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Setting the record straight on Pueblo schools

Tuesday, August 21 at 9:50 AM

This Speakout has not been edited.

By Kathleen Kennedy

Rocky Mountain News columnist Tina Griego recently met with Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings and “12 influential Hispanics” to, as the headline of her Aug. 2 column suggests, discuss the reauthorization of the federal No Child Left Behind law (“Hispanic gathering unites over No Child Left Behind”). On behalf of the Pueblo City Schools’ Board of Education, we wish Griego had done her homework.

As the president of the Board of Education, I must speak up because Griego’s lack of checking the facts leaves the readers with a false impression of our school district, the Cesar Chavez Academy charter school and its leader, Lawrence Hernandez.

Hernandez is quoted as saying that “40 kids showed up at his door” after the official count date in October. He goes on to say that “if after that day, students leave, are kicked out, are encouraged to go to another school, say, they are not likely to do well on the state standardized test, the money allocated to educate them stays with the school.”

What Griego does not report, and perhaps Hernandez did not volunteer, is that he is employing the very act that he is criticizing.

Cesar Chavez Academy is a charter school, funded by the taxpayers of the State of Colorado. As a state public school, as with all Pueblo City Schools, CCA is accountable to the taxpayers. Because there are serious issues noted in Griego’s article, it is our ethical responsibility to set the record straight on Hernandez’s comments regarding funding.

Our numbers show 32 (not 40) students requested to enroll at CCA after the census date, but, more important, our numbers show, and the article does not share, that 90 students left CCA (and its sister charter school Dolores Huerta Preparatory High School) after the census date. Do the math and you will see that these two charter schools kept state funding for these students ... nearly 50 of whom transferred, without the state funding, to our schools.

Second, Hernandez suggested that students “are encouraged” to go to another school because ... they are not likely to do well on the state standardized test ... ” This is misleading. The 2006-2007 Colorado State Assessment Program Procedures Manual supplements the No Child Left Behind act (Section 111). In a nutshell, at the state level, students who transfer after Oct. 1 are not included in the school’s academic performance rating; at the national level the student must be continuously enrolled for 12 months.

Ironically, CCA can choose the type of students it enrolls ... Pueblo City Schools (or any other public school district) does not have that option ... we accept all children.

Griego’s column further states CCA is an “acclaimed K-8 public charter school.” We agree CCA has its share of successes; however, Pueblo City Schools is much stronger when comparing students living in poverty. Using apples-to-apples comparison, 23 of our 37 schools rate higher than CCA. As a specific example, Minnequa Elementary School has a 90 percent poverty and minority rate, yet 90 percent of its students achieve above Colorado standards of excellence. Noting these facts, is it correct to label CCA, in the middle of the pack, as an acclaimed school?

Third, my fellow board members and I are disappointed with Hernandez’s claim that our “Pueblo” (alluding to our school district) did not have 1980 dropout data. His accusation is absurd and insulting. This information has been, is and will continue to be readily available ... all one has to do is ask.

Last, Griego makes a generalized statement regarding the latest CSAP data of low-income students “scoring at least 30 points less than other students” and that half of Hispanic third-graders are reading at grade level. While this may be correct at the state level, Pueblo City Schools (with which CCA is aligned) is and will continue to be the state leader in elementary progress. So I don’t forget our elementary programs have been recognized nationally by the U.S. Department of Education ... headed by Spelling. We are more than happy to make our CSAP information available, but we instead recommend Griego check with the Colorado Department of Education (which in a ceremony Aug. 3, attended by Gov. Bill Ritter, recognized Pueblo City Schools as a High Performing District). Coincidentally, Commissioner Jones specifically noted our district for continuously closing the achievement gap, especially in schools with 50 percent or more of its student body on free and reduced meals.

Pueblo City Schools is in the process of applying for international standards status. What this means is we will not be satisfied meeting CSAP or NCLB Annual Yearly Progress. We are changing the paradigm by becoming a world-class school district ... we will be evaluated on international standards. We are creating a system that will prepare each of our students to be successful in a global society. We are accountable, transparent and dedicated to excellence in all we do.

Journalistically, Griego failed her readers by not checking her facts and relying on an unreliable source. We were never contacted on this article, but by this response we hope the Rocky Mountain News will set the record straight. We look forward to reading Griego’s updated article.

Kathleen Kennedy is the president of the Pueblo City Schools’ Board of Education.

READER COMMENTS

The illegal immigrants and the governments 'no child left behind act' are what is TOTALLY RESPONSIBLE for the poor performances of Colorado school systems.
If we weren't spending extra money, extra teachers, ( so they could learn english, even though the illegal anchor babies were born in this country) the Denver school system would have money to do things.
You know, something other than teach some hispanic kid how to speak friggin english,.
These two sthings specifically are what is to blame for our school systems, and not just Colorado's but all across the USA, lack of making progress.
What ever happened to teaching our own native people the lessons of school????????

Posted by J W on August 31, 2007 09:21 AM

Griego is notorious for spinning untruths.She can only maintain her job if she distorts the facts so we get a picture of the poor pitiful hispanics not getting an education.

She writes her columns with bias and doesn't want the truth.

Did you actually expect Griege to find out the truth before writing her biased columns.

Don't hold your breath waiting for a correction any time soon.

Thanks for the truth.

Posted by Can I get an AMEN! on August 21, 2007 10:33 AM

You will have a long wait ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.

The RMN and Griego only print articles that lean their way and not the whole story. Take illegals for instance.

Posted by gary on August 21, 2007 10:24 AM