The Denver School of Science and Technology, not used to be a runner up for anything, made it to the final round but lost in the White House Race to the Commencement Challenge to Michigan’s Kalamazoo Central High School, the White House announced today. President Obama will be traveling to Michigan to give a graduation ceremony speech. A White House cabinet member or “senior official” will speak at DSST’s graduation ceremony.
Gov. Bill Ritter, who campaigned hard on behalf of the Denver middle and high school. Sent out congratulations.
“Congratulations to Kalamazoo for winning the challenge,” said Gov. Ritter. “I’m very proud of DSST. While only in its seventh year, DSST has once again shown the power of its vision and performance in preparing all students for college. I congratulate DSST on being one of the three finalists from over 1,000 applicants, and wish them continued success [in preparing] students to be the next generation of innovators and leaders.”
DSST is an open- enrollment public college prep school focused on science and technology. It is the only high school in Denver to receive a national “Distinguished” rating. One hundred percent of its graduates have been accepted into four-year colleges.
So who’s coming to Denver? Hillary Clinton? Ken Salazar? Tim Geithner? Will Joe Biden return to the city? Who would the students at DSST like most to give the speech?
And 2 DSST executives reallocated $20-50 million of taxpayer money to their own private companies.
If Ritter, who is apparently still benefiting from ALEC interests like DSST, who lit the sulphuric fire of SB191 with a last-minute and non-transparent signature which started this gradual incineration of neighborhood public schools, was tapped to endorse this, then perhaps we can see how pocket-lining is at the core of all of this–errr–not the pockets of students and families.
Keep public schools as public institutions. There is no such thing as a public charter school when, like this, public money ends up in private hands.
By the way, DSSTea test scores dropped this year, 15/16. What gives, Bill And Bill? Punish them.