Poudre School District inches closer to closing some Northern Colorado schools, and "parents are freaking out"
The Poudre School District is seeking feedback from the community as it plans to close schools in the Fort Collins area due to rapidly declining enrollment. PSD initially announced the plans to consolidate or close some schools in 2023, but that announcement was met with backlash and protests from the community. The district later asked several dozen volunteers from the community to create a commission that would be in charge of proposing consolidation and closure ideas to the school board in 2024.
That group of volunteers has completed their initial survey, and the district has released the list of options the volunteers landed on. Now, the district is asking the community to provide feedback on the list of options before May 19.
"Parents are freaking out," said Emily Kent, a parent in southeastern Fort Collins.
Kent doesn't have children in the school district right now but will next school year. Kent, who attended Linton Elementary School as a child, said she intentionally moved her family to the same community with the plan of her kids attending that very school.
Linton was not initially listed in the schools facing closure in the list released in 2023. Because of that, families in that neighborhood felt their school was safe from the changes. So that is why many felt completely caught off guard by the district's recent announcement that has Linton being closed on nearly all of the options the public can comment on.
"Everyone is shocked. We feel blindsided," Kent told CBS News Colorado's Dillon Thomas. "We wouldn't have bought our house here if this neighborhood school wasn't available to us."
Kent said Linton, which is a Title I school, is beloved in the community for being diverse and easily accessible by foot. Kent said nearly 90% of students at the school walk to class each day. She said she fears students would be placed in dangerous situations while trying to commute to other schools if Linton is closed.
"This is not an easy thing. This is not something anyone wants to do. It is something that is a financial reality that as enrollment goes down, funding goes down," said Emily Shockley, spokesperson for PSD.
The district is planning listening sessions for June 4. Community members can sign up for the sessions online.
Shockley said the district will be hosting sessions where school board members will be in individual rooms at Rocky Mountain High School to listen to the community's input.
When asked what parents should do, given they only have until May 19 to weigh in on the committee's proposals, Shockley said it was important for them to vocalize their concerns to the volunteer committee before they present their conclusions to the school board.
"(Parents) should absolutely take that questionnaire. That is the best way to get a response to the committee to look at while they are shaping those final scenarios to the board," Shockley said.
It is expected that the PSD board will make a final decision on which schools to close or consolidate by June 11.
Kent said she feels other schools had months to prepare for their arguments, while Linton was left to scramble during the 11th hour.
"The other schools and those families have had a long time to rally, to cry, to write their senators. We feel really stuck," Kent said.
