Falcon School District 49 is in the process of a groundbreaking, large-scale reform to modernize its educational system. The district has gone through many organizational changes since the beginning of the year, the most controversial the removal of Superintendent Dr. Bradley Schoeppey, as well as 143 other staff members, which included 60 teaching positions.Under the new Innovation Initiative, D 49 is now separated into four zones, and each has independent leadership and policy-making capabilities.Becky Carter, the new chief education officer, is responsible for the Innovation Initiative.The Falcon innovation zone consists of Falcon Elementary, Woodmen Hills Elementary, Meridian Ranch International Elementary, Falcon Middle School and Falcon High School. The budget for each zone is still based on student count; the difference is that each innovation zone has to decide where to focus their funds.”We are looking for a way to drive resources back into the classroom,” said Stephanie Meredith, communications specialist for District 49.The shift changes the decision-making process from the D 49 central office to the hands of the principals, teachers and parents at individual schools. The majority of all decisions will now be made at the building level; there will no longer be district-wide policies. Job cuts, budgeting, curriculum and school regulations will be the responsibility of that particular zone.”D 49 is a diverse and geographically large district,” Meredith said. “This allows us to individualize the educational experience.”D 49 will save money by no longer providing free bussing to students. Transportation will be self-sustaining and run continuously throughout the morning and afternoon. By having students pay $1 per ride, or $2 a day, D 49 will save more than $300 per student per year.Each zone has its own “innovation leader,” responsible for communications among the community, schools and central office. The innovation leader for Falcon is Mark Carara. Each innovation leader meets with principals, parents and students in the zone to create the most effective and innovative avenue to boost student success.”The educational standard will be the same across the board, how we get there will change,” Meredith said.The hope is that this change will make education more individualized and allow teachers more flexibility. Teachers can now try new things immediately, rather than wait for approval from up the chain.”The nature of the 21st century education is really dynamic, it is always changing with technology” Meredith said.This type of large scale restructuring is the first of its kind in the state; no other district has dared to jump head first into such an elaborate and progressive reformation.For parents and students, the change can be daunting because there is no longer a broad district-wide plan. Each zone has the freedom to design its own educational standards.Since January, D 49 schools have hosted innovation assemblies and conventions to incorporate student, parent and community opinions. The most recent development is the creation of the POWER Zone, which is comprised of schools that feed into Vista Ridge High School. The official mission of the POWER zone is “Purposeful Risk, Ownership of Learning, Whole Child/Student Concept, Engaging Inquiry and Respectful Relationships.””Our message to parents is always ‘our students are the No. 1 priority,'” Meredith said. “We want them to be successful and prepared for life after high school.”Because of statewide budget cuts, schools have had to choose academic programs. Sand Creek High school was forced to eliminate the culinary arts program to preserve the science and technology program. Tight funds will likely cause other schools to eliminate programs. If a student is interested in a particular program, they have the choice to attend any school in the district.”We are trying to bring energy and innovation into the classroom, so we can go from good to outstanding,” Meredith said.
