BVSD Board of Education · Regular meeting

Regular Meeting

September 22, 2026 · 4:32:34 of video

BVSD board votes 5-2 to adopt the Resilient Schools plan, closing or consolidating Douglas, Birch, Mesa, Flat Irons, and splitting Monarch PK-8.

The Boulder Valley school board held over two hours of public comment, mostly from students and parents opposing the Resilient Schools closure and consolidation plan. The board rejected amendments to delay the Broomfield-area decision, to let High Peaks and Community Montessori families return to their neighborhood school, and to remove the Douglas Elementary closure. The board then passed the main resolution 5-2, with Deann Bucher and Ana Temu Otting casting "respectful no" votes. The board also amended the district accountability committee membership to enforce term limits and diversity rules, studied revisions to the nondiscrimination and bullying policies, and reviewed the district's Unified Improvement Plan with new growth and achievement targets for underperforming student groups.

Agenda and votes

1. CALL MEETING TO ORDER, ROLL CALL

1.1Call Meeting to Order and Roll Call
The board called the meeting to order and took roll call with all seven members present.

2. BOARD PROCEDURES

2.1Board Procedures
2.2Approve Board Agenda
The board approved the evening's agenda unanimously.
passed 7-0 unofficialat 0:16:09
Approve the board agenda for September 22, 2026.
Moved by Lalenia Quinlan Aweida, seconded by Jorge Chávez
Bucher: yesChávez: yesMedler: yesAweida: yesRajpal: yesOtting: yesUnger: yes

3. SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT

3.1Superintendent's Report
Superintendent Anderson gave a brief report, deferring detailed remarks given the evening's heavy agenda.

4. PUBLIC HEARING AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

4.1Public Hearing and Public Participation
Twenty-five speakers, mostly students and parents, gave public comment almost entirely opposing the Resilient Schools closure plan.

5. BOARD COMMUNICATION

5.1Board Communication
Each board member gave individual comments on the Resilient Schools process before voting, describing weeks of community engagement.

6. ACTION ITEMS – CONSENT GROUPING

6.1Personnel Items
Board Report 09222026.pdf (225 KB)
6.2Approval of Minutes - September 8, 2026
6.3Approval of Minutes - September 15, 2026
6.4Approval of 26-27 District Accountability Committee Membership
The board amended and then approved the 2026-27 District Accountability Committee membership list to fix violations of term limits and one-member-per-school rules.
DAC Memo - 2026-27 Membership UPDATED.pdf (295 KB)
passed 7-0 unofficialat 2:00:18
Amend the 2026-27 District Accountability Committee membership list to remove three at-large members who did not meet diversity criteria, remove members from four schools with two listed representatives, and remove a member who exceeded the three-term limit.
Moved by Nicole Rajpal, seconded by Lalenia Quinlan Aweida
Bucher: yesChávez: yesMedler: yesAweida: yesRajpal: yesOtting: yesUnger: yes
passed 7-0 unofficialat 2:01:14
Approve the 2026-27 District Accountability Committee membership list as amended.
Moved by Ana Temu Otting, seconded by Jorge Chávez
Bucher: yesChávez: yesMedler: yesAweida: yesRajpal: yesOtting: yesUnger: yes
6.5GRANT: Student Support Services - behavioral health - Boulder County
Grant Review Form - Boulder Co.pdf (120 KB) Grant Budget Form - Boulder Co.pdf (127 KB)

