Frequently Asked Questions About Working at Peak to Peak
Does the school use the Boulder Valley School District’s pay scale?
No. Peak to Peak has its own base salary pay scale for instructional staff. In addition to the base salary pay scale, Peak to Peak has a performance pay component in the form of a bonus. Each year, instructional staff members have the opportunity to earn a bonus based on performance measures.
Are Peak to Peak teachers employed by the Boulder Valley School District?
No. They are employed by Peak to Peak Charter School.
Does Peak to Peak have any religious, political, or cultural affiliations?
No. As a part of the Boulder Valley School District, Peak to Peak is a K-12 public charter school offering a liberal arts, college preparatory curriculum that gives students a foundation for a lifetime of learning and discovery. Just like every other school in the district, Peak to Peak is funded through federal and state tax dollars and does not tolerate discrimination or harassment against anyone regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, or national origin.
Peak to Peak was originally born of the dream of parents who envisioned a school dedicated to outstanding scholarship that would challenge students to achieve their academic potential. Those founding parents also believed that Peak to Peak's focus on solid academics would not be complete without an emphasis on character education. Consequently, respect, responsibility and other universally valued character traits are embedded in the curriculum and school culture and modeled by community members with the goal of equipping students for long-term success in life. Students learn to exercise their intelligence with integrity and consider how their decisions and actions affect both themselves and others. The faculty and administrators encourage students to exercise character in practical ways through leadership and participation in service opportunities at school and within our community. Peak to Peak high school students must complete a minimum of 100 hours of community service in order to earn a diploma.
Does Peak to Peak have any religious, political, or cultural affiliations?
No. As a part of the Boulder Valley School District, Peak to Peak is a K-12 public charter school offering a liberal arts, college preparatory curriculum that gives students a foundation for a lifetime of learning and discovery. Just like every other school in the district, Peak to Peak is funded through federal and state tax dollars and does not tolerate discrimination or harassment against anyone regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, or national origin.
Peak to Peak was originally born of the dream of parents who envisioned a school dedicated to outstanding scholarship that would challenge students to achieve their academic potential. Those founding parents also believed that Peak to Peak's focus on solid academics would not be complete without an emphasis on character education. Consequently, respect, responsibility and other universally valued character traits are embedded in the curriculum and school culture and modeled by community members with the goal of equipping students for long-term success in life. Students learn to exercise their intelligence with integrity and consider how their decisions and actions affect both themselves and others. The faculty and administrators encourage students to exercise character in practical ways through leadership and participation in service opportunities at school and within our community. Peak to Peak high school students must complete a minimum of 100 hours of community service in order to earn a diploma.
Do teachers have to be licensed?
No. Peak to Peak, like most other charter schools, has waived the certification requirement for teachers in its contract with the district. Although a teaching license is not a direct requirement for employment at Peak to Peak, we do prefer candidates who are accredited through certification by the Colorado Department of Education or an Alternative Teacher Licensing program. Teachers who are hired without a teaching license will be strongly encouraged to work toward certification.
Additionally, as an NCA college preparatory-accredited school, Peak to Peak seeks teachers who are proficient not only in their subject area but also in the field of education. Such proficiency may be demonstrated in a variety of ways, including classroom experience, training and coursework in pedagogy, methodology, research, foundations and educational practice.
Regardless of their certification status, Peak to Peak teachers MUST meet the “highly qualified” criteria set forth by the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation in order to be considered for employment. To meet these requirements teachers must demonstrate a subject matter competency in all core academic areas to which they are assigned. At the secondary level teachers must have a bachelor’s or master’s degree or at least 24 semester hours in the subject area (30 hours in social studies or science), or they must pass a content assessment, such as the PLACE or Praxis exam, in the subject area.
What do you look for in a teaching candidate?
The ideal teaching candidate is a student-centered, life-long learner who is philosophically aligned with the mission and the vision of the school, and eager to take advantage of the many opportunities provided for both students and staff.
What kind of professional development opportunities are offered to faculty?
Peak to Peak has a tiered professional development program designed to support the school’s vision of itself as a teaching school where all faculty members regularly reflect on and seek to improve their instructional practices. Toward that end, the program allows individual teachers to tailor their professional development to their own individual needs while at the same time providing support and expertise to colleagues through the use of induction, peer coaching, book studies, a diverse menu of monthly workshops, and targeted professional growth plans.
All teachers and counselors new to Peak to Peak take part in a year-long, teacher induction program designed to ease the transition to a new school, better clarify the expectations for Peak to Peak faculty, and support areas of growth through professional development. The program includes four days of New Teacher Orientation in early August, and ongoing professional development meetings and workshops throughout the year. In addition to working closely with the Director of Professional Development and the principals, every teacher in the program also meets weekly with a peer mentor, and monthly in small cohorts.
Are Peak to Peak teachers members of the teachers’ union?
No. Teachers are not members of the union nor does the school grant tenure. All Peak to Peak teachers work at the school because they believe in the school’s mission and vision and have mastery of the required skills and content.
Does Peak to Peak cap years of experience like districts often do?
No. We credit teachers with all their years of full-time, classroom teaching experience.
What is included in the employee benefits package?
No. We credit teachers with all their years of full-time, classroom teaching experience.
What is included in the employee benefits package?
Faculty and staff members holding a position of .5 FTE or higher are offered medical, dental, and retirement benefits at no cost to the employee. Employees may add on partners or family members at a cost to the employee.
Do staff members’ children receive automatic admission?
Yes. Faculty members’ children are offered admission at the time of hire. Children of support staff who are compensated on an hourly basis and who work at least eleven hours per week are granted admission through the regular Open Enrollment process.
Is on-site childcare provided?
Yes. Faculty and staff children from kindergarten through sixth grade are offered free Before and After School Care (BAASC) from 7-8 a.m. and 3-6 p.m. on school days, and from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on professional development days.
How is Peak to Peak impacted by the Boulder Valley School District?
Peak to Peak is a public school of choice. We are chartered through the district, but have autonomy over our own curriculum, budget, and hiring practices. Our students all take the same state tests (CSAP) as students at any other public school in Colorado. We are accredited through the district as well as through the North Central Association (NCA), which has higher overall standards than those of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Peak to Peak also has a higher graduation requirement than any other school in the district.
How do students enroll at Peak to Peak?
Students enroll in Peak to Peak through the district’s open enrollment lottery process. There are no admission requirements nor does the school charge tuition. Peak to Peak’s student body generally reflects the demographics of the larger district, with a slightly smaller SPED and slightly higher TAG population. Approximately 30 percent of our student body comes from out of district.
