Northern Colorado mountain communities concerned proposed school closures could mean long commutes

Parents in Northern Colorado's mountain communities are voicing concern about a recent proposal that would close the Poudre School District's mountain schools, forcing students into a long commute.

Dan Alarcon says he has always wanted to settle down in the village of Red Feather Lakes in the mountains an hour northwest of Fort Collins. He says he loves the community.

"It's a beautiful area," said Alarcon. "I've been coming up here hunting and fishing ever since I was 18 years old. And when it was time to look for a house, I found a beautiful house up here, and I've made this place my home."

Part of that community is the elementary school, which he hopes his son can attend one day.

"The school up here is a great school," said Alarcon.

But his two-year-old may never get that chance because, on Friday, Poudre School District recommended closing three mountain area schools. Red Feather Lakes Elementary is one of them.

"It's pretty sad, really, to affect the welfare of our children," said Alarcon.

Poudre School District is recommending Stove Prairie, Red Feather, and Livermore Elementary Schools close, with students reassigned to Cache la Poudre Elementary School in LaPorte, which is nearly forty miles away from Red Feather Lakes.

District Superintendent Brian Kingsley says the changes stem from declining enrollment.

In a news conference on Friday, he said, "We serve the children that live here. There are just fewer children that reside here, and that is not in our locus of control."

Alarcon, who is an Assistant Chief with Red Feather Lakes Volunteer Fire Department, thinks kids taking an 80-mile round-trip bus ride over mountain roads every day is a bad idea.

"It gets very snow packed in the wintertime when these kids are going to school. And it can be a very dangerous road to commute up and down every day, " said Alarcon.

He says he will do everything he can to make sure his son and the rest of the kids in his community have a closer school to attend.

"We are going to attend those listening sessions that we can, we can go to and voice our opinions because he's not in school right now, but he will [be] soon," said Alarcon.

The school district is holding listening sessions throughout October at the following locations:

• Monday, Oct. 12, Timnath Middle-High School auditorium, 4700 E. Prospect Road, Fort Collins
• Wednesday, Oct. 14, Rocky Mountain High School media center, 1300 W. Swallow Road, Fort Collins
• Thursday, Oct. 15, Poudre High School event center, 201 S. Impala Drive, Fort Collins
• Monday, Oct. 19, Fort Collins High School theater, 3400 Lambkin Way, Fort Collins