BSVDWatch.org

It has been about five months since Chris King assumed the responsibilities of BVSD Superintendent. During that time, members of BVSDWatch have had the opportunity to meet with Dr. King a number of times to discuss current issues. Dr. King has shown that he is willing to listen. Several situations arose in the past few months that involved decisions or proposed policies that proved controversial within the community. For example, there was the Liberty Bell cross country tournament falling on Rosh Hashanah, and the recent concern over the proposed dual enrollment area between Monarch and Centaurus. In both cases, after significant concerns were raised by the community, Dr. King reconsidered earlier decisions. In addition, thanks and appreciation go to BVSD for cooperating with Broomfield to finally have School Board meetings re-televised on Channel 8. We believe these are very positive steps toward improving the relationship between BVSD and the community, and we hope this is a continuing trend.

That said, BVSDWatch members believe that BVSD faces many issues, which translates into opportunities for collaborative and cooperative efforts between BVSD and its multiple constituencies.

Here are some of the issues which BVSDWatch continues to follow:

* Disposition of Mapleton and Washington Schools continue to be sticking points within the community. The Washington School neighborhood has been very vocal in showing displeasure with the planned disposition of that school. With the recent successful neighborhood petition, there remains an opportunity for BVSD to play a leading role in helping shape a resolution that better satisfies the local community.

* BVSDWatch members have raised concern, both with Dr. King and the School Board, of the need for an "ombudsperson" role within the District. Such a position would provide people, especially community members, with a place to go when it seems that all paths to resolution of a problem have been exhausted and no one seems to listen. Last Spring's Conference on World Affairs "flap" is just such an example. While there has been some acknowledgment within BVSD of the value in this role, it remains an un-staffed position and an unfulfilled need.

* BVSDWatch began its activities following the abrupt change in IT policies with respect to computer platforms and community members’ participation in technology in late 2005. The fallout continues and there still remains much that can be done to improve the relationships between the IT organization and the various BVSD community constituencies.

* There continue to be incidents in which BVSD administrators make decisions with apparently little or no community input – or at best, incomplete community input. The recent flare-ups and reversals of proposed school enrollment boundary changes and the decision to temporarily relocate Casey students to Platt during the construction are examples. In both cases, BVSD administrators seemed surprised by community reactions, indicating a significant disconnection with the community. Regardless of whether BVSD administrators believed the decisions were in the best interests of students, the failure to collaborate and communicate sufficiently destroys credibility and trust with the community. This is still a significant area for improvement.

* Planning and construction are underway on many of the projects in the capital improvements program, funded by the nearly $300 million bond issue BVSD voters approved in November, 2006. Over the past few months, however, as predicted by BVSDWatch prior to the bond election, we are beginning to see problems arise which are raising concerns among local school communities about whether promises made during the campaign are being kept. Projects have been canceled or changed in several schools, leaving community members wondering about the process. There is a Citizen Bond Oversight Committee (CBOC) which is charged with monitoring these activities. However, its regular meetings have been stretched from an initial monthly schedule to a bi-monthly or quarterly schedule. Agendas for the meetings, though posted on the web, are generic, with little detail about actual issues to be addressed. Minutes are not posted for several months after the meeting, due to the approval/posting cycle, making it difficult to stay current. It is important that more BVSD citizens participate, either via local school design advisory teams or the CBOC meetings, to monitor these activities. And it is equally important that BVSD find more effective ways to highlight to the community any significant changes to the programs and the reasoning behind them.

* BVSDWatch maintains a concern that “zero tolerance” toward student misbehavior still operates within BVSD. BVSDWatch continues to advocate restraint and reason rather than reaction in the face of events, such as the recent Boulder High “streaking” incident. It should always be a matter of the punishment fitting the behavior in each incident, rather than using a specific incident as a means to “send a message.”

* Current BVSD policy seems to favor the "big box" approach to public education, while many studies show that smaller schools yield better performance and retention. BVSDWatch members believe that BVSD should be revisiting its overall policy with respect to school size and school closures. It should not be just about the economics of efficiency. Instead, it should be about the quality of education our children receive.

* Recently, BVSD decided to eliminate the position of Valedictorian and the reporting of class standing at BVSD high schools. The decision stemmed from concerns about undue competition among students regarding grade point achievement and class standing, leading to what some believed to be inappropriate student decisions about academic classes. However, class standing will, in fact, still exist, and questions remain about the effectiveness of the alternative plans for recognizing student achievement. There appears to be room for further community discussion about this topic, since it directly affects how students will be viewed by colleges.