling, south Denver parents aren’t buying. Part of the argument of the charter school movement is choice generates competition and competition generates innovation and improvement. The main line schools step up and meet the challenge.”
Jennifer Piccolo is founder of the Platt Park People’s Association’s Neighborhood School Committee. She has a 5-year-old son at Asbury Elementary School, and a young daughter in preschool. “Many parents are choosing to not send their kids to DPS for middle and high school,” she said. “The committee is focused on how to improve Grant and South, but in the meantime another choice that would keep kids in DPS is a positive. It would keep people from moving out of the area, and could encourage people to move into the neighborhood, that might not have before. We decided to support (DSST at Byers) with the caveat that our priority continues to be to help support the neighborhood schools.”
DSST executive director Bill Kurtz told The Profile that a DSST location at Byers is “far from a done deal. There’s nothing done about it. We do take it seriously when hundreds of parents and students are wanting a great option for a great education. How could we not take this seriously, when we’re presented with hundreds of signatures asking us to consider Byers?
“All charter schools, by law, are random lottery. We’re not a test-in program at all,” said Kurtz. “Nor do we want to be. There’s a ton of those in DPS already. ” He explained that DSST “is interested in creating racially and economically integrated schools. To say we’re interested in serving north of 50 percent low income would be fair.”
Addressing whether his school might draw specifically from the local neighborhoods by establishing a “local school” boundary should DSST end up in the area, he said, “I wouldn’t say that’s a sure thing. Each one of our schools have a different enrollment mix. Enrollment is always a part of the discussion. That, and starting each new location one grade at a time.”
DPS board member Bruce Hoyt represents south Denver specifically. “I support the replication of the DSST model,” he stated. “It’s been fantastic for DPS. And I support parents’ ability to have choice. As to the merits of putting the program at Byers, it’s not a priority location because I think Grant, Merrill and South offer quality education. Not that we shouldn’t look at DSST for south-central at some point, but there’s other areas of the city more ready for the quality and quantity of the seats.”
(Editor’s note: for further discussion of this issue, see “From A Reader’s Pen” and “A Representative View.")
