In Brighton, booming enrollment could lead to year-round school

During the last decade, Adams County School District 27J’s enrollment has doubled. And there is no sign of a slow down, according to district officials.

The district in Brighton, about 30 minutes north of Denver, is out of room and is considering asking voters this November to raise taxes to finance new school construction.

If that bond issue does not pass, however, a third party is recommending 27J move to a year-round calendar to manage overflowing classrooms.

“There is no foreseeable end to this district’s enrollment growth. We may surpass 17,000 students during the 2014-15 school year and we will be a district of more than 20,000 students in the near future,” said 27J Superintendent Chris Fiedler in a media release. “We have worked to squeeze everything we can out of our budget, but we have simply run out of options. The state offers us no help for our crowding issues. If we cannot raise additional revenue for the new students, we will see longer school days and year-round schedules. That’s why we are reaching out to the community for answers.”

The new report, released earlier this month by Western Demographics Inc., recommends:

  • Elementary schools should adopt a year-round calendar in 2016.
  • Middle and high schools should extend their day by two or three periods in 2016.
  • The district should use more modular classrooms at the middle school level.

The Western Demographics report also recommend the district start preparing now. Factors district leaders will need to consider are budget and operational changes, a renegotiated teacher contract, transportation and food services.

The firm also said the district should return to a traditional schedule if and when more permanent space is made available.

According to the U.S. Census, 31 percent of all Brighton residents are under the age 18. That’s a higher percentage of school-aged children than Denver, Aurora, and Jefferson County. About one-third of all children in Brighton are under the age of 6.