Jefferson County Public Schools (known as Jeffco Public Schools) is the biggest district in Colorado and one of the largest 50 districts in the country. Its 80,000 students attend schools from the north, still part of the Denver metropolitan area, to the southern most hamlet of Deckers in the national forest near the headwaters of the South Platte River, and over to the front range Rockies at the west.
Like so many other suburban school districts in the western United States, it’s becoming a place for students of many ethnic backgrounds. The changing demographic began about 10 years ago and is accelerating.
At the same time, the whole district is now “mature” and built out. Little new construction will occur, but plenty of re-construction of older buildings in less affluent parts of the county will be necessary. School closures are also a possibility as some facilities are under capacity by over 50 percent.
The biggest long-term challenge the district faces is how to handle this transition from primarily white, suburban schools to a diverse population of kids speaking many different languages. To make the problem more complicated, some of the district in more affluent areas is still primarily white. And the resources to bring kids up to proficiency on the exams selected by The Colorado Department of Education are most necessary in the poorer parts of the county.
Jeffco Public Schools will probably lose about $11 million in January, 2010, when the state legislature pulls budgeted money back into the state’s general fund. The district faces about $40 million in deficit financing from property taxes and state contributions in 2010-11 and another $40 million in 2011-12. It has roughly $160 million in reserve, some of which will be applied to the budget deficits.
Based on the demographic demands and the budget deficits, how should the district allocate resources?
Should it hunker down and keep on trucking as it has?
Or should it take bold steps to attack school improvement of student math and writing deficiencies and reduction in the 25 percent high school dropout rate?
Are we in a time when bold is impossible because there is no money to fund it, even when the facts on the ground require bold action?
Jeffco Public Schools is not the only district facing this dilemma in Colorado or across the nation.
The time is here to make tough decisions, and they will affect the lives and education of many little kids depending on the adults to make the right ones.
<!– /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:”"; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} –>
*The school community wants to talk about this dilemma? Take Care!, showing ways for the school community’s adults to resolve problems successfully may help. See the website for this blog.
