Colorado state board gives back Adams 14 Schools' accreditation to avoid "any more bumps in the road"
The Colorado State Board of Education reinstated the Adams County 14 School District's accreditation Wednesday, following a recommendation from Colorado's Commissioner of Education, Katy Anthes. The board voted six to one in favor of the reinstatement.
Anthes said she supported reinstatement of accreditation for Adams 14, so the district would no longer face challenges with hiring more teachers, including international and bilingual teachers.
"I don't want any unintended consequences... to make that road any harder than it is," Anthes told the board Wednesday. "This is a narrow request to ensure we don't add any more bumps in the road."
The vote comes several months after the state board revoked Adams 14's accreditation and voted to reorganize the district in May, due to consistent poor student performance. Adams 14 has been on the state's accountability clock since 2010.
Wednesday's vote does not mean the district is now safe from reorganization and possible dissolution. The process to reorganize the district could take up to a year.
"This district is headed in the wrong direction, remains headed in the wrong direction," said State Board of Education Board Member Steve Durham. "I don't hold a lot of hope for them being off the clock 10 years from now."
Several school districts in and around Adams County disagree, saying they do not support the reorganization of Adams 14, making the future of the reorganization process unclear.
Adams 14 has fought the state's reorganization decision fiercely, even filing suit against the state in Denver district court, asking for a judge to review the state board's May order. That request was recently denied, but Adams 14 says it plans to appeal.
The district says its inability to improve stems from a 2018 decision, when the state board required Adams 14 to work with a private management company — MGT Consulting — which the district says ended up wasting public money and failing to meet goals to improve student performance. MGT refutes those claims, saying it improved graduation rates and reduced dropout rates.
Adams 14 fired MGT in January, leading to the state board's decision in May to reorganize the district.
An attorney for Adams 14 tells CBS Colorado the district will continue to fight the reorganization, but the district is grateful that Commissioner Anthes took the time to learn about how the lack of accreditation negatively impacted the district and its ability to hire more teachers.
"We really thank Commissioner Anthes for really listening... and taking this great step," said Joe Salazar, an attorney for Adams 14.