BOULDER — The Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) Board of Education met on August 25 with one item on the agenda.

That one topic of discussion was the Resilient Schools Proposal. With declining enrollment for some years and more projected in the future, BVSD is looking to make changes.

The board made no decisions at this meeting. The meeting was planned to hear the proposal developed by staff and for the board to ask questions. 

Superintendent Dr. Rob Anderson spoke first, saying that he is proud of the process they have developed. “We listened first to our community, and in the world of school closures and consolidations unfortunately that is unique.”

Assistant Superintendent of Operational Services Rob Price led the presentation on the proposal. He said, “This is not about failing schools. It is about adjusting our systems to better serve our students.”

Included in this presentation was Board Policy FA/FB, Facilities Goals and Planning. The goal of the BVSD Board is “to provide and maintain the number of facilities needed for the enrollment and type of facilities supportive of the educational program.”

This proposal included only Boulder, Broomfield, Louisville, and Superior non-charter elementary and PK-8 schools. The presentation did not include the mountain schools of Nederland, Jamestown, and Gold Hill. It also did not include schools in Lafayette or Erie, dual language schools, or the future of affected facilities. 

While stating the need for changes, Deputy Superintendent Dr. Nativity Miller said, “If we do not act now, our students will have less support and few opportunities such as: increasing numbers of students in multi-grade classrooms (by necessity), decreasing student access to critical staff, and few enrichment opportunities during and after school.”

Assistant Superintendent of Schools Dr. Neil Anderson said that the goals are always to keep class sizes small, grade level learning, and have dedicated educators beyond the classroom in art, music, and physical education. 

The District had community engagement sessions at locations in Boulder and east, during which there were consistent themes that arose. These were: class sizes and instructional complexity, comprehensive full-time staff (special education and whole child support and staffing stability), equitable funding, walkability and neighborhood schools, and varied school models. 

The Resilient Schools Proposal suggests the following changes:

In Broomfield, Birch and Kohl Elementary are 1.6 miles apart. Combine these schools into the Kohl Elementary building. Kohl Elementary has the capacity to hold the current and projected enrollment. 

In Louisville/Superior, the proposal reconfigures Monarch PK-8 and Eldorado PK-8. Neither building will close. Monarch PK-8 would become a middle school and Eldorado PK-8 would become an elementary school. They would divide the attendance area among Fireside, Superior, and Eldorado Elementary Schools. This would also combine Eldorado and Monarch 6-8 attendance areas. 

In Boulder, this proposal would close Mesa Elementary and merge the school into Bear Creek Elementary School. The Mesa RISE program would move to Bear Creek Elementary. 

Douglass Elementary School would close and the attendance area would be divided among Coal Creek, Eisenhower, and Heatherwood Elementary Schools. 

Flatirons Elementary would be closing and the attendance area would be reassigned to Whittier and Foothills Elementary. The Flatirons RISE program would be moved to Whittier. Bell times would change at these schools to align with those that serve mountain students. 

High Peaks Elementary would move into the former Douglass Elementary School building. 

The Community Montessori building would close and the school would move to the former High Peaks Elementary space on the Aurora 7 campus with Boulder Community Schools of Integrated Studies (BCSIS). 

With this proposal, a total of four school buildings in BVSD would close. Sixteen schools would be impacted one way or another, and six schools would close. 

Administration at BVSD believes this proposal better aligns them for the future with protected enrollment. 

The board asked questions and made comments about open enrollment involving choice schools that might move locations, transportation, and preschool locations. These questions will be answered when the proposal is approved or denied and more decisions are made. 

If approved, the district does have plans to support families and staff during the transition. 

During the September 8 board meeting the community may provide input regarding the changes during the public comment period.  

The community will also have the opportunity to provide input during the public comment period at the September 22 board meeting At this meeting the board will decide whether to adopt the Resilient Schools Proposal. 

If the board approves this proposal, changes would take effect starting with the 2027-2028 school year. 

For more information on the Resilient Schools Proposal, go to the BVSD website at bvsd.org/current-topics/declining-enrollment.