DPS board may require 3-year pause between rounds of Denver school closures

Denver Public Schools’ Board of Education is considering requiring a pause of at least three years between rounds of school closures, reflecting members’ reluctance to shutter classrooms amid falling K-12 public school enrollment.

Under current policy, if Superintendent Alex Marrero plans to recommend schools be closed, he must do so each August and the board has to vote on whether to approve his proposal by November of that same year.

But under a proposed amendment to that policy, the superintendent would need to wait at least three years before presenting another round of closures. However, Marrero could propose additional closures if faced with a significant change in enrollment or funding, or an emergency, according to the latest draft of the policy change.

If enacted, Marrero wouldn’t be able to seek additional school closures outside of those exceptions until the 2028-29 academic year, since DPS is closing schools this spring.

The school board voted the amendment into second reading without discussion during a meeting Monday, a needed step before members can finalize the change to their school closure policy.

The policy change comes five months after the seven-member board voted to close or restructure 10 schools at the end of the current academic year, a move that is aimed at preventing a potential financial crisis as DPS enrollment falls.

The school board is also considering a policy that, if approved, would direct Marrero to potentially change school boundaries in response to the city’s shifting demographic and housing trends.

Board members have historically been reluctant to close schools despite enrollment falling since 2019 as Denverites have fewer babies and high housing costs push families out of the city.

Public school enrollment is falling across Colorado, and other districts, including Jeffco Public Schools and the Douglas County School District, have either closed schools or are weighing such decisions.

DPS, the state’s largest district, saw enrollment jump in recent years because of the arrival of more than 4,700 immigrant students. But at 90,450 pupils, enrollment remains below the peak of 92,112 students five years ago.

The board rejected Marrero’s recommendation to close 10 elementary and middle schools in 2022 before eventually agreeing to shutter three schools in 2023.

But board members were resigned to the fact that they needed to close schools when the superintendent presented his most recent consolidation plans last year and voted unanimously to do so.

Under that plan, DPS will close five elementary schools: Castro, Columbian, Palmer, Schmitt and the International Academy of Denver at Harrington. The district will also close two secondary schools: West Middle School and the Denver School of Innovation and Sustainable Design.

DPS will additionally restructure three schools — DCIS Baker 6-12, Dora Moore ECE-8 School and Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy — so that they serve fewer grades.

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