At our Board of Education meeting on Dec. 8, we had multiple media outlets in attendance, including several from Denver, all of whom witnessed a 30-minute presentation showing exceptional scholastic achievement in D-20 for the 2021-2022 school year.
In the countless articles covering that board meeting, not one “news” outlet so much as referenced the exceptional, even historic performance of D-20 students. Not one!
Why? Because apparently, they don’t care whether schools fulfill their primary mission of teaching students to read, write and do arithmetic. Instead, every one of them, from liberal (C.S. Indy) to conservative (C.S. Gazette), swallowed the bait that had been chummed into their scandal-craving gullets by progressive activists who work tirelessly to manufacture outrage and division within our school district and community.
Where was the due diligence? Why weren’t board members contacted for clarification of the facts? Because none of this is required for “gotcha” media and irresponsible reporting.
To the journalists in attendance Thursday night, let me offer the real story that you chose to disregard along with your due diligence — District 20’s academic progress!
According to the NWEA assessment for 2021-2022, District 20’s academic performance in every tested grade level exceeded the 70th percentile in Math and 80th percentile in English Language Arts (ELA). Contrast this with the abysmal CMAS scores from across Colorado school districts where 60%, 70%, 80%+ students cannot read and write at grade level.
We owe District 20’s incredible results to our passionate teachers, engaged parents and resilient students. Our district has high expectations, and we believe that our students, teachers, and parent community will rise to meet those expectations. This has held true over time and is exemplified in Academy School District 20 being “Accredited with Distinction” for 14 consecutive years, the largest district in Colorado with this credential.
In addition to these academic results, District 20 has maintained a robust college and career program. Out of the May graduating class of nearly 1,900 students, 25% earned college credits, 5% earned industry certifications, and 58% participated in a CTE pathway (i.e. cybersecurity, building construction, CNA, EMT, teacher cadet, etc.).
D-20’s prime board policy states, “All students will show annual growth toward increasing levels of academic proficiency, across all content areas, by meeting or exceeding Colorado academic standards…” This is a board priority and the reason I ran for office.
Ensuring every student succeeds should be a shared goal of all stakeholders. However, political agendas are interfering with this mission. The media and many in our community have decided politics and shaming anyone who disagrees with them is more important than our students. These constant distractions are consuming precious time and limited resources. Superintendent Tom Gregory estimates that more than 70% of his time is now being spent on these nonacademic issues. We all pay an enormous price for this, especially our students.
Despite those in our community who have chosen to promote false political narratives meant to divide and fracture our district, our students are proving the district is better than that.
With administrators, teachers, and staff who are focused on truly educating students, Academy School District 20 is successfully growing our next generation of leaders. This is a story worth telling.
Aaron Salt is a member of the Academy School District 20 Board of Education At-large in Colorado.
Aaron Salt is a member of the Academy School District 20 Board of Education At-large in Colorado.