7. ACTION ITEMS

7.1Items Pulled from Consent Grouping
7.2Resolution 26-27, Adopting the Resilient Schools Proposal
After rejecting five amendments, the board adopted resolution 26-27, the Resilient Schools proposal, by a 5-2 vote.
Resolution 26-27, Adopting the Resilient Schools Proposal.pdf (128 KB) Amendment to Resolution 26-27, 'Adopting the Resilient Schools Proposal.pdf (24 KB)
withdrawn 0-0 unofficialat 2:01:14
Amend resolution 26-27 to let teachers relocated by the plan open-enroll their children at their new work location once confirmed.
Moved by Deann Bucher, seconded by Ana Temu Otting
failed 2-5 unofficialat 2:31:22
Amend the amendment to change the Broomfield study/decision date to October 13-20 instead of December 2026.
Moved by Deann Bucher, seconded by Ana Temu Otting
Bucher: yesChávez: noMedler: noAweida: noRajpal: noOtting: yesUnger: no
failed 2-5 unofficialat 2:32:54
Amend resolution 26-27 to remove the Broomfield region (Birch/Cole) action from tonight's vote and direct staff to return by December 2026 with updated data.
Moved by Ana Temu Otting, seconded by Deann Bucher
Bucher: yesChávez: noMedler: noAweida: noRajpal: noOtting: yesUnger: no
failed 2-5 unofficialat 2:44:49
Amend resolution 26-27 to let High Peaks and Community Montessori students who choose their assigned neighborhood school over the relocated site enroll directly, without open enrollment priority for 2027-28.
Moved by Alex Medler, seconded by Ana Temu Otting
Bucher: yesChávez: noMedler: yesAweida: noRajpal: noOtting: noUnger: no
failed 2-5 unofficialat 2:54:58
Amend resolution 26-27 to remove the closure of Douglas Elementary and the relocation of High Peaks Elementary and Community Montessori.
Moved by Deann Bucher, seconded by Ana Temu Otting
Bucher: yesChávez: noMedler: noAweida: noRajpal: noOtting: yesUnger: no
passed 5-2 unofficialat 2:58:45
Adopt resolution 26-27, the Resilient Schools proposal, as amended.
Moved by Ana Temu Otting, seconded by Deann Bucher
Bucher: noChávez: yesMedler: yesAweida: yesRajpal: yesOtting: noUnger: yes

8. POLICY STUDY

8.1Board Policy AC, Nondiscrimination/Equal Opportunity
The board studied revisions to board policy AC on nondiscrimination, including a debated proposal to require more communication to families about investigation outcomes.
AC September 2026.pdf (158 KB)
8.2Board Policy JDHB, Bullying
The board studied revisions to board policy JDHB on bullying, adding two new sentences and thanking staff for implementing earlier commitments made at the start of the school year.
JDHB September 22.pdf (95 KB)

9. STUDY ITEMS

9.1District Unified Improvement Plan
Staff presented the district's Unified Improvement Plan for study, including new growth and achievement targets for underperforming student groups, due to the state by October 15.
For Study_ BOE Unified Improvement Plan for September 2026 (1).pdf (7,217 KB)

10. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

10.1Agenda Setting
Board members requested future agenda items on Resilient Schools transition planning and on ballot measure endorsements for the November 2026 election.
Board Agenda Setting items - eff 090826.pdf (65 KB)

11. ADJOURNMENT

11.1Adjournment
The board adjourned the meeting.

Other votes

passed 7-0 unofficialat 1:49:05

6.1-6.5 · Approve the remaining consent agenda items (personnel, minutes for September 8 and 15, and the Boulder County behavioral health grant), with item 6.4 pulled for separate discussion.

Bucher: yesChávez: yesMedler: yesAweida: yesRajpal: yesOtting: yesUnger: yes

Public comment

Student testimonials against school closures · 8 speakers
Multiple elementary and middle school students spoke directly to the board describing their teachers, friendships, and fear of being split up or moved to unfamiliar schools.
Opposition to closing specific neighborhood schools · 15 speakers
Parents from Douglas, Birch, Mesa, Flat Irons, Community Montessori, and Monarch PK-8 argued the plan lacked complete data, would overcrowd receiving schools, and would break up communities built around open enrollment.
Equity concerns for special populations · 5 speakers
Speakers raised concerns about the plan's effect on special education students (including the IAN program moving to a less suitable building), bilingual education at University Hill, and open-enrolled students losing priority at receiving schools.
Process and trust concerns · 6 speakers
Several speakers said the engagement process was performative, that leadership had predetermined the outcome, and urged the board to vote no and restart with better data and community input.
Financial transparency questions · 1 speakers
One speaker, a self-described strategy consultant, asked the board to confirm projected savings figures and questioned whether the district had a documented plan for a projected $65 million revenue decline over five years.

