MEDIA ADVISORY
For June 28, 2021
Press Contact:
Corey Christiansen, APS Public Information Officer
cpchristiansen@aurorak12.org | C: 720-591-0140
APS Honors Community Partners for Pandemic Support
APS Board of Education Hosts Special Meeting to Thank Community
and Discuss Lessons Learned from COVID-19
AURORA, CO – The Aurora Public Schools (APS) Board of Education and Superintendent Rico Munn will honor representatives from multiple community partners for their generosity and support throughout the pandemic during a special Board meeting on June 28. These partners include the Tri-County Health Department, the City of Aurora, COVIDCheck Colorado, Kaiser Permanente, Comcast, Children’s Hospital Colorado and the Colorado Rockies. The immense support of these partners and many others has ensured APS students have what they need to shape successful futures.
Since March 2020, APS was able to mobilize and activate these community partners to support its students, families and staff in many key areas including: donating to its Nutrition Services program to provide free meals to adults in the Aurora community, regular COVID-19 testing for staff, internet connectivity for families, vaccination for staff and families and setting up remote learning centers.
In addition to publicly thanking community partners, the special Board meeting will also focus on the district’s many engagement efforts to determine lessons learned from the pandemic. These lessons will help inform the district how to strategically deploy dollars from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) in the most impactful ways to drive student success. As school districts receive ESSER funding, they are required to utilize robust community engagement in their plans for spending. These dollars will be critical to the district’s recovery over the next three years.
WHAT: APS Board of Education Special Meeting to Honor Community Partners
WHEN: Monday, June 28 at 5 p.m.
The first 30 minutes of the meeting will outline lessons learned from the pandemic and then APS will thank community partners.
WHERE: APS Professional Learning & Conference Center (15771 E 1st Ave, Aurora, CO 80011)
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About Aurora Public Schools
Aurora Public Schools is the fifth largest school district in Colorado. APS serves approximately 38,000 students and includes over 60 schools. It is one of the most diverse districts in the state with students from more than 130 countries who speak over 160 languages. Over the past several years, APS has made noteworthy improvements in graduation rates, dropout rates and overall student growth and achievement. In fact, since 2013, APS graduation rates have increased by 27%. During that same period of time, its dropout rate has sharply declined from 4.8% to 1.9%. APS 2020 is the district's strategic plan, which includes three strategic goals: 1) Every APS student will have a plan for his or her future, 2) Every student will have a set of skills to implement his or her plan and 3) Every student will have credentials that open doors. It is the district's vision that every student shapes a successful future.
