DENVER — Denver Public Schools (DPS) is closing some of its schools on Thursday due to an anticipated staff shortage amid a day of action scheduled by the Colorado educators union.
The Colorado Education Association is leading the No More Education Cuts statewide day of action on March 20. Educators from across Colorado are expected to attend a rally at the State Capitol to protest anticipated funding cuts.
In a letter to parents and guardians Tuesday, DPS said it has been monitoring staff absence requests for March 20 to see which schools can remain open and which schools would be forced to close due to a lack of staff. The school district said it "[supports] fully funded education" but wished the rally "didn't have a direct impact on students' education."
"Our goal is to do everything that we can do to keep our schools open so that our students do not lose a day of important instruction due to this event," DPS said.
Instead of listing the schools that will be closed, the school district listed 30 DPS-managed schools and 55 charter schools/"innovation zones" that will remain open on Thursday.
- You can view the list of schools that will remain open below
Parents and guardians can also expect an email from their student's school leader detailing any classroom-specific impacts. DPS said it will bring in guest teachers and qualified staff from its central office to keep some schools open.
Staff members at schools that are closed will have a non-student contact day and are expected to report to work as usual, according to DPS.
Breakfast and lunch will be available at all schools at their regularly scheduled times on Thursday. All DPS schools will be open on Friday, according to the district.
DPS is not the only Colorado school district to cancel classes for Thursday. Boulder Valley School District and Adams 12 Five Star Schools have also preemptively canceled school for Thursday.
- Watch our previous coverage below
Colorado faces a $1 billion budget shortfall, forcing lawmakers to cut spending.
Governor Jared Polis proposed using a single-year student count to determine per-pupil funding for a school district. The current method uses a 5-year average of student enrollment, intended to smooth over any sudden declines or increases in enrollment.
Polis has said the new method will help the state fund an accurate amount of students instead of empty seats. However, educators worry a formula change could hurt schools that are already severely underfunded.
Education leaders predicted that the education algorithm change would cut $150 million in funding. However, a spokesperson for Polis previously told Denver7, "the Governor’s budget actually increases education funding by $138 million in a rough budget year and average per-pupil spending by an additional $388."
Politics
Polis, lawmakers negotiating alternative school funding plan after backlash
Following backlash by education leaders, Colorado House Speaker Julie McCluskie drafted a proposal that creates a more gradual transition to a single-year student count and would cut $50 million instead of $150 million from school funding. According to McCluskie, all 178 Colorado school districts will either receive new money or maintain current funding levels under the new proposal.
"I'm really excited that we may have found a path forward now that is inclusive and honors the spirit of the deal we made last year in protecting those investments," McCluskie said. "Again, schools this year, with my proposal, will get what they received this year in funding or more, just not as much more as we'd hoped to be able to deliver for 25-26 [school year]."
Polis's office released a statement on the proposal, saying in part, "His responsible budget proposal aims to fund students based on where they are learning, not through an arbitrary multi-year average. The House Speaker and Governor’s offices are engaged in conversations with districts to identify a path forward that addresses some concerns of districts while also moving away from the fundamental inaccuracy of Colorado’s current averaging, and negotiations are ongoing .”
Denver7's Jaclyn Allen contributed to this report.
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