Volume 54, Issue No. 4
A Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. Publication
April 2015
The ‘Choice’ Of Being Pushed Out of Park Hill At Least 58 Middle Schoolers Denied Seats at McAuliffe
– makes the above statement misleading. Indeed, when “choosing” our neighborhood’s East High School for my child, I had to fill out all the Choice paperwork by the appropriate deadline to enroll, even though we live within its boundary. Also, because an Lynn Kalinauskas increasing number GPHC Education Chair of neighborhoods have “enrollment zones,” as opposed to neighborhood schools, this means parents must use the Choice system to access a preferred school. The superintendent also stated, “We always recommend families look first to their neighborhood schools.” But the enrollment zones take away Left to right: Ella Bloch, Jerry Hise, Anne Koshio, Samantha and Beni Herrgott, Connor Hise, Andrea and neighborhood schools by including them Amelie Denis, Ellie and Cammie Redpath. All live in the neighborhood near McAuliffe Middle School, which in larger boundaries. That is exactly what is in the background. Many parents are worried that, when the time comes, their children will not be able to has some Park Hill parents upset this year. attend their neighborhood school. Photo by Cara DeGette
schools Update
In a recent memo to parents and staff, Denver Public Schools Superintendent Tom Boasberg equated a 10 percent jump in School Choice participation with a growing interest in DPS great schools. “Our schools have shown significant improvements and this is driving our large increases in enrollment,” Boasberg wrote. “We saw very high participation in School
Choice by families in shared middle school boundaries – west and southwest Denver, far northeast Denver and Greater Park Hill/ Stapleton – and we expect this fall significant enrollment increases in these zones.” Notwithstanding the great schools, the fact that DPS now requires parents and guardians to fill out a choice form – even when they opt for their neighborhood schools
Bused out of the ‘hood
In June 2013, the DPS Board approved a Stapleton-Greater Park Hill Enrollment Zone for middle schools. Included in the boundary are McAuliffe, DSST Stapleton, DSST Conservatory Green, Bill Roberts, and the Denver Discovery School. Parents in both Park Hill and continued on page 14
Congresswoman Diana DeGette (D-CO) stands between U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and several other current and former members of Congress, during the Feb. 16 visit to Japan by the Congressional Study Group. Photo Credit: Sean Pavlik, Congressional Study Group on Japan
Breaking Into ‘The Most Closed Market in the World’
Rep. DeGette: Japan Recognizes Need To Change Processes
As Japan comes under increasing scrutiny of its foreign trade practices, Rep. Diana DeGette says the country’s leaders realize they have to change the way they deal with global commerce. DeGette, a Denver Democrat, is an acknowledged expert on trade between the
United States and Japan, and is currently cochair of the Congressional Study Group on Japan. Recently back from leading a Dave Felice delegation there, she sat down for an exclusive Greater Park Hill News interview to talk about her latest meeting with Japanese
City Matters
Who We Are, What We Do
Page 21
Get Ready For Good Times
Page 9
Inside This Issue
Page 6
April 2015
government ministers. “International trade is an extremely complex issue,” DeGette says. “The Japanese recognize that they need to change processes because that’s the only way to make the progress necessary. Tariffs have to go down, and policy agreements have to be revised if we are going to get to a level playing field.” continued on page 17 It’s a Bird! It’s a Crane!
Photo Courtesy of Christopher Herndon
Our Man On Council Christopher Herndon To Represent All of Park Hill By Cara DeGette GPHN Editor
Across Denver, 50 candidates are vying for seats in the May 5 election, including for mayor, city council, auditor and city clerk. To represent Park Hill, however, there is only one council candidate in the District 8 race – incumbent Christopher Herndon. And, for the first time in anyone’s memory, Park Hill will be whole, meaning that just one person will represent the entire neighborhood on the Denver City Council. Herndon currently represents a northeast portion of Park Hill, with Mary Beth Susman and Albus Brooks representing the southern and western portions. But several years ago the city adopted a new district map, which places Park Hill entirely within District 8, along with Stapleton and a portion of Montbello. Herndon, a West Point graduate, is originally from Kansas City, Missouri, and spent nearly seven years in the United States Army. He moved to Denver in 2005, and was a manager at the Englewood Wal-Mart before he was first elected in 2011. Now finishing his first term on council, Herndon is currently council president. He recently sat down for a Greater Park Hill News interview to share his plans and goals. Greater Park Hill News: You are running unopposed for a second term. You are president of the City Council. You and your wife (Genia Herndon, an assistant vice chancellor at the University continued on page 5
Next GPHC Meeting Thursday, April 2 at 6:30 p.m. 2823 Fairfax St., Denver
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