DENVER — The Denver Public Schools Board of Education voted Thursday night to close or consolidate 10 of the district's schools in response to declining enrollment.
"This is an incredibly difficult decision," said Michelle Quattlebaum, DPS School Board District 4.
"We're looking at a situation that there isn't a right or best answer. I don't take this lightly," said Scott Esserman, a DPS Board member at large.
A resigned, somber school board voted unanimously for the closures. The decision was met with immediate backlash inside the board room.
"Shame on you! Shame on you!", shouted community advocates to the board before being escorted out of the building.
"It's infuriating how quickly, how swiftly and how predetermined this vote was," said Elizabeth Burciaga with Movimiento Poder.
DPS Board President Dr. Carrie Olson said she knew the declining enrollment had been bad for years, but she said she didn't make up her mind right away on the closures knowing the impact this would have. The past two weeks, Olson and the board members met with community members, parents and teachers pleading to save their schools.
"I don't even know if I have words to describe how hard it has been on all of us," Olson said. "And our pain is nothing compared to what I know the students and the families of the schools that have just been voted to close or redesigned are experiencing."
Olson said to not act on a problem they know will only grow simply wouldn't be fair to students. Some of the affected schools had low enrollment with only 30% of the building in use. The Denver School of Innovation and Sustainable Design reported just 60 students were enrolled and were using just 16% of the building.
"It's not fair to our students, our staff, our families to allow a school to continue when they don't have the funding," Olson said.
The board's vote effectively approves Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero's plan to close seven schools and consolidate three others. Five elementary schools will close: Columbian, Castro, Schmitt, International Academy of Denver at Harrington, and Palmer. Two secondary schools will close: West Middle and Denver School of Innovation and Sustainable Design. Three schools will be restructured: Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy, Dora Moore and DCIS Baker.
Many of those working at closing schools are guaranteed jobs within the district. But not every teacher and staff member will have that promise.
Board members Thursday night pushed the superintendent to change that.
"You heard a lot of us talk tonight about our commitment to not just teachers but our special service providers, our paraprofessionals, community liaisons, everyone who makes the school go round, our principals," Olson said. "You have to take care of our people."
Board members Thursday also told the superintendent they want to see extra resources for LGBTQ, neurodiverse and bilingual students impacted by the plan.
Now, the work will begin helping families find a new school. And they'll have options.
The DPS School Choice team will work with impacted families to help them get enrolled for the 2025-2026 school year. Those students will be provided with priority status during the SchoolChoice process that begins in January.
According to Dr. Marrero, impacted families will get priority to "choice-in" to any school in the district with openings.
Olson believes these next steps will be tough, traumatic even for families but in the end, the right move for DPS.
"Time will tell if this is the right decision for the future but we have given it our all and we have made the best decision, I think, given everything that we have and I believe it's the right one," Olson said.
Work will begin immediately to put the plan to close schools and restructure others into motion.
Schools will close their doors in June 2025.
DPS plans to retain the buildings for community use. Soon, community meetings will be held to determine how the buildings will be used.