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The Truth about Oakland Elementary Schoollocated at 4580 Dearborn Street | Denver, CO 80239 | 303-371-2960
Parents have received a letter from Denver Public Schools about the “restart” of Oakland Elementary and the placement of SOAR Charter School (SOAR II) in the Oakland building. It is important that parents understand that “restart” equals school closure for Oakland. After the 2011-2012 school year, Oakland will cease to be. If you have children in ECE through 3rd grade at Oakland, these students will not be able to attend Oakland after the 2011-2012 school year. Further, students who currently attend Oakland Elementary will not automatically get to attend SOAR II. Students will need to apply to attend the SOAR II charter school being placed at Oakland. If there are more applications than spaces in the school, SOAR II will hold a lottery to select students who will attend school in the Oakland building.
Many parents have asked if it is too late to save Oakland Elementary School. Many have been told yes. This is not true. While the DPS Board of Education voted to close Oakland Elementary, this board is accountable to the people who elect it.
The Oakland community is represented by Nate Easley, who was elected based on his promise to support neighborhood schools like Oakland Elementary. Breaking that promise, Nate Easley cast the deciding vote to close Oakland Elementary along with other schools in the greater Montbello area (including Green Valley Ranch and Parkland). Almost 200 parents attended that meeting to share their concerns about the plan. Many of these parents spoke to the board on Oakland’s behalf, asking that Oakland, which has improved its learning environment since its change in leadership last May, be given a chance to continue its progress and demonstrate success. Easley voted no. (Should you wish, Nate Easley can be contacted at [email protected] or 303-913-8320).
As a community, we can stand up for our schools! One organization fighting for the rights of communities like greater Montbello is Democrats for Excellent Neighborhood School Education, or DeFENSE. DeFENSE is a group of parents, community members, and teachers from across Denver. We defend the original intent of public education in the United States: ensuring equity and excellence for ALL students and families. We defend the rights of school communities to use collaborative, community-driven reforms to transform schools into sustainable, effective learning environments.
Join parents and community members in greater Montbello who are fighting to save our public schools. Visit www.defensedenver.com to sign up to receive emails about community schools and organizing meetings in greater Montbello, or call Jackie at 303-371-3811, or even send us an email at [email protected].
It’s not too late to save public education in our community!
DeFENSE – Democrats for Excellent Neighborhood School Education | [email protected] | www.defensedenver.com
