DENVER — Denver Public Schools is discussing possible future school closures, after five years of declining enrollment. DPS is expecting 6,000 fewer students by 2028, which is an 8 percent decrease.
The district is now working on plans to close and consolidate several schools. The school board is holding several virtual community meetings to answer questions and garner public feedback on closure plans.
"We're really interested in doing this with as much care and transparency as we can," said Dr. Carrie Olson, the DPS board president.
The board is tasked with creating guidelines for the the superintendent to adhere to when planning potential closures. Through an Executive Limitation, titled EL 18, the board can limit which factors the superintendent can consider.
Board member Scott Esserman said some of the limits they plan to implement include not allowing standardized test scores to be considered, not factoring in school sizes or performance ratings.
"Our previous resolution directed the superintendent, but left him with some flexibility," said Esserman. "That meant that the outcome wasn't one that represented some of the things that we as a board believe are important.”
Esserman said the proposed guardrails can give all schools a fighting chance.
DPS hosted virtual meetings on Thursday and have more planned throughout the week. Additionally, they asked families to fill out a survey.
The board must submit their EL 18 policy by June 30th.
