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The Adams 14 Education Foundation was formed in 1996 to address significant K-12 educational challenges. The Adams 14 Education Foundation, a 501(c) 3 corporation, was created by a small group of concerned local businesspersons and education professionals, to improve literacy amongst the students in Adams County School District 14 (Adams 14).
The Foundation’s mission and purpose is to enhance the quality of education in Adams 14, by raising and distributing money to fund programs that support literacy, student achievement and expanded learning opportunities for all students. The majority of the District’s students are economically disadvantaged, and the Foundation helps address the needs of students and their families that are not met by the school District’s regular operating budget. Since its inception, the Foundation has raised approximately $2 million to support education and literacy programs.
Adams County School District 14 (Adams 14) lies immediately north of Denver, Colo., and serves a population of 33,116, according to the 2000 U.S. Census. The District boundaries cover 52 square miles, and serve Commerce City as well as parts of the City of Thornton and unincorporated Adams County. The ethnic composition is about 83 percent Hispanic.
Adams 14 is a high-poverty school district that serves more than 7,500 students annually, of which 23 percent are currently living below poverty line. Eligibility for free and reduced lunches includes 84 percent of students and 55.percent are English Language Learners (ELL). There is also a 31 percent mobility rate amongst students, and nearly 10 percent of the students in the District are classified as homeless.
The most recent U.S. Census data shows that 17 percent of adults in the District have less than a ninth-grade education. Additionally, 40 percent of adults have not earned a high school diploma, translating to a large percentage of students’ parents who did not graduate from high school. Graduation rates from the district's high schools are below state average at about 52%. Only 22% of the ACHS grads go on to vocational school or college. The percentage of grads from LAHS going to post-secondary is 7%. Compounding the problem, about 25% of the district's teachers turnover each year. Adams 14 is made up of 13 schools – two preschools, seven elementary schools (preschool through fifth grade), two middle schools (sixth through eighth) and two high schools (ninth through 12th grade).
The mission of the Adams 14 Education Foundation is to enhance the quality of education in Adams County School District 14 by raising and distributing money to support literacy, student achievement and expanded learning opportunities for all students.
John Chin is the executive director for the education foundation of Adams County School District 14, having joined the agency in late August of 2010. John has worked in the for-profit, non-profit and education sectors for over 30 years in Colorado. John was a management consultant for 15 years working with business, governmental and non-profit organizations. He also spent over 15 years as a higher education executive –rising to Chief Academic Officer at Front Range Community College –working in academic planning, student development and adult continuing education.
He founded with Ding Wen Hsu and Howie Solow the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival in 2001.
John Chin | Executive Director Adams County School District 14 Education Foundation 5291 East 60th Avenue, Commerce City CO 80022 303-853-3253 (Office) | 303 809-0766 (Cell) jchin@adams14.org