Northern Colorado school district board to vote on school closures; mountain families raise concerns about commute

The Poudre School District Board of Education is expected to vote Tuesday on a proposal to close nine schools and consolidate two others. The fate of three mountain schools are drawing particular concern from families, who say longer bus rides could make public education less accessible for their children.

Livermore, Stove Prairie and Red Feather Lakes elementary schools are among those proposed for closure. The schools serve mountain communities roughly 30 minutes to an hour from Fort Collins, where some students could face lengthy bus rides if their local schools close.

The district is considering an alternative that would keep Livermore Elementary open and consolidate Red Feather Lakes Elementary into Livermore, addressing concerns about 60-minute bus rides to Cache La Poudre Elementary and preserving a school presence in the mountain communities.

A preliminary feasibility analysis found the proposal could reduce the maximum student bus ride from 61 minutes to 41 minutes, while reducing the number of transportation routes by one or two.

Under the proposal, the average bus ride from Red Feather Lakes to Livermore would be about 32 minutes, while students attending Livermore would average 16 minutes. The districtwide average bus ride is between 20 and 40 minutes.

The analysis also found that a staffing plan combining Livermore and Red Feather Lakes elementary schools could feasibly cut per-pupil expenses by half.

For parents, the uncertainty surrounding the proposal has made an already difficult process even more concerning.

"It's been an incredibly stressful month. It's been really difficult," said Sarah Scholz, a parent of two students at Stove Prairie.

Jenna Luna, who also has two children attending Stove Prairie, said the possibility of losing their school came as a surprise.

"It's been super chaotic. We were completely blindsided by this," Luna said. "No, we did not see this coming."

Luna said she moved to her current home to give her children a rural, outdoor upbringing while maintaining access to public education. If the school closes and her children must travel into Fort Collins each day, she said her family might no longer be able to stay, and would move somewhere closer to family outside of Colorado.

"We would end up moving out of state because, at that point, it becomes inaccessible to us, and I'm not going to have my children bear the burden of that," Luna said.

Luna also said the proposed closures have left her feeling that mountain families are not being considered fairly.

"They're saying that we're basically a burden to PSD," Luna said.

Scholz said the longer commutes could pose additional challenges for her son, who has special needs.

"He is deaf, and so I think this would hit him a little bit differently. The longer bus rides would really be challenging, I think, for him," Scholz said.

The possibility of keeping Livermore open would address some of the transportation concerns, but families remain worried about the future of mountain schools and the communities they serve.

Despite their concerns, both parents said they recognize the district is facing financial pressures, and that changes may be necessary.

"We completely understand that there's financial restrictions that are going on," Luna said.

But they hope district leaders will consider the unique circumstances of mountain communities, where families already live farther from schools and have fewer nearby alternatives.

"My children do not want their school to close," Scholz said.

Luna said she believes the potential impact on mountain families warrants special consideration.

"This is not fair, and it is not equitable to any of the children in our mountain communities," she said.

The board is expected to consider the proposed closures Tuesday night. Its decision will determine whether the district moves forward with the proposed closures and whether the alternative plan for Livermore and Red Feather Lakes is adopted.

CBS Colorado reached out to the Poudre School District Board of Education for comment but had not received a response at the time of publication.