District Accountability Committee presents UIP and site-plan review; board members press for DAC recommendations to come to the board
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Summary
DAC co-leads Jolynn Patterson and Dr. Susan Field reviewed the district’s process for Unified Improvement Plans and site plans; Director Tripp cited Colorado statute 22-11-302 and asked for DAC recommendations to be delivered to the board rather than only to principals.
Jolynn Patterson and Dr. Susan Field presented the District Accountability Committee’s (DAC) accreditation‑and‑site‑plan review process and described how parent subcommittees review Unified Improvement Plans (UIPs) and produce feedback for principals and the board.
Dr. Susan Field summarized the accreditation components, saying UIPs are a required response to CMAS data and are one part of a four‑part accreditation process that includes site planning, external review and a set of statutory "absolutes" such as school safety plans. Jolynn Patterson explained the DAC’s structure: a larger DAC meeting for stakeholders and smaller subcommittees (accreditation and budget priority teams) that perform in‑depth reviews and provide principals with written feedback and recommendations.
Director Tripp cited Colorado statute 22‑11‑302, section (b), reading the statute’s language that the DAC’s "powers and duties are to advise the local school board and annually submit to the local school board recommendations regarding the contents of a plan required by the school's accreditation category." Tripp said she is not seeing DAC recommendations being submitted to the board with the specificity the statute appears to require and asked how DAC advice will be delivered to the board rather than only provided to principals.
Presenters and staff said principals receive detailed feedback and the DAC synthesizes high‑level themes; administration noted DAC typically provides a year‑end, cumulative report to the board in May, and staff offered to bring DAC representatives to present findings in a board meeting. Deputy Superintendent Becky Allen described the related budget‑priority process: DAC budget subcommittee gathers feeder‑strand input from principals and parents and synthesizes high‑level themes to inform the proposed budget presented in May.
Board members were invited to observe February DAC sessions when the budget priorities charge is the focus. Jolynn Patterson and Dr. Field said the DAC handbook is under revision and a refined report and handbook edits will be shared with the board in coming months.