Conversations by topic

School closures (Resilient Schools)

BVSDSep 22, Regular Meeting at 0:17:56

Twenty-five public speakers, many of them students, spoke against the plan to close Douglas, Birch, Mesa, Flat Irons, and split Monarch PK-8. Speakers cited student trauma, lost neighborhood community, incomplete data, and unresolved questions about bilingual programs, special education placement, and open-enrolled families.

BVSDSep 22, Regular Meeting at 1:17:28

Each board member gave individual remarks after public comment. Alex Medler, Lalenia Quinlan Aweida, Jason Unger, Deann Bucher, Jorge Chavez, Ana Temu Otting, and Nicole Rajpal described weeks of meetings with families and differing views on whether the plan was ready, with several noting they were elected to represent the whole district, not just one neighborhood.

BVSDSep 22, Regular Meeting at 2:01:14

Deann Bucher proposed letting teachers relocated by the plan use open enrollment to place their own children at their new school once assignments are known. After discussion of conflicts with the BVEA union contract, Superintendent Anderson offered to negotiate a memorandum of understanding with BVEA instead, and Bucher withdrew the amendment.

BVSDSep 22, Regular Meeting at 2:23:34

Ana Temu Otting moved to delay the Broomfield-area decision (Birch and Cole) until December 2026, citing a pending Adams 12 school closure vote on October 7 that could affect BVSD enrollment. The board rejected both her amendment and a Deann Bucher sub-amendment to shorten the delay to mid-October, both by 2-5 votes.

BVSDSep 22, Regular Meeting at 2:34:23

Alex Medler proposed letting High Peaks and Community Montessori families keep their neighborhood school seat if they decline to move to the relocated site by December 1, without open-enrollment priority afterward. Lalenia Quinlan Aweida and Jason Unger argued this created an unequal preference for two schools and the amendment failed 2-5.

BVSDSep 22, Regular Meeting at 2:46:13

Deann Bucher argued Douglas Elementary should be redesignated a rural school like a comparable school in St. Vrain, since it cannot achieve proximity enrollment and serves unincorporated Boulder County. Her amendment to remove the Douglas closure and High Peaks/Community Montessori relocation failed 2-5.

BVSDSep 22, Regular Meeting at 2:56:55

Nicole Rajpal argued that not closing schools would create a segregated district favoring wealthier neighborhoods, citing a Poudre school district that delayed closures in 2024 and had to revisit the issue under worse conditions. The resolution then passed 5-2, with Bucher and Temu Otting voting no.

District Accountability Committee membership rules

BVSDSep 22, Regular Meeting at 1:51:14

Nicole Rajpal flagged that the 2026-27 DAC membership list included three at-large members who did not meet board policy's diversity criteria, a member serving a fourth term past the three-term limit, and four schools with two representatives instead of one. The board voted to strike those names and had the amended list approved.

Nondiscrimination and bullying policy updates

BVSDSep 22, Regular Meeting at 3:15:00

The board studied revisions to policy AC (nondiscrimination) and JDHB (bullying). Alex Medler proposed language requiring the district to communicate investigation findings and disciplinary actions to families of bullying or discrimination victims, but legal counsel and other board members raised privacy and overpromising concerns, so the language stayed as a study item.

District Unified Improvement Plan (UIP)

BVSDSep 22, Regular Meeting at 3:34:03

Staff presented the district's Unified Improvement Plan, due to the state October 15, showing growth and achievement targets for Hispanic/Latino, free-and-reduced-lunch, multilingual learner, and IEP student groups. Board members asked for state comparison data, subgroup sample sizes, and stronger links to school-level improvement plans and site accountability committees.