Colorado Politics

Aurora Public School Board seeking public feedback to guide next 5 years

CMAS 2024 scores

Aurora Public Schools is seeking public input on its goals and guidelines over the next five years, putting out a survey for community members to take as the district decides how to use a $1 billion bond.

Ballot measures 5A and 5B passed unanimously in 2024, approving both a bond and capital mill levy. The $1 billion bond is the largest in Colorado state history, according to the school district’s website, and is aimed toward improving school facilities, infrastructure and technology. 

Michael Carter, the vice president of Aurora Public School Board, said the board wants the public’s feedback on how they should monitor staff and what the community wants students to achieve to ensure they’re putting the money toward things community members want to see in their schools.

Aurora Public Schools has 59 schools with 40,000 students and 6,000 staff members. The district’s students come from more than 130 countries, making it most diverse district in Colorado.

It’s been five years since the district set its most recent vision and values, and in the spirit of “accountability,” the board wants to update the vision and values for the next five years, Carter said.

“The best way to get accountability is to ask our population exactly what they want us to do and then do it,” he said.

Over the past five years, the board focused on ensuring schools worked toward early literacy, high school graduation rates, and equity in education levels for sixth and ninth graders, School Board President Anne Keke said.

The district’s values have been diversity equity and inclusion, the “whole child”  to balance between wellbeing and academics, stakeholder engagement to make sure decisions happen with the input of students, parents, community members and staff, climate and culture ensuring everyone feels welcome in Aurora Public Schools, and staff retention to ensure the diversity of staff members reflects the diversity of students, Keke said.

The vision gives board members guidelines for how to measure the success of a school superintendent, teachers and students, she added.

Now, the board hopes to reframe its vision through hearing from members of the community. The survey can be accessed on the board’s website.


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