Latest enrollment data confirms need for holistic action

OVERVIEW

• The third Annual Enrollment Trend report provides enrollment projections for each school. Aligning with overall district enrollment projections, most elementary schools will continue to decline over the next 5 years. 
• By 2030, BVSD is projected to have 14 elementary schools at two classes per grade level or below, with two schools projected to be just above two classes per grade level. Of those schools, seven are projected to be at 1.5 classes per grade level or below. 
• Due to the number and districtwide distribution of elementary schools with enrollment projected to dip below two classes per grade, BVSD will be looking at regional options for reshaping the district’s portfolio of schools.
• District leadership and Board members have been holding teacher roundtables at elementary schools to hear from educators about the impacts of enrollment decline and what needs to be protected as BVSD considers how to reshape its portfolio of school buildings. 

Aligning with the overall district enrollment projections, school specific projections show enrollment dropping in most elementary schools over the next five years, according to the Annual Enrollment Trend report which was presented to the Board in February.  

By 2030, BVSD is projected to have 14 elementary schools at two classes per grade level or below, with two schools projected to be just above two classes per grade level. Of those schools, seven are projected to be at 1.5 classes per grade level or below. As enrollment drops, resources also dwindle, impacting staffing and our ability to provide robust learning opportunities and student supports. 

School enrollment data support the need for broader, regional planning

The annual trend report was recommended by the Long Range Advisory Committee (LRAC) as a way to update the Board and the BVSD community on the status of enrollment in individual schools. Tracking the classes per grade and percent of building utilization at each school has provided an overall picture of how declining enrollment and the associated reduction in resources is impacting student learning experiences and operational efficiency across the district. 

WATCH: Feb. 10 Board Meeting | Annual Trend Report

LRAC co-chair Jeff Anderson told the Board this framework has served as an “early warning system for the district,” and two years ago identified Heatherwood Elementary as a school that could benefit from additional support from the district to boost enrollment. A community engagement process at the school led to the adoption of an environmental STEAM program there, which launched this year. 

Several Board members commented that the data show more schools across the district trending toward concerning levels. 

“We’ve moved on to understanding that a holistic approach or regional approach is really where we need to be,” Anderson said. 

Last year, the Board asked staff to begin to look at specific actions it could take to reshape BVSD’s portfolio of schools, including introducing, expanding or relocating focus schools; reconfiguring grade levels among buildings; consolidation; or closure. 

“We are now in a more urgent situation,” Board member Alex Medler commented. “Not taking action undermines our finances which undermines our ability to solve problems.”

Community engagement begins with educators

BVSD has begun the work of planning for systemwide adjustments by launching a community engagement process which has started with conversations with educators at elementary school buildings. Because educators are central to the student experience, BVSD began by meeting with elementary principals and teachers to better understand the challenges they are experiencing and the conditions students need to thrive.

“In talking to teachers, my takeaway continues to be that all our schools are really special places and our staff love their schools and their students, and they love what they do,” Board President Nicole Rajpal commented.  

These initial sessions will be followed in March through May by regional engagement sessions in Boulder, Louisville/Superior, and Broomfield. Details for these sessions are still being developed and will be shared in the next month.