Shrinking Schools
News about small schools and school closures in Colorado related to declining student enrollment.
Schools with many more seats than students that are located in regions of the city with declining enrollment will be considered, officials said.
Denver no tiene suficientes estudiantes para llenar sus edificios, dijeron los representantes del distrito escolar.
Some parents questioned the district’s timeline and community engagement efforts.
The superintendent is expected to make school closure recommendations on Nov. 7 and the school board is set to vote on them Nov. 21.
The change likely leaves less time for district officials to meet with students and families at schools recommended for closure.
Los estudiantes que califican para obtener comidas escolares subsidiadas, un indicador de pobreza, también tienen mayor probabilidad de asistir a escuelas con menos estudiantes inscritos.
The policy says the superintendent should recommend schools identified for closure or consolidation by October, and the board should vote “no later than November.”
The board is expected to vote on the policy later this month.
That’s according to a new report released as the Denver school board debates a new school closure policy.
“At some point, all of us as board members are highly conscious of the fact that we’re going to have to close schools, we’re going to have to consolidate schools,” one board member said.
Outdated zone lines aren't equitable and are limiting the school’s enrollment and course offerings, students say.
Not everything has been smooth, but staff and parents say the good outweighs the hard.
Jefferson Academy, a local charter school, fell short of its enrollment goal to open.
Denver Public Schools, however, saw a slight increase in its official student count from October.
The new charter school, which will be part of the Jefferson Academy network, will operate a preschool through eighth grade program with before- and after-school care.
Figures provided to Chalkbeat break down the amount spent per school.
The district will now consider whether to let a new charter operate in the building that’s currently home to one of the schools.
The increase will bring more state funding for the district, but it may be temporary.
One proposal would spell out rules and a timeline for closing schools due to declining enrollment. Another would cap elementary school enrollment at 600 students.