Adams 14 School District Reorganization Process Frequently Asked Questions

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In May 2022, the state board ordered Adams 14 to work with its preferred partner, TNTP, on its improvement plan and begin the district reorganization process with three other districts. The board also removed the district's accreditation. In September 2022, the state board restored Adams 14's accreditation.

The Accountability Act required the state board to intervene because Adams 14 has long struggled with academic achievement and academic growth and because previous plans had not improved outcomes for students. The actions the state board ordered are among the handful of options listed in state law.

District reorganization is a process under which districts may change their boundaries. The School District Organization Act establishes the steps of that process. The law requires a committee of community representatives to come up with a plan for change and requires voters of the impacted communities to approve the changes.

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The reorganization committee is composed of community leaders from the Adams 14 School District, Mapleton School District, Adams 12 Five Star Schools, and School District 27J. Those school districts' local boards of education and district accountability committees appointed the committee members. You can find the committee members here. It's up to the committee to determine when and where it meets.

The reorganization committee must develop a plan of school district organization that could improve student outcomes and give all students access to equal opportunities.

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The reorganization process is in the hands of the reorganization committee and the local communities.

After directing the reorganization process to begin, the State Board of Education no longer has a role in that process. The state board cannot close schools, turn schools into charter schools, dissolve a district, or make any other determinations through the reorganization process.

The reorganization committee made up of local community members could recommend that one district be dissolved and become a part of one or more surrounding districts. However, this recommendation would require voters' approval before it would be implemented, as described below.

The reorganization committee does not have authority to close schools or convert district schools to charter schools. The committee could recommend school closures or consolidations or chartering schools. However, any decisions regarding closure, consolidation and chartering must ultimately be made by the elected local boards of education for each school district.

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Yes. Voters are engaged in this process in at least two ways.

First, the reorganization committee is required to engage with residents in all affected districts, including Adams 14. Once the committee has developed a draft plan, it must hold public hearings in each district to share the plan and get feedback. After the hearings, the committee may change its draft plan.

Second, when the plan of organization is final, voters of the affected districts will vote to approve or deny the plan. If the plan is denied in any of the affected districts, the plan does not move forward. For example, if the Adams 14 community votes to reject a plan to consolidate Adams 14 with one or more surrounding districts, the plan won't move forward. If that happens, the reorganization process ends, and no reorganization will occur.

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No. The reorganization process is focused only on whether boundaries need to be redrawn or districts consolidated.

Even if boundaries are redrawn or Adams 14 is consolidated with one or more surrounding districts, it does not mean that any Adams 14 schools will be closed. Some possibilities for what reorganization could look like include but are not limited to:

• Consolidation of Adams 14 and one (or more) of the other affected districts: This process is the merging of two or more districts, not one district taking over another school district. Community members would elect board members for the newly formed school district. The local board of education for the school district would then decide whether any schools need to be closed or consolidated.
• Alteration of Adams 14's borders: This process would move some of Adams 14's borders. That may cause one or more schools previously operated by Adams 14 to be folded into a neighboring district. The other schools in Adams 14 could continue to belong to Adams 14. Community members would elect board members for whatever district they belong to. The local boards would then decide whether any schools need to be closed or consolidated.

As the reorganization committee explores boundary changes with the focus on equitable opportunities for students, it may also wish to separately recommend creative new learning opportunities apart from boundary changes. For example, the committee could recommend cross-district collaboration on certain programs, like bilingual programs or project-based learning. It would be up to the involved districts to approve and implement those recommendations.

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No. Neither the state board nor the reorganization committee have the authority in this reorganization process to force schools to convert to charter schools. That decision is up to local boards of education.

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The reorganization process is about whether boundaries should be redrawn or districts consolidated. If a school that is currently a part of Adams 14 becomes a part of another local district, that school would stay open during the transition to a new district. After it becomes part of a new district, the local board of education for that district could decide to consolidate that school with other schools in the new district. However, families would be able to advocate to that local board of education for what is in the best interest of their students and their communities. In short, there would be no automatic closure of a school that moves from Adams 14 to another district.

The reorganization committee could recommend that certain schools be consolidated or closed. However, it does not have the authority to make that happen unless it is approved by the local board of education.

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The reorganization committee must ensure that district and staff resources are distributed equitably to support Adams 14's students, as well as the students in the other participating districts. A consolidation of districts could create efficiencies in centralized administration, ranging from HR and payroll systems to curriculum materials and professional development, which could free up resources to go to schools. Again, this would depend on the specific plan the committee proposes.

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Yes. The committee needs to consider students' academic needs when creating the plan.

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If the plan is rejected by voters, the plan will not be implemented. Adams 14 will have fulfilled its obligation to participate in the reorganization process.

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Any high school is able to offer sports programs for students. We anticipate any plan would allow students to still participate in CHSAA sports through their schools, regardless of the specific district.

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