3 p.m. Board of Education Work Session to be broadcast on BV22, livestreamed
BOULDER - Next Tuesday, Aug. 25, Boulder Valley School District leadership will present its proposal for keeping BVSD schools resilient during this time of declining enrollment.
The meeting will begin at 3 p.m. in the Boardroom at the BVSD Education Center.
Resilient Schools Proposal Presentation
When: Tuesday, August 25 at 3 p.m.
Where: BVSD Education Center, 6500 E. Arapahoe Road in Boulder
This is a public meeting and the media is, of course, welcome.
Video and still photography is permitted and we will have the capability for crews to connect to our Boardroom’s audio system. After the meeting we will also be able to share a video recording.
Directly following the meeting, we will facilitate individual media interviews with district leaders.
BV22 Broadcast
The meeting will be broadcast on BVSD’s Education Access station, BV22 (Comcast Channel 22 in BVSD or online at https://bv22.cablecast.tv/ and simulcast on our YouTube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/live/-2H-m5C4IdM?si=-8MuyAtf9eC0YPDU
BACKGROUND
Declining Enrollment in BVSD
Aligning with a trend for school districts across the nation, Boulder Valley School District has experienced declining enrollment since 2018. Despite the district’s best efforts, the latest projections show BVSD will continue to experience significant declining enrollment into the foreseeable future.
In five years, the district is projected to have 1,700 fewer students than it has today, for a total decline of more than 5,000 students since 2017.
In addition to dwindling birth rates and an aging population, the high cost of living in BVSD, coupled with low housing inventory due to people aging in place and more affordable housing opportunities in surrounding districts, further fuel our decline.
When resources dwindle with dropping enrollment at schools, it becomes much harder to offer all students the benefits of collaborative grade level teams; full-time specialists, counselors, and support staff; depth of specials programming and enrichment opportunities; and consistent staffing year to year that deliver the full promise of a BVSD education. Over time, these impacts lead to growing inequities across schools and continued spending on underutilized buildings. These effects are being felt more acutely at the elementary level.
Our Resilient Schools website is the best place to learn more and to stay informed about our next steps. Additionally, the BVSD Declining Enrollment video (also available in Spanish) is a great way for folks to get up to speed on the issue.
BVSD’s Response
Before considering options, we heard from our community. Last Spring we engaged our elementary school leaders, educators, families and residents – knowing that their values, priorities and perspectives were key to our decisionmaking.
This story provides a glimpse into what the community engagement sessions were like.
We heard clearly that our community values smaller class sizes, having fewer multi-grade classes, and having more dedicated educators, beyond classroom teachers, to support students — like math and literacy interventionists and specials teachers
With that in mind, this summer, the BVSD leadership team worked to evaluate options, including school closures, consolidations, reconfigurations and relocations. Analyzing enrollment trends, building capacity, facility conditions and long-term students needs, they weighed the potential consequences and possibilities.
School adjustment options the Board could consider include:
- Introducing or expanding focus programs
- Reconfiguring grades, e.g. K-2 & 3-5 or convert K-8s to elementary and middle schools
- Relocating focus programs
- Consolidating two or more schools into one building (existing or new)
- Closing one or more schools and distributing students to multiple schools
Our Enrollment Options video (also available in Spanish) is a helpful resource to help guide folks through what happens during each of those options .
Next Steps
The Board of Education will be carefully considering the recommendations and hearing from the community during its meetings on Sept. 8 and 22.
It is important to note that any changes approved by the Board of Education on September 22 would not take effect until the beginning with the 2027-28 school year.