NEWSLETTER SIGN-UP
Math and Science Leadership Academy (MSLA)
MSLA teachers share the documents that provide the legal structures to operate as a teacher-powered school.
In order to operate as a teacher-powered school in the state of Colorado, the teachers at the Mathematics and Science Leadership Academy had to:
Secure a waiver from a state statute and show how they intended to comply with the intent of the law around school governance. Namely, Colorado statutes say that principals run schools, evaluate teachers, and suspend students. Because MSLA did not have a principal, they had to designate who would be responsible for carrying out these activities.
Get a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in place betweeen the district and the local association, the Denver Classroom Teachers Association. There were more than 20 places in the Master Agreement that defined the responsibilities of the principal as it relates to teachers. The MOU identified the Lead Teacher as the person responsible for carrying out those responsibilities.
Secure Teacher Acknowlegement and Waiver forms from all teachers who were selected as staff members. This form was used so that teachers could acknowlege that the Lead Teachers were going to carry out the responsibilities of the principal and that all other rights and protections were still in place according to the contract.
Each of the aforementioned documents are attached above.