May 18, 2004

Management ItemsCabinet ReportFollowing is a regular report about major issues and information discussed during the weekly Cabinet meetings. The Cabinet includes three principal representatives, all nine area and assistant area superintendents, other assistant superintendents and several department heads. Please contact your Cabinet representative with questions.

The Board of Education meeting Thursday, May 20 includes: Recognition of Million Word Campaign Winners Recognition of South High School JROTC Recognition of two students with perfect ACT scores Policy revisions – professional staff fringe benefits; instructional staff restoration

of health leave; administrative staff sick leave; administrative staff maternity / paternity / parental leave; support staff fringe benefits; support staff sick leave; support staff maternity / paternity / parental leave; support staff restoration of health leave; retirement of support staff; patriotic exercises.

Sale of a portion of land at Ash Grove School (RMSEL). Construction Advisory Committee Final Reports for Career Education Center

addition; northeast bus terminal. Use of additional contingency funds for EGOS aircraft training center Architect selection for Byers Renovation project Construction contracts for Hallett, Marrama, McGlone elementary school

renovations. Receipt of proposed 2004-2005 budget. Approval of school meal price increases. The work session portion of the Board’s agenda includes an executive for

negotiations (closed) and discussions on revitalization and 2005-2006 charter school timeline.

Layoff Transition Workshops for Classified EmployeesPrincipals and Department Heads — Please inform your reduced classified employees that Human Resources is offering a Layoff Transition Workshop this week on Wednesday and Thursday, May 19 and 20, at West High School. The workshop will be held from 3–5 p.m. in the 3rd Floor Community Room. 

A representative from the Colorado Department of Labor & Employment will discuss managing stress, marketing yourself, conducting a successful job search and tips for starting over. A representative from the Employee Assistance Program will also be available at Wednesday’s workshop only. For those who are unable to attend this week, another workshop is planned for Wednesday, June 9, at West High School from 3–5 p.m. in the 3rd Floor Community Room.

Teacher Vacancies Posted On HR WebsiteTeacher vacancies will be posted as they are approved through Budget starting today – Tuesday, May 18 – and continuing through Thursday morning, May 20. Teachers can apply at http://hr.dpsk12.org/ until 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 20. Interviews and selections will begin Tuesday, May 25 and continue through Thursday, May 27. Principals can notify selected applicants any time between Tuesday, May 25 and Thursday, May 27. More details on vacancies and unassigned teachers will be sent to principals today.

Student Statements In Expulsion Hearings A new law – HB 1137 – prohibits the use of student statements in an expulsion hearing unless certain procedures were followed. An excerpt of the law is attached. The law goes into effect Wednesday, August 4, 2004. Questions? Call Legal Services at 303-764-3390.

Professional DevelopmentAttention Teachers — Resume Writing and Interview Tips WorkshopThe DPS Human Resources Department and the DCTA are leading a joint workshop for teachers who want to brush up on their interviewing skills and learn how to enhance their resume. No cost! No pre-registration! Open to all DPS teachers. 

When: Monday, May 24Where: CEA Office, 1500 Grant St., Columbine RoomTime: 4:30–6 p.m.Questions: 303-831-0590 — Doris Gonzales

 

For Your InformationSave the Date for DPS Retirement DinnerReminder — Please mark your calendars for the DPS Retirement Dinner on Saturday, June 5 at 6 p.m. at the Denver Marriott Southeast at Hampden Ave. and I-25. The cost is $40. Join us as we celebrate a new beginning for our 2003-2004 retirees! To RSVP, please call Linda Teachout at x3271 or Lita Weinstein at x3769.

Asian Education Advisory Council (AEAC) AwardsThe 19th Annual AEAC Awards Ceremony will take place on Sunday, May 23 at the Marriott Southeast. The keynote speaker at the ceremony will be Samuel T. Mok, assistant with the Department of Labor. The Secretary of Labor, Elaine Choy, will receive a special award. If you received an invitation and tickets to the awards ceremony, please RSVP as soon as possible to Ginny_Tice@dpsk12.org, or by phone at 303-764-3577.

Super School News for Fifth and Sixth-GradersEarlier this month, Rocky Mountain PBS sent information to elementary principals about participating in Super School News, a mini-television series written, illustrated and presented by fifth and sixth-graders. DPS may register 10 schools for the next series. We want to make sure all schools with fifth and sixth-graders received the information. If you haven’t already indicated your interest, contact Tanya Caughey, tanya_caughey@dpsk12.org, to place your school on the interest list. DPS will give priority to the first 10 schools that apply but that have not participated in recent years.

