Danielle Kreutter is a multimedia journalist for Denver7 KMGH in Denver, Colorado.
BOULDER , Colo. — Boulder Valley School District students and staff head back to the classroom this week, but for some kids, it may be the last school year at their current school.'We were projecting declining enrollment, or enrollment decline, since about 2018, 2019,' Rob Price, assistant superintendent of operational services for Boulder Valley Schools, said of the challenge many school districts across the state are experiencing.
In 2022, the BVSD Board of Education put together the Long Range Advisory Committee to look into possible solutions. The current proposed changes will keep schools open, but change the boundaries of where students can attend school.'The district really hasn't adjusted attendance boundaries in over 40 years, so this is a big move for us,' Price said. 'There's really three changes at the elementary level and attendance boundaries, and then two more at the middle school.'One change would re-assign a section east of Highway 119, west of 63rd St, and north of Independence Road from the Crest View Elementary boundary to the Heatherwood Elementary boundary, as seen below:That change would also make the new Heatherwood Elementary section feed into Nevin Platt Middle School, instead of Centennial Middle School, as seen below:Another change would have the Whittier boundary absorb a so-called bubble boundary that exists inside Whittier, but is currently assigned to the Creekside boundary. Whittier students would feed into Casey Middle School and continue to Boulder High School, as seen below:Another change would convert the Bear Creek/ Creekside dual attendance area west of Broadway and north of Table Mesa to a Bear Creek boundary only, as seen below:The final change being considered would include all of the Whittier Elementary boundary as a feeder for Casey Middle School, and have the Creekside Elementary boundary feed into Manhattan Middle School. Both would continue to feed into Boulder High School, as seen below:'Our board feels like it's really important that this is where students grow up, that they go to school through different feeders with the neighborhood school,' Price said of streamlining feeder school options for elementary school students. 'So they go from elementary to middle to high school, right? When we're looking at that right now, we have certain elementary schools that can feed into three different middle schools, so we're not meeting that need that the board has set for us.'The proposed changes would impact around 150 students. The district said it realizes some parents will want their students to stay at their current school. In those cases, the families can re-enroll for School Choice and will be able to stay if there is space and resources to accommodate the student.'As we're thinking about this, the board wrote in their policy that we review these every five years. So this will be a five-year cycle that we're looking at as we move forward,' Price said. 'These aren't decisions that are necessarily in place for 20 years, 30 years. We're going to be looking at these decisions every five years and reassessing the decisions.'Nothing is set in stone yet. The district said it reached out to families that would be impacted by these proposed changes over the summer and is in the process of compiling their feedback.Public comment is encouraged at the BVSD board meetings throughout August and September. The board is expected to make its final decision at its second September meeting.If the board chooses to implement those attendance boundary changes, they will take effect in the 2026-2027 school year.
Back To School Boulder Boulder Valley School District Boulder Valley Schools Bvsd Enrollment Low Enrollment School Enrollment
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
New school year, new rules at Tanque Verde Unified School District schoolsJacqueline Aguilar joined KGUN 9 as a multimedia journalist in February of 2024.
Read more »
School district facing legal action over alleged nude photos incident at Calabasas High SchoolThe Las Virgenes Unified School District faces legal action after a student allegedly took nude photos of a classmate, manipulated them and sent them out to their school.
Read more »
San Jose school district fires superintendent hired just last year, weeks before 1st day of school2 weeks ago, Superintendent German Cerda posted videos about getting ready for the first day of school. Now, he is out of the job
Read more »
Edmonds School District foundation hits fundraising goal to save school music programsStudents, parents, and community members in Edmonds have come together to save music programs at several Edmonds middle and high schools.
Read more »
Columbus Charter School Partners with Private Bus Company After Transportation Disputes with School DistrictUnited Schools in Columbus, Ohio, has partnered with a private bus company to transport its 900 students after facing challenges with Columbus City Schools' transportation policy last year. This move comes in response to CCS deeming it 'impractical' to transport students from private and charter schools, a decision that was met with criticism from charter school leaders and parents.
Read more »
Oakland school district hires first-ever school safety executive directorThe Oakland Unified School District hired its first-ever executive director of school safety just ahead of the new school year.
Read more »