Resolution 26-27 A Resolution Adopting the Resilient Schools Proposal 9.2026.pdf (127 KB)

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RESOLUTION NO. 26-27 A RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE RESILIENT SCHOOLS PROPOSAL DRAFT WHEREAS, the mission of the Boulder Valley School District (“BVSD” or “School District”) is to create challenging, meaningful and engaging learning opportunities so that all children thrive and are prepared for successful, civically engaged lives. WHEREAS, the BVSD Board of Education (“Board”) is authorized by C.R.S. § 22-32-110(1)(l) to determine which schools of the School District shall be operated and maintained and by C.R.S. § 22-32-110(1)(m) to set the attendance boundaries of each school in the district. WHEREAS, Board Policy FA/FB states that it is the goal of the Board to provide and maintain the number of facilities needed to support enrollment and educational programs and to plan facilities that will: 1. Prioritize sustainability, integrate energy efficiency, and will be conducive to optimal teaching, learning, and working. 2. Be appropriately located to provide optimal use during the life of the facility. 3. Provide equitable instructional opportunities for all students. 4. Reflect the value placed on instruction by the School District community. 5. Ensure that the planning process clearly identifies facility requirements with enough lead time to plan, fund, build, or renovate facilities to meet a validated need. 6. Ensure that the planning process addresses all educational and educational support facility requirements. WHEREAS, the population of school-aged children in BVSD has declined by 3,675 students since 2017, and is anticipated to decline by another 1,706 students by 2030. WHEREAS, the Board-appointed Long Range Advisory Committee (LRAC) considered two metrics to assess the impacts of declining enrollment: first, the metric expressed as average classes per grade allows consideration of the student experience; and, second, the metric expressed as building utilization allows consideration of the School District’s stewardship of School District assets. WHEREAS, the Board recognizes that the impacts of declining enrollment are currently felt most acutely at the elementary level, particularly when enrollment at individual schools drops below an average of two classes per grade, or approximately 300 students per school. 1

WHEREAS, in February 2026, projections indicated that if no action were taken, by 2030, the district would have 14 elementary schools at or below an average of two classes per grade with an overall district building utilization of 65%. WHEREAS, the Board determined that allowing schools to stay small was not an option and that waiting to take action would negatively impact the student experience. WHEREAS, the Board directed staff to engage with the BVSD community and develop a regionally-based plan that would: ●

Maintain/improve learning outcomes for all students;

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Better distribute students so all schools have the right level of students and resources to maintain high-quality learning experiences;

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Stabilize overall enrollment by retaining current students and attracting new students to the district;

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Maximize all efficiencies to address ongoing fiscal challenges.

WHEREAS, the Boulder Valley School District values the perspectives and lived experiences of community members and families and uses their input to inform Board decisions; the School District engaged staff, families, advisory groups, municipalities, and community members through roundtables, regional meetings, engagement sessions, presentations, surveys, and other feedback opportunities during the 2025-2026 school year. WHEREAS, the School District reviewed enrollment trends and projections, resident student and attendance area data, building utilization, facility capacity and conditions, educational programming, student needs, fiscal impacts, and community feedback and developed a regionally based proposal intended to support resilient schools and equitable educational opportunities. WHEREAS, the Resilient Schools proposal aims to increase the average number of elementary classes per grade, improve building utilization, and reinvest recurring savings to enhance the student experience by reducing class sizes, providing students with more differentiated supports, and offering consistent access to art, music and physical education classes. WHEREAS, the Board recognizes the impacts of school closures and consolidations on communities and also recognizes the imperative of responsible stewardship of School District resources. WHEREAS, the Board finds that the Resilient Schools proposal, presented on August 25, 2026, and described below best serves the interests of the School District and its students and aligns with the Board's duty to provide high-quality educational opportunities and responsibly manage School District resources.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board approves and adopts the recommendations of the Resilient Schools proposal with all school actions effective July 1, 2027: For the Broomfield region: Consolidate Birch Elementary and Kohl Elementary: ● Close Birch Elementary and merge the school communities in the Kohl Elementary building, including relocating Birch’s ICAN program to Kohl Elementary; ● Redraw attendance area boundaries for Kohl and Birch to create one attendance area. For the Louisville and Superior region: Reconfigure Monarch PK-8 and Eldorado PK-8: ● Close the Monarch elementary program and reconfigure Monarch PK–8 as a grades 6–8 middle school; ● Close the Eldorado middle school program and reconfigure Eldorado PK–8 as a PK–5 elementary school; ● Redraw elementary attendance area boundaries to divide Monarch K-5’s attendance area among Fireside, Superior and Eldorado; ● Redraw middle school attendance area boundaries to combine the Monarch 6-8 and Eldorado 6-8 attendance areas; ● Eldorado and Monarch will both have AIM and RISE autism programs. For the Boulder region: Close Douglass Elementary; Relocate High Peaks Elementary & Community Montessori ● Close Douglass Elementary as a neighborhood elementary school and redraw attendance boundaries to divide its attendance area among Coal Creek Elementary, Eisenhower Elementary, and Heatherwood Elementary schools; ● Relocate the Douglass ICAN program to Heatherwood Elementary; ● Move High Peaks Elementary to the Douglass building; ● Close the Community Montessori building and move Community Montessori to co-locate with Boulder Community School of Integrated Studies in the Aurora 7 building. Consolidate Bear Creek Elementary and Mesa Elementary ● Close Mesa Elementary and merge the school communities in the Bear Creek Elementary building, including relocating Mesa’s RISE program to Bear Creek Elementary; ● Redraw attendance boundaries to combine the Bear Creek, Mesa and dual attendance areas to create one attendance area;

Close Flatirons Elementary ● Close Flatirons Elementary and divide its attendance area between Foothill Elementary and Whittier Elementary schools; ● Redraw Flatirons’ attendance area boundaries to place addresses north of Boulder Canyon Dr. into the Foothill attendance area and south of Boulder Canyon Dr. into the Whittier attendance area; ● Relocate the Flatirons’ RISE program to Whittier; ● Adjust Whittier’s bell schedule to accommodate transportation from mountain communities. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Board directs the Superintendent to take the necessary steps to assist staff, students, and families in the affected schools in transitioning to other schools and other positions in accordance with negotiated agreements, state law, Board Policy and the following requirements: ● Implement Policy JECC-R for the 2027-2028 school year such that: ○ Applications for Choice Enrollment are due by December 18, 2026; ○ In-district students enrolled as of September 2026 and who would have continued in the 2027-2028 school year at any of the schools being closed or relocated by this Resolution who wish to participate in the Choice Enrollment lottery instead of attending their neighborhood school or relocated focus school will receive first priority in the lottery to a non-charter BVSD school. ○ Out-of-district students enrolled as of September 2026 and who would have continued in the 2027-2028 school year at any of the schools being closed by this resolution must participate in the Choice Enrollment lottery to continue enrollment in BVSD and will receive first priority in the lottery to a non-charter BVSD school. ● Identify specific preschool locations for the 2027-2028 school year by October 1st; and, ● Determine the routes for school bus transportation and the points at which students shall be received and delivered in accordance with Policies EEA and EEAA.

Approved and adopted this ___ day of September, 2026.

Attest:

By: _______________________________________ Nicole Rajpal, President

_______________________________________ Laura Shafer, Secretary