Denver Public Schools recommends school closures amid enrollment woes, outraging parents

Denver Public Schools has recommended closing seven of its 207 schools, prompting outrage from many parents. 

“The proposal is ridiculous. You’re asking the community to completely break apart and pick schools and fend for themselves,” said Diana Kessel, a mom whose children attend one of the schools recommended for closure. “I can’t even guarantee that my two girls will stay together because the other schools that are on the list are at overcapacity.” 

Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero pointed to the district’s declining enrollment as a factor in the decision. 

“This is to address our current status, to make sure that we have a healthy system for the foreseeable future,” he said, noting it would save approximately $30 million and remove about 4,000 vacant seats. 

However, families within the district expressed concerns over the educational quality the changes will bring. The proposed closures include five elementary schools and two secondary schools. 

“Not only do some parents question the data used to determine which schools would be on the chopping block, they also say it doesn’t help improve students’ education simply by moving them to schools with greater enrollment,” writes Gabriela Vidal for CBS News in Colorado. 

Vidal also quoted Sara Nakon, a mom of two girls, as having “tons of emotions” ranging from shock to anger over the recommendations. 

“We do have smaller class sizes. I chose that on purpose. I don’t want my kids in a 36-person class,” she added. 

‘Not a sustainable approach’ 

The school board will vote on the school closure list Nov. 21 after it receives community feedback during a Nov. 18 public comment session. 

“None of us want to close schools, and we recognize how difficult this is as we go forward and consider how we’ll vote,” said Dr. Carrie Olson, the board’s president. 

The district joins a growing list of schools nationwide to consider closures or consolidations. As previously reported by The Lion, budget issues combined with dwindling enrollment are forcing administrators to make increasingly unpopular decisions to accommodate lower revenue with higher costs. 

In one example, San Francisco recently proposed closing a tenth of its public schools. 

“While not unique to San Francisco, declining student enrollment, the expiration of COVID-relief funding, and increased operating costs have contributed to SFUSD’s significant structural deficit,” noted Superintendent Matt Wayne in a statement. “Over the last few years, decisions have been made to minimize the impact on students by relying on our reserves, which are depleting quickly. This is not a sustainable approach to meet the needs of our students.”