What’s churning:
Denver Public Schools officials announced Monday that the district is losing its chief of school reform and innovation.
Noemi Donoso, who came to the district in the summer of 2010, is leaving DPS to take the position of chief education officer for the Chicago Public Schools. Read the Chicago Tribune story in which Rahm Emanuel, Chicago’s mayor-elect, announces that district’s new, and controversial, leadership.
Superintendent Tom Boasberg, in an email to DPS staff, said Donoso would transition to her new post in June.
Boasberg credited Donoso with a number of achievements. They included co-drafting the District Charter Compact focusing on ensuring equity and access for students across the district, working with charter schools to establish the first DPS center-based programs for students with disabilities, and drafting policy setting the criteria for innovation status.
Donoso, who was in Chicago Monday, released this statement:
“While at DPS, I have been incredibly fortunate to be a part of some of the most progressive reforms in the country. I know of no district in the country with an entrepreneurial spirit as strong as DPS. I appreciate all that I have learned from my peers and colleagues at DPS, and know this will serve as an invaluable experience as I take on the challenge of supporting the more than 400,000 children in Chicago.”
Boasberg’s email stated that DPS will immediately begin an intensive search to find Donoso’s replacement.
What’s on tap:
The State Board of Education convenes at 10 a.m. in executive session to discuss commissioner selection.
The Douglas County school board meets at 5 p.m. at 620 Wilcox Street in Castle Rock. Agenda.
Good reads from elsewhere:
Continuing legacy: Adams 50 Westminster school district will continue its standards-based reform after Superintendent Roberta Selleck retires. Denver Post.
Dividing line: The $100 million donated by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to Newark schools is creating a rift among city leaders there. Wall Street Journal.