It takes a village to raise a school. Hand-crafted, expert partnerships are key. and VLK is one of those rare partners that strives to understand the whole picture and provide guidance at every step.
THRIVING THROUGH GROWTH; CREATING A FUTURE TOGETHER Perspective from Dr. Jamie Wilson, Chair, Fast Growth School Coalition & Superintendent, Denton ISD; with insights from Clinton Schiver, VLK Principal It was the fall of 2005, and I had just started my first year as Assistant Superintendent in the Denton ISD.* The enrollment in our school system had just surpassed 15,000 students. The district was opening its third comprehensive high school and introducing the newly constructed advanced technology complex specifically designed to support our CTE programs. The greater Denton area was growing, but it was still a relatively “well-kept secret.” Our community was composed primarily of long-term residents within the City of Denton core who valued public education, the work of our teachers, and would bend over backwards to lend a helping hand. Fast-forward to the fall of 2019, a short 14 years later, and Denton ISD is expected to surpass 32,000 students, and will open its 24th elementary
school, Union Park Elementary. Our district has built 24 schools since 2000, 11 in the last 10 years, with not one of those 11 schools constructed inside the city limits of Denton.** Our rural, primarily agrarian areas of our school system have been making the transition from cotton fields to single-family “Disney style” developments, catering to younger families in search of not only a high quality of life, but an even higher quality of education. It’s been a challenge. In order to address fast-growth, aging facilities, a change in academic program delivery, a shift in community demographics, and efficiencies in school design, our growing district required a broad based community approach. While Denton had always been supportive of schools, education, and bond referendums to construct facilities, this fast-growth
*Clinton: At this time VLK was entering its third decade of service to public schools in Texas and had an ongoing 14 year partnership with Denton ISD. **Clinton: It has been our privilege to continuously work, plan, design, learn, and grow alongside them. This continued partnership and our market focus on public school design allowed us to develop a deep understanding of the mission and operational needs of this fast-growth district.
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2019 | EXPERIENCE | Vol. 6
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