What’s churning:
Denver Public Schools enrollment has jumped the 80,000 mark for the first time in nearly 40 years, as district officials had projected.
The last time DPS’s student population was above 80,000 was in 1973.
The estimated population as of Sept. 30 was 81,438, a jump of 2,015 from the previous year’s total of 79,423. That represents a 2.5 percent increase in one year.
The overall school-age population of Denver has only grown by 1,250 – 2 percent – over the past decade. Nevertheless, the district enrollment has jumped by 9.2 percent in just the last three years. The bulk of the growth came in the PRE-5 grades, about 1,200 students, and 6th-8th grades, some 650 students.
The recent growth “is mostly due to us now getting kids that, previously, we hadn’t been getting in our schools,” said district spokesman Mike Vaughn.
Superintendent Tom Boasberg said there has been growth in the city’s southwest, southeast and in the Far Northeast.
Speaking of the Far Northeast, and the district’s turnaround plan for that area passed 11 months ago, he said, “Now, we’re one year into the turnaround, and we have 300 more secondary school students there than last year. So, it’s wonderful to see the level of parents’ emthusiasm for the reforms.”
The numbers released by the district today do not represent the official October count, which is reported to the state as the number by which per-pupil funding for the district is calculated. Those figures typically aren’t finalized until December. Because Oct. 1 fell on a Saturday, most districts did their count last Friday.
The University of Colorado’s “Creating Futures” fundraising campaign has passed the $1 billion mark on its way to a $1.5 billion goal. More than $530 million in private gifts have gone to the CU Foundation with the remainder private gifts and faculty research grants that have gone directly to the university. More information
What’s on tap:
TODAY
The Educational Success Task Force meets from 1-5 p.m. at the Community College System offices, 9101 E. Lowry Blvd. The legislator/citizen study panel will be considering legislation it might recommend, including possible changes in high school testing. Agenda
The Douglas County school board has a 5:30 p.m. meeting at 620 Wilcox St. in Castle Rock. The public portion of the meeting is slated for 7:10 p.m. Agenda
The Aurora school board meets in closed session at 4:30 p.m. to discuss the superintendent’s contract. It convenes in public at 6 p.m. at 1085 Peoria St. The agenda includes a resolution in support of Proposition 103, the statewide ballot initiative to increase sales and income taxes for education.