Parents push back as Boulder Valley School District proposes school closures: "We were completely shocked"

The Boulder Valley School District is proposing a sweeping round of school closures and consolidations next year as it works to address declining enrollment and better align its resources with the number of students in its schools.

The proposal would close schools in Broomfield, Boulder, Louisville, and Superior, while also moving some programs and grades between campuses.

In Broomfield, the district is proposing to close Birch Elementary School and merge its students with Kohl Elementary School.

In Boulder, the proposal would:

• Close Douglass Elementary School
• Close the Community Montessori building and move the program to the current High Peaks location
• Move High Peaks to the Douglass building
• Close Mesa Elementary School and merge it with Bear Creek Elementary School
• Close Flatirons Elementary School and divide its attendance area between other schools

In the Louisville and Superior area, BVSD is proposing to close Monarch Elementary School and Eldorado K-8 School, while changing how the campuses are used. Monarch would become a middle school, while Eldorado would become a K-5 elementary school.

For parents whose children attend the schools targeted for closure, the proposal comes with uncertainty about where their children will go next year.

"There's no emotion like having something that you know is good for your kid change in a way that you feel out of control," said JC Longbottom, whose son attends Flatirons Elementary.

Flatirons is among the schools proposed for closure next year. Longbottom wants the district to reconsider, adding that the timing of the proposal was especially difficult because he was already working with the school's Accountability Committee to plan for the future.

"We were getting approvals for things like new curtains for our theater and auditorium. At the same time, this [consolidation] planning was happening," Longbottom said.

Last month, Superintendent Rob Anderson explained how months of research and community meetings led district leaders to recommend consolidation.

"By having fewer schools and more students per school, we can better fully staff those schools with the resources we have, so kids can get what they need," Anderson said.

Longbottom says he's unsure if those additional resources will outweigh how the disruption of changing schools could impact his kids.

"I'm sad. Our son rushed to the first day of school. He loved it. He was beaming. He was happy when he came home, and then days later, we get the news that his school is closing," he said.

When the proposal was presented, the board also acknowledged that more changes could be needed in the future as the district expects enrollment to continue to decline.

CBS Colorado Your Boulder County Reporter Sarah Horbacewicz asked Anderson last month, "In a few years, could we be back at the table discussing similar proposals?" 

"It's hard to speculate what's going to happen in a few years. I think our focus and our efforts are to make sure that the proposals that we've presented to the board, we implement them with care, and with the appropriate supports," Anderson answered.

That uncertainty is a major concern for Erin Pommer, whose children attend Douglass Elementary, another school proposed to close. Pommer said she was "shocked" when she found out about the proposal, as Douglass was not previously listed as a school with low enough enrollment to qualify on the district's scale as in danger of closure. However, BVSD says the district publicly changed strategies last year to look at all consolidation options and wanted to prioritize students who lived near their schools as well as consider vacancy rates.

With the expected change for her children, Pommer is now considering open enrollment options for next year.

"One of my big concerns is, what if we pick wrong and we pick a school that is going to close in a few years? My daughter is going to be in third grade, and there isn't quite a guarantee out of this proposal that she won't be affected again even before middle school," Pommer said.

The district's proposal is expected to draw significant public comment. Parents and community members will have the opportunity to address the school board at a meeting Tuesday at Monarch High School. The school board declined to comment at this time.

"We support addressing declining enrollment, but what we would like to see is a more comprehensive proposal," Pommer said.

The district still plans to evaluate potential changes involving preschools, dual-language programs, and the impact of the proposal on staff. The board is scheduled to vote on the proposal at the end of the month.