By Linda Y. Brown

The Northeast Community Congress for Education (NCCE), formerly known as the Concerned Citizens Community Congress, once boasting a membership of over 1000 in the 1970s, is keeping close tabs on the Manual Renewal Process. Some of the current 100 plus members are actively engaged on the Community Council as well as the Community Conversations going on at Manual High School.
The NCCE was reorganized this past July because they didn’t feel Denver Public Schools was addressing the needs of all students, according to John McBride, NCCE member and former Director of the Commission on Youth under former Mayor Wellington Webb.
“We’re not adversarial. We want to give kids options. We want to enhance what everybody else is doing,” said McBride. Therefore McBride sees the NCCE as helping to keep everybody on task and ensure that the renewal of Manual remain a “community” effort. “The district (DPS) has a history of distrust,” said McBride. He sites the case of the closing of Cole Middle School in 2005 where community input was encouraged. Yet when the community presented their recommendation, McBride says the district chose a different route.
At a recent meeting of the NCCE, several members discussed their displeasure in several areas in which Community Council meetings have been conducted. One area of concern was how members of the community were rudely shut down when they tried to ask a question. Concern was raised about the number of missing council members which started out at around 50 and has since dwindled. Additionally, NCCE members were concerned about the amount of time taken up at Council meetings with presentations that could be replaced with handouts to give more time to working on solutions. One of the biggest grievances is that the NCCE does not believe the Council is addressing the specific needs of African American students.
The NCCE is in the process of working with feeder schools and other community organizations such as MOPS (Metro Organizations for People), to help build and strengthen parent support and advocacy. “Organize parents and show them what to look for and how to get involved …If you have a bad elementary school, you’re going to have a bad middle school, etc.,” said McBride.
Meanwhile, the NCCE has prepared a matrix that is projected to be community-centered, as opposed to school-centered, which brings in assets from all aspects of the community to support Early Childhood Education (ECE) through high school. The NCCE envisions Manual as being accessible after school and on weekends to support the educational development of the entire community, as well as having a comprehensive curriculum involving rigorous and relevant academics that includes various trades. Community colleges and universities, new educational concepts and models, and a variety of funding streams will flow to the school.
McBride sees the NCCE as a strong community force that others must reckon with. NCCE members agree that community engagement must remain after all the Council and Community Conversations end. “We’re coming back now and starting with education. We’ll come up with a 21st century solution to educate the needs of our kids. Set the bar high and they will achieve everyday,” said McBride.
The NCCE meets every Monday evening at 6:30 at the Blair-Caldwell Library and is open to the public.