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Friday, 08 August 2008 |
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We are pleased to see that BVSD management has taken a small, but positive step toward addressing the numerous criticisms and recommendations outlined in an outside audit of the BVSD Information Technology organization in Spring, 2008 (see links below to the detailed audit reports). The issue BVSD addressed is the failure of IT decisions to reflect the needs of instructional curricula.
By way of background, in November, 2005, BVSD citizens passed a referendum authorizing approximately $3 million per year for computer purchases and technology support. Shortly after passage, BVSD management changed its long-standing policy of allowing schools to determine what technology should be purchased, based on curriculum-driven needs at individual schools. Instead, BVSD management mandated that all future computer purchases would be IBM-compatible PCs from a single vendor: Hewlett-Packard. At the time, more than three-fourths of BVSD computers and associated software were Apple Macintosh based. The announced reason for the rather dramatic shift in policy was to save money by purchasing computers from only one supplier; curriculum needs were not a consideration.
This decision created a significant uproar among teachers, as well as many citizens. BVSD later announced that exceptions could be made, based on individual requests to the IT organization, with an appeal process to then assistant superintendent Dr. Chris King. The reality was that requests were summarily denied by the IT organization and appeals were required for deviations from the new BVSD policy. Very few exceptions were granted.
The external IT audit, conducted by the CELT consulting firm, recommended that future technology decisions be curriculum driven. And this summer, we were excited to hear about the first such decision occurring at Boulder High. Multiple labs currently using Macintosh computers were slated for replacement with PCs. Boulder High presented convincing evidence that this would negatively impact curricula in multiple departments. In addition, Boulder High recommended, and BVSD accepted, the replacement of a current PC lab with new Macintosh computers, again, to address curriculum needs.
Curriculum-driven decision making is only one of dozens of significant recommendations within the audit report. Hopefully, this recent action is not an isolated instance, but rather the beginning of change within BVSD toward addressing the many issues within the BVSD IT organization addressed by the audit, as well as toward addressing the many other challenges facing BVSD in the future. We’ll see. For now, BVSDWatch chooses to remain cautiously optimistic.
We recommend anyone interested to download and read the reports given to BVSD by CELT.
Links to the CELT audit of the BVSD IT organization: Board of Education Briefing: http://agendapublic.bvsd.org/AttachmentViewer.aspx?AttachmentID=1151&ItemID=1231 Performance Audit Executive Summary: http://agendapublic.bvsd.org/AttachmentViewer.aspx?AttachmentID=1198&ItemID=1231 Performance Audit Full Report: http://agendapublic.bvsd.org/AttachmentViewer.aspx?AttachmentID=1153&ItemID=1231 |
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Sunday, 17 February 2008 |
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Broomfield High School students and staff were exposed to airborne asbestos after a boiler rupture last November. BVSDWatch Broomfield representative Louise Benson, MD, asked BVSD Communications Director Briggs Gamblin a series of questions about the district's response to this incident, and grades BVSD on it. The overall grade is less than satisfactory.
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Read more...
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Thursday, 06 December 2007 |
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Here is a good letter to the Broomfield Enterprise paper about BVSD's decision to have high schools decide for themselves in ..."recognizing valedictorians or salutatorians based solely on cumulative GPA rankings."
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Wednesday, 05 December 2007 |
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For those interested, here are the BVSD student enrollment numbers as of October 2007. The October Count reports can be found on the web in three parts:
Current Year Head Count Summary (PDF)
- Funded Student Count by school and grade
Current Year FTE Summary (Web Link)
- Full Time Enrollment count by school and grade
Current Year Special Programs Summary (PDF)
- Breakdown of school programs by school and grade
The above links, as well as other BVSD budget related items, can be found here: http://www.bvsd.org/Budget/default.aspx |
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Tuesday, 04 December 2007 |
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BVSDWatch.org steering member Karyn Robinson has a reply to the Daily Camera editor regarding Mr. McCaffrey's guest opinion from this last Sunday:
Dear Editor,
I am writing in response to Mr. McCaffrey's Guest Opinion from December 2nd. His idea to use Mapleton as a "living laboratory" sounds like a thinly veiled guise for him to have a prime apartment on the third floor of our historic neighborhood school.
Mr McCaffrey asks what use of the site would best honor its history and character? The community has told BVSD over and over, the answer to this question: A NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL. That is what this building was built for and used for nearly 120 years. With the overcrowding problems at the nearby elementary schools of Flatirons, Foothills and Whittier it is obvious there is a need for this school to be used as a school once again.
With the exception of Ms. Paxton, all of the school board members that voted to close this school nearly five years ago are no longer on the board. Clearly these closures were ill fated decisions, that left a bad taste and a lot of mistrust. It is high time to reverse these decisions.
Neighborhoods are cyclical in nature. Does anyone remember Newlands neighborhood 20 years ago? Mainly elderly and empty nesters. Now, nothing but kids, kids, kids. Mapleton is no different, take a drive around and see how many strollers, play structures, kids you see.
As for superintendent King's statement that the district needs the money from the sale of this building, didn't we, the voters, just give BVSD nearly $300 million? After the Washington debacle do they really want to go down that road of selling this property?
Mr McCaffrey's plan is to "foster lifeways that are less impactful on the planet and less stressful on our lives". I have a perfect plan that will do that too, reopen our schools and allow our children to once again walk to their neighborhood school.
Karyn Robinson Boulder, Colorado |
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