APS to receive $475,000 in federal grants for health clinics

The Aurora Public Schools District is set to receive $475,000 in grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to expand and modernize its school-based health centers.

The money comes as part of $14 million distributed to school clinics across the country as part of the Affordable Care Act, health care legislation approved by Congress in 2010. APS currently operates school-based health clinics at Laredo and Crawford elementary schools. Last year, the facility at Crawford saw an estimated 1,300 visits, while the health center at Laredo, which opened earlier this year, drew about 500 patients.

Aurora CSAP scores show gains over state growth rates, reading and science dips

Heather L. Smith / The Aurora Sentinel

Students across the state have fallen behind in reading proficiency in the past year, while local students have fared somewhat better, according to Colorado Student Assessment Program data released by the Colorado Department of Education this week.

Statewide, the 2011 CSAP scores reveal an overall lag in students scoring proficient or advanced in reading in all grades except for third grade.

In Aurora’s two public school districts, the reading results were mixed. Aurora Public Schools’ reading scores showed increases in proficient and advanced scores in third, sixth, ninth and 10th grade; while fourth-, fifth-, seventh- and eighth-graders showed decreases.

At Cherry Creek, the reading trends aligned more closely with the state results, with decreases in fifth through ninth grades and increases in third and 10th grade. The reading results for fourth grade remained static at Cherry Creek.

Aurora Central Library to host free ACT, SAT practice exams

High school students looking to get an edge on the ACT and SAT exams can register for free workshops and practice tests to be held at the Aurora Central Library in August.

The library will host a free practice exam for the ACT and SATs from 1 to 4 p.m. on Aug. 7, and will hold a free ACT essay writing workshop from 2 to 3 p.m. on Aug. 21. Test results for the Aug. 7 and 21 tests will be returned at a free test results and strategy seminar to be held from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 21.

All of the workshops will take place at the Aurora Central Library, 14949 E. Alameda Parkway.

The practice exam on Aug. 7 will be proctored by Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions, and will be a combination of both the SAT and ACT exams. The test will provide a sample of what test looks like and help develop strategies to achieve the highest possible score. Test takers should bring #2 pencils and a calculator.

For the essay writing workshop, students will respond to an essay prompt under timed, test-like conditions. While students’ essays are scored, an instructor from Kaplan will teach score-raising strategies. Test takers should bring #2 pencils.

Registration is required for all three workshops, and participants may register online at www.auroralibrary.org. For more details about the workshops, call Megan Ellis at 303-739-7473.

APS CFO Wardynski may head to Huntsville for superintendent post

(Photo by Heather L. Smith / The Aurora Sentinel)

The Aurora Public Schools District’s top financial officer may be heading to another school district in another state.

APS Chief Financial Officer Casey Wardynski is a finalist for the superintendent post at the Huntsville School District in Alabama, and he traveled to the state to interview with school board members last week.

The move would end a relatively short tenure at APS for Wardynski, a former Army colonel and associate professor of economics at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Last year, he replaced Ron Weeks as the district’s CFO; Weeks had filled the post for 25 years.

Wardynski is one of three finalists for the Huntsville School District superintendent position. While most of Wardynski’s background lies in his military experience, the other two candidates are both superintendents from school districts in Texas and North Carolina.

The board is expected to announce its decision by the end of the week. APS district officials said Wardynski would have to officially announce his departure before they could begin the search for a new chief financial officer.

APS Board of Ed to review budget

The Aurora Public Schools District Board of Education is set to take another step Tuesday toward approving a final budget for the 2011-12 school year.

The board is scheduled to approve a draft copy of a proposed budget totaling more than $513 million for the coming school year during its meeting on May 24. The document is one of the final steps before a final vote in June. APS officials are planning to address a funding gap of about $25 million with measures like furlough days and reductions in non-school and non-labor budgets.

In March, Chief Financial Officer Casey Wardynski presented an updated list of possible budget cuts, an itemized roster steered partly by input from district staff, parents and administrators. The list culled items from an original group of 40 possible measures released by the district earlier this year. Implementing four furlough days for a savings of almost $4 million figured in the latest group of proposed cuts.

Q&A with Harlem Children's Campaign Founder Geoffrey Canada

Photo by Gabriel Christus / The Aurora Sentinel

It isn’t tough for Geoffrey Canada to see the parallels between the Cherry Creek School District and the educational system in New York. Canada, the founder the Harlem Children’s Campaign and one of the featured subjects of David Guggenheim’s 2010 documentary “Waiting for ‘Superman,” visited Overland High School during Cherry Creek's "Success for Every Student" conference on April 16, addressing larger shortfalls in the American public education system. He also praised the “zone” teaching model that’s taking hold at the campus shared between Overland and Prairie Middle School. The Aurora Sentinel caught up with Canada to get his take on the new STEM facility at Overland, the problems with teachers’ unions and commonalities between Aurora and Harlem.

Special APS board meeting could decide Hinkley teachers' fate

Photo by Heather L. Smith / The Aurora Sentinel

AURORA | A group of Hinkley High School teachers whose jobs are at risk could find out tonight whether they will keep their posts at the school next year.

The Aurora Public Schools District Board of Education will hold a special meeting tonight to vote on nonrenewal for more than 10 teachers from across the district. The agenda item is a holdover from last week’s board meeting, when the APS board voted 5-2 to reject the entire consent agenda and temporarily save the teachers.