DENVER (KDVR) — Denver Public Schools are preparing to head back to class later this month. The first day of school for DPS will be on Aug. 22.
The school’s superintendent says the focus and theme for the districts and its estimated 90,000 students is “every learner thrives.”
“We have heavy lifting to do,” DPS Superintendent Alex Marrero said. “We need every student in as much as possible because our attendance rates are less than stellar and we want everyone to reengage so our teachers can reconnect and do what they do best.”
Marrero, now in his second year on the job, says the district will be working with families this fall on an online parent dashboard. He says hiring efforts have beefed up recently; special education teachers are now offered $20 an hour, up from $15 an hour. He says they are among the highest paid in the state.
Meantime, the district is still in need of nearly two dozen math tutors, known as Denver Math Fellows. The position’s annual pay is $29,000. Officials say people who work as Denver Math Fellows are often recent graduates taking a gap year, people looking to change careers and retired professionals.
“I grew in math and now I feel excited about it,” DPS student Maya said.
The minimum requirements are at least 45 college credit hours and a strong desire to help students grow, according to officials.
“Our students overwhelmingly say how much they appreciate having these adults in their lives,” Anthony Saros of DPS said. “To do better in core math classes.. the small group instruction really does that.”
If you are interested, here’s how you can learn about Denver Math Fellows.