The Denver school board has adopted a school closure policy

The Denver Board of Education voted unanimously Thursday night to adopt a school consolidation and closure policy, allowing Superintendent Alex Marrero to again recommend school closures to combat declining enrollment.

Denver Public Schools, the state’s largest district, plans to have 6,338 fewer children enrolled in its schools over the next five years and to reach 69,819 students in elementary and middle schools in the 2028-2029 academic year, according to a DPS presentation. officials told the school board earlier this week.

On Thursday, Marrero described the potential school closures as “rightsizing” the school district.

School board policy outlines guidelines for Marrero to follow if he proposes another round of school closures. The previous school board was reluctant to close schools when Marrero first suggested closing 10 schools nearly two years ago, but ultimately voted to close three schools in 2023 due to low student enrollment.

Under this policy, schools of all sizes are eligible for consolidation or closure – not just those with low enrollment.

Marrero must also propose a school closure schedule at the board’s August meeting ahead of the academic year, and the superintendent must also present the schools recommended for closure to the board at a public meeting by October. The policy is that the school board will take action on the recommendations by November.

DPS is not alone in facing a declining school enrollment crisis — across the U.S., fewer children are attending public schools as Americans have fewer children. The crisis is creating potential financial hardships for Colorado school districts, which saw enrollment hit a decade-long low last fall as fewer children in classrooms means less state funding.

DPS schools have also suffered from gentrification as high housing prices and the type of housing being built has changed the city’s demographics, as fewer school-age children lived in apartments in the past compared to single-family buildings.

Changes in the city’s demographics are evident in Denver schools, where the district serves fewer Latino students. A presentation provided by the district earlier this week shows that approximately 52% of the district’s enrollment is Latino, down from 57% of students in 2014.

Movimiento Poder, an organization best known for advocating for an end to the over-policing of DPS students, sent a letter to the school board urging its members to vote against the school closure policy and commit to not closing any schools.