Parent Newsletter March 2025
Dear Central Academy Students and Families,
For the past couple of weeks, I have been regularly attending the Reimagining Education Structured Conversations for the community. There are several more conversations this week with the final one of this first series occurring on Saturday. There is also a survey that will be open through this weekend. I encourage everyone with a stake in Des Moines Public Schools to take it– students, staff, families, and community members. There will be more community conversations as this plan is developed. But check out the FAQ pages which grow almost daily in response to these first community conversations.
For those of you who have not heard about the Reimagine Education plan that DMPS is developing, it is an ambitious facilities plan to make Des Moines a destination district for families who want the best experiences and opportunities for their children. While the focus of a facilities plan is to upgrade and consolidate facilities, that is just part of the story to become a destination district. The district is also developing ambitious plans for programming and opportunities for our students with the Diploma Plus initiative, Freshmen On Track program (priority 1, strategic outcome 1), the focus on 6th grade in elementary schools, the expansion of Montessori programs, and more. I am truly excited for what this plan can do for Des Moines Public Schools. There is a lot of space in this plan for more Advanced Learning opportunities for all DMPS students.
This Reimagine Plan is also in response to declining district enrollment that has been occurring for the last decade and has created budget shortfalls every year. In recent years, the voucher system that provides public tax dollars to private schools has exacerbated the problem. Every year we have used all our creativity to keep those cuts away from the classroom experience. Next year DMPS must trim an additional $16 million from the budget. And those budget cuts have hit close to home at Central Academy for next year. I had to trim nearly 6 full time equivalent positions from the Academy staff for next year.
As I continue to prioritize providing the best educational experience for all students, these adjustments are necessary to ensure that we can maintain high-quality instruction in all of our remaining programs.
I am grateful to our Superintendent and his team who made sacrifices to minimize these cuts to Central Academy. With their support, I can absorb some of these cuts with larger class sizes in every department. I have also reduced administrative and support roles to minimize the loss of teaching positions. However, after careful consideration and review, I came to the difficult decision to reduce our World Language offerings. Arabic, Italian, and Spanish will not be offered at Central Academy next year.
Each of these programs is precious to me. The decision was not made lightly and was based on a combination of factors including the number of students requesting the courses, our district’s board goals, the longevity of the Academy mission and vision, and the seniority, licensure, and experience of the staff.
I understand that this change may be disappointing, especially for students who have enjoyed and benefited from these world language programs. Please know that I am committed to providing alternative learning opportunities to support our students’ language development and continue fostering a love of learning. The Academy counselors have been meeting with students individually and in small groups to explore options for students who are affected by this decision.
The Reimagine Education plan is our long-term solution to preventing these types of cuts. It is essential to prevent further programmatic reductions in our district. By consolidating and improving our facilities, we can invest the savings into our programs and people. Without the Reimagine Education plan, we must still consolidate facilities, but we’ll also experience more programmatic losses. Participating in the survey or attending meetings are ways to have your voice heard.
You can also write to your representatives in the State Legislature. They are currently reconciling Supplemental State Aid (SSA) for school funding. The Senate has put forth a 2% increase and the House has counter-proposed a 2.25% increase plus additional funding for transportation, equity, and one-time additional funding. The Senate is considering the House’s proposal right now. Some have said that the State cannot afford the $143 million additional dollars in the House’s plan, but both the House and Senate’s fiscal notes overstate the State’s investment because they assume a restoration of last year’s AEA cuts, which is unlikely. The Education committees in the House and Senate are discussing a number of ideas right now, beyond just funding. Use the links in the previous sentence to see committee members and review their meeting schedules, agendas, minutes. Several Academy students spent some time watching proceedings at the Capitol yesterday and met with legislators.
Consider following the DMPS-Community Legislative Action Team (CLAT). They invite legislators to meet with the community and have outlined some important legislative priorities that would help DMPS.
Thank you for your support and understanding during this transition.
UPCOMING EVENTS AT CENTRAL ACADEMY:
CENTRAL WINTER FORMAL RESCHEDULED
Due to an actual winter wonderland in the last two weeks(!), the February 14 Winter Formal for Central Academy and Campus high school students has been rescheduled for Saturday March 8. Buy your $10 tickets in advance (earlier tickets were refunded). Winter Formal Rescheduled – Central Academy
PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES
We have two options for spring parent-initiated conferences:
On Tuesday evening, March 11 from 4:00 – 6:45 PM, we will be having in-person, drop-in parent teacher conferences. Come to Academy at 1912 Grand Ave. and meet with teachers first come, first served.
Then on Thursday afternoon, March 13 from 1:00 – 3:45, we will have scheduled phone conferences.
1:00- 3:45: Schedule a 5-minute phone conference with teachers.
BOOK your appointment. This VIDEO explains the booking system.
As always, you can email your child’s teacher with any concerns or questions outside of conference times. Find teacher emails at https://ca.dmschools.org/faculty/
SENIOR RECOGNITION
This is a very special event for Academy’s Senior class of 2025. This year it is on Sunday, April 6 from 2 – 4 PM. Seniors, check your email for messages from Sulyema Reyes about the event.
ISASP TESTING
April 8 – 11, DMPS will be doing ISASP testing in middle and high schools during the first 2 hours of the school day. Our Advanced Mathematical Problem Solving class came up with an elegant way for us to continue our course work on a shortened day instead of repeatedly missing periods 1 and 2 (and part of 3) on test days. Keep an eye out for the upcoming schedule of rotating classes during ISASP testing window.
Sincerely and with love,
Dr. Gogerty
Director of Advanced Learning
“We hold ourselves to the highest standards and support each other in our lowest moments.”