Geographic Information System (GIS) Implementation Denver Public Schools has obtained a district site license for the GIS suite of products from ESRI, a world leader in GIS software development and implementation. The district’s K-12 software site license will provide geographic mapping resources to students, teachers and administrative staff, along with access to ESRI’s Virtual Campus. This suite of software is currently being implemented in the district in different phases including Map Services, GIS in the Classroom and Community Mapping. Please see the attached flyer for more information. The initial rollout of Map Services, which includes attendance areas and links to school profiles, can be seen at http://maps.dpsk12.org.

For questions contact Barb Keiser, GIS Project Lead, at 303-764-3940.

TUESDAY TELEGRAM — Click on this link to access past issues:http://www.dpsk12.org/docs/tuesday_telegram/

May 18, 2004Tuesday Telegram

Student Statements In Expulsion Hearings A new law – HB 1137 – prohibits the use of student statements in an expulsion hearing unless certain procedures were followed. An excerpt of the law follows. The law goes into effect August 4, 2004. Questions? Call Legal Services at 303-764-3390.

EXCERPT FROM HB 1137

22-33-106.3. Disciplinary investigations – parental presence – student statements. (1) A public school employee shall not use a student's statement concerning an act alleged to have been committed by the student that results in mandatory expulsion pursuant to section 22-33-106 (1) (d), in the expulsion hearing, unless the statement is signed by the student and a parent, guardian, or legal or physical custodian is present when the student signs the statement or admission or a reasonable attempt was made to contact the parent, guardian, or legal or physical custodian to have the parent, guardian, or legal or physical custodian present when the student signed the statement. The school shall be deemed to have made a reasonable attempt to contact the parent, guardian, or legal or physical custodian if the school calls each of the phone numbers the parent, guardian, or legal or physical custodian provides to the school and all phone numbers the student provides to the school for the parent, guardian, or legal or physical custodian.

(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (1) of this section, the student and his or her parent, guardian, or legal or physical custodian may expressly waive the requirement that the parent, guardian, or legal or physical custodian be present when a student signs a statement or admission. This express waiver shall be in writing and shall be obtained only after full advisement of the student and his or her parent, guardian, or legal or physical custodian of the student's rights prior to the signing of the statement or admission by the student.

(3) The requirements of subsection (1) of this section shall not apply if the student makes any deliberate misrepresentations affecting the applicability or requirements of this section and a school official, acting in good faith and in reasonable reliance on such deliberate misrepresentation, obtains a signed statement or admission of the student that does not comply with the requirements of subsection (1) of this section.

(4) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent or interfere with a fact-finding or information-gathering investigation by a school or school employee.

(5) For the purposes of this section, "physical custodian" shall have the same meaning as that term is defined in section 19-1-103 (84), C.R.S.( (84) ( …means a guardian, whether or not appointed by court order, with whom the juvenile has resided.)

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How many times have you heard, "a picture is worth a thousand words," and thought, "Well, if I had one, I wouldn't have to write those thousand words." A picture can convey so much, be it technical information, an emotion, an idea, or simply used to break up a page of text to make it more reader friendly.

With today’s technology advancements, tools to provide a pictorial illustration of spatial data, or the “lay of the land”, have developed beyond what we could ever have imagined just a few short years ago. These Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are all around us and we see it every day. Nightly weather, traffic reports, and the driving directions we get from the Internet are all examples of the use of GIS technology providing layers of information in a geographic representation.

The District’s Planning & Research Department has utilized GIS by building the base map address information in partnership with the City and County of Denver. Transportation has implemented a bus routing system that uses GIS to determine bus stops and walk zones. Principals and secretaries can use Map Services to determine boundary information, address verification and eventual bus stops and walk zones for each school. Teachers can participate in the “Mapping Our World” courses, along with gaining post-secondary credit by participating in the Community Mapping Project. The GIS Project Team under the leadership of DoTS Project Lead, Barb Keiser, is continuing to move this technology initiative forward in an approach of teamwork and dedication with the needs of the entire District at the forefront.

Thanks to the vision and yeoman’s effort provided by Phil Moorehead, Tom Rodriguez, and Robb Menzies. Additionally, the support and backing of Guy Champlin, Executive Director of Transportation & Support Services, Dave Lowry, Executive Director of Planning & Research, and Judy Scott, Director of Technology Enterprise Applications have led to a visionary plan and execution that will provide benefits in the decades to come.

For more information on GIS in DPS, contact Barb Keiser at 303-764-3940.

Map Services

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