We are a proud recipient of the 2025 John Irwin School of Excellence Award.

Collaborative School Committee

Group of students posing outside on the playground

What Is the Collaborative School Committee?

McKinley-Thatcher’s Collaborative School Committee (CSC) consists of all our school stakeholders (educators, families, and community members) and serves as a leadership body for school accountability.

There is a district-issued calendar of issues the committee is required to administer. Topics include such things as ensuring the parent-teacher compact is developed and distributed, reviewing and approving the school’s safety program, and reviewing the strategy for ensuring educational objectives are established and progress toward those objectives is monitored and reviewed. While the CSC is not responsible for the development of the educational curriculum or for personnel issues such as teacher hiring or assignment, the committee does assess the school’s overall curriculum and does review and approve the school’s budget.

The CSC is a great opportunity for parents / guardians, staff members, and others in the community to be involved in the decisions affecting many aspects of McKinley-Thatcher. We have long identified our collective involvement in our school as a key component of its success. Your participation is what makes our school great.

Should you have any questions or comments regarding the McKinley-Thatcher CSC, please contact Sonia Geerdes, our school principal, at Sonia_Geerdes@dpsk12.net.

CSC Meeting Schedule

CSC meetings are held once a month — please see our school calendar for meeting dates. CSC members and non-members alike are welcome to attend CSC meetings! School families can refer to ClassDojo and our weekly email newsletter for more CSC information.

Meeting Agendas and Minutes

Purposes of Our CSC

  • Enhance student achievement and school climate by engaging our school community in collaborative efforts that support the school and district’s goals.
  • Provide strategic direction in support of the school’s mission and vision as stated in our Unified Improvement Plan (UIP).

Responsibilities

  • Focus on our Unified Improvement Plan as primary responsibility.
  • Align resources to support UIP and school’s program design.
  • Provide guidance, evaluation, and approval for UIP.
  • Provide guidance, evaluation, and approval for the annual school budget to insure alignment with UIP and school’s program design.
  • Provide guidance, evaluation, and approval for staffing allocations. Make recommendation regarding any changes to the school design.
  • Participate in principal selection process.
  • Provide input on principal’s involvement in and support of the CSC for the principal’s annual evaluation.
  • Review, and when appropriate, approve discipline and safety procedures.
  • Review, and when appropriate, approve school calendar and/or schedule.
  • Increase family, community, civic, service, and neighborhood involvement.

CSC Handbook

Please click here to see the Denver Public Schools Collaborative School Committee 2026-2027 Handbook (Google Doc).

Understanding Enrollment: The Engine Driving McKinley-Thatcher’s Resources

Did you know that enrollment is a key factor determining the quality and quantity of resources available to our students? At McKinley, funding is primarily allocated on a per-pupil basis by the district. This means every student enrolled directly impacts our capacity to thrive.

  • Impact on budget: our total enrollment number translates directly into the school’s operational budget. More enrollment means more funding to support our programs.
  • Impact on staff and support: the budget dictates our staffing levels. This includes determining the number of classroom teachers, specialized interventionists (like reading or math support), paraprofessionals, and specials classes (such as art and physical education).
  • Impact on resources: funding also covers essential resources like new classroom technology, high-quality curriculum materials, and extracurricular programs.

McKinley-Thatcher Enrollment Numbers

GradeClassroom 1Classroom 2Grade Level Total
ECE-4201939
Kindergarten272754
1st Grade232245
2nd Grade262652
3rd Grade242448
4th Grade292958
5th Grade242549
MI-A: Kindergarten2N/A2
MI-A: 1st Grade6N/A6
MI-A: 2nd Grade2N/A2
Total Enrollment:355