DENVER — For the past several weeks, Denver Public Schools has been talking about the potential to close and consolidate schools, but hasn't released a list of what schools could be up for consideration.
The district said changes are needed due to declining enrollment. The superintendent will put out a list of proposed consolidations and closures on Nov. 7.
The unknown is weighing heavily on Parker Elementary parent Diana Kessel.
"That’s what's really hard and stressful, and we’re left in the dark," Kessel said. "We keep asking DPS for transparency and trust and we get none of that. Instead, we get this mysterious dark list that’s so secretive with no real criteria. Are you using performance, enrollment size, geography?"
Kessel said if the district goes solely off enrollment numbers to make its decision, she worries Palmer might be up for cuts.
"We might be small, but we are very mighty and successful," Kessel said. "My kids are thriving. My kids have access to after school enrichment, S.T.E.A.M, art, P.E, music, before and after school. And our school has gotten the governor's distinguished award now, two years in a row, so that must mean we’re doing something right."
Kessel said one of her students started school during the pandemic, and that came with its own unique stressors. Now, she's preparing her child for another stress of having to change schools.
"I think that change is scary for them," Kessel said. "I think that the remote learning, social distancing, 'can I touch my friends?' creates a lot of anxiety for them, and I think the thought of moving them to a different school makes it worse."
Kessel said she doesn't believe declining enrollment is the reason to close or consolidate schools.
"I really think the bigger problem is something more fundamental and gets down to the deeper root in funding," Kessel said. "The way funding is done is what really needs to change, and not declining enrollment."
Fellow Palmer parent Erin Engstrom also thinks there are other ways to avoid closing schools.
"One thing I think is getting lost in the conversation is boundaries," Engstrom said.
Engstrom said there are some DPS schools with 30-student classes compared to her daughter's 20-student classes. She said redrawing boundary lines could help make more even class sizes districtwide.
"That seems to me a logical step before we take the action of closing schools," Engstrom said.
Engstrom said she is also in the preparation stages of talking to her daughter about possibly going somewhere else for school.
"I’m frank with her about the fact that this is a real possibility," Engstrom said. "She cries. I get upset too because in a neighborhood like Hale, Palmer is the heart of the community, and when you lose that you lose this amazing sense of neighborhood, this gathering spot for everybody. It's a huge loss."
Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero is set to make a recommendation to the board on schools to close and consolidate Nov. 7. After that, the district said it will meet with families of impacted schools before the board votes Nov. 21.
DPS parent Mandy Nunes Hennessy said she feels like the district hasn't been clear and direct in its process.
"If you've been a DPS parent for some time, there’s been many of these school closures over the years," Nunes Hennessy said. "This one seems incredibly disingenuous that they’d start a school closure engagement process at the beginning of summer make no sense and then they’d start the process again when school started. It’s incredibly disingenuous."
Nunes Hennessy said she believes the district was calculated in its timeline to announce what schools would close after Election Day, when a $975 million bond is on the ballot.
"The list will not be released until Nov. 7," Nunes Hennessy said. "Two days after we’re supposed to vote on a billion-dollar bond for our schools. That seems very political, the timeline of this, and we want DPS to stop playing politics with our schools and communities."
DPS spokesperson Scott Pribble told 9NEWS the recommendation should have been made at the October board meeting, but workflow delays changed that plan.
"When the Board passed EL18 in June, the plan was to work on developing a list over the summer and present it to the Board in October," Pribble said in an email. "Unfortunately, as the team started to work on the process, they discovered that there were some inconsistencies in EL18 that would not allow the work to continue. When the Board returned on August 15, those inconsistencies were addressed and the work restarted. Unfortunately, that pushed the announcement back to November. The timeline for the announcement had nothing to do with the election."
The district has two more meetings families can attend before the recommendation is made:
- Regional Engagement Meeting 5 (Far Northeast): Tuesday, Oct. 15 from 6-7 p.m. at Montbello High School
- Regional Engagement Meeting 6 (Virtual): Tuesday, Oct. 22 from 6-7 p.m. virtually via Zoom