Community Engagement Update: Community feedback prioritizes small class sizes and full-time staff

Overview

• Extensive community engagement identified community values and priorities.
• Teachers, parents and community members value manageable class sizes, and full-time staff positions to meet complex student needs and provide experiences that support the whole child.
• Board members support larger changes to direct resources to create sustainable school enrollments and provide full student experiences. 

Teachers, parents and community members alike identified manageable class sizes and full-time staff positions, particularly for Special Education, specials (art, music and PE) and to support classroom teachers, as what they would like to see prioritized as BVSD plans to make school adjustments in response to declining enrollment, according to information presented to the Board of Education on June 9. 

WATCH: Board discusses community engagement feedback | June 9, 2026

GET THE DETAILS: Review the worksession slide deck

This feedback came from a robust community engagement effort over the past several months that included roundtable discussions with teachers and staff at schools, regional community engagement sessions, and a districtwide digital survey. Overall, BVSD received over 6,000 responses through the various channels. 

Board members commented on how the engagement sessions helped the community understand the issues of declining enrollment and the challenges the district is facing with how to respond. 

“We've had so much outreach. And I can say that everybody I've talked to, whether it's the community engagement sessions, the bilingual sessions, the Spanish sessions, the teachers, everybody I talked to came away more informed, heard and listened to and were part of the conversation,” Board member Jorge Garcia commented. 

“From the conversations I’ve had in the community, the depth of their thinking really shows,” Board member Alex Medler noted. “There is a consideration of the issues that you hear the community wrestling with.”

Teachers need support to provide the best experiences for students

Through the various feedback channels, parents and staff conveyed that student needs have become more widespread and complex since the pandemic, necessitating more full time staff and manageable class sizes. 

“Teachers need a consistent daily support team to meet increasing student needs, and relying on shared or part time roles compromises the continuity of the student experience,” Executive Director of Assessment and Evaluation Dr. Jessica Alzen summarized for the Board. 

Parents and teachers also expressed concern for the high demand being placed on teachers to meet increasingly complex student needs, and that it is not sustainable. 

“Part time support, counseling resources, gifted and talented, specials et cetera does not work. Working as a classroom teacher without a team is not sustainable,” one teacher mentioned at a roundtable session. 

Dr. Anderson explained to the Board that although a specific class size was not discussed, the feedback indicated that current thresholds are not working. 

Other themes that emerged from the feedback included the need for differentiated funding to ensure resources follow student needs, alongside a desire to cut from administration before the classroom. Walkability and neighborhood schools were also core values, as well as maintaining a variety of school models. 

The Board has identified several different types of adjustments that could be made, including introducing, expanding or relocating focus programs; reconfiguring grades between a pair of schools; consolidating two schools into one building and closing one or more schools and redistributing students. Of the potential options, consolidating schools had the strongest support from respondents (64 percent), as it is viewed as a sustainable, long-term solution.  

“We do not have evidence that our community is fighting for the status quo,” Superintendent Dr. Rob Anderson noted. “We didn't hear, “Do nothing”.”

To provide opportunities for all families and staff to share their perspectives, the community engagement sessions were intentionally held in locations across the district where declining enrollment is an issue, including one session that was held in Spanish. The data showed some differences by location, including specific, but divided, feedback about reconfiguring K-8s in Louisville and Superior, and advocacy for redrawing boundaries in Broomfield. Spanish-speaking families prioritized cultural preservation and bilingual education; along with noting that transportation could be a barrier to access and that the disruption of closures could cause students to develop negative attitudes about school. 

Board looking for bigger moves to yield sustainable enrollments and meet community priorities

Board members noted that among all of the priorities identified through the engagement process, there are going to be trade offs with the moves the board eventually approves. 

“We would like to solve all the problems, but we are not going to be able to solve all the problems, and trade offs will be necessary,” Lalenia Quinlan Aweida commented. 

Board members commented that they understand the changes will be hard for the community, and also that they support larger moves that could lead to more sustainable conditions. They also noted that larger moves could generate more available resources to direct toward the priorities identified through the engagement process. 

“If you want to do more about class size, if you want to do more about differentiated instruction and teacher collaboration, then we need to do more on consolidation or restructuring,” Alex Medler commented. 

“Now is the time to be forward thinking, and to look at meaningful change—because small measures aren't suitable anymore,” Board member Jorge Garcia, noted. 

“The more we can do today, the better the educational experiences we can provide for our students more quickly,” Board President Nicole Rajpal added. 

Over the summer, staff will develop a proposal to present to the Board on Aug. 25. The Board will have the month of September to study the proposal and take final action. 

Learn more on the Resilient Schools website.