Regular Meeting

A speaker said the district did not follow CDE rules on parent participation in IEP-related school changes when it voted to close schools. They said combining schools could push special education populations above 20 percent, and raised concerns about Heatherwood and about students who elope at Birch, Cole, and Douglas.

“I want the public record to show that they were warned about these issues and still move forward with this proposal.”

A Birch parent said the district forgot more than 50 preschoolers when it planned the Birch closure. The speaker said the plan needs extra staff and has no clear plan or cost for moving Birch's ICAN program to Cole, and suggested keeping Birch open and using the savings to fix Cole's fire sprinklers.

A parent asked the board to direct the superintendent to report publicly, school by school, against the goals in the resilient schools resolution. They asked for the same measures at each school, quarterly reports for two years and then annual reports for three years, mitigation plans, and a cohort analysis of affected students.

A speaker questioned a $175,000 choice enrollment showcase while the district closes schools with high open enrollment. They said Douglas draws many choice families and that this demand was not weighed when the district chose to close it. A related speaker noted Broomfield families would lose local open enrollment options through the Birch and Cole consolidation.

Britney Harvey called the approved resilient schools plan incomplete. She compared BVSD with Poudre, St. Vrain, and Adams 12, which published longer reports or delayed closures. She said BVSD moved from defined metrics under LRAC to a vague regional approach without telling families, and asked the board to publish a fuller plan, explain the process change, and hold real community meetings.

Alex Medler reported on the DAC meeting, which heard a transition planning update and was frustrated with the board's action on its membership. He encouraged school accountability committees to take part in school improvement plans as a way to build community in the merged schools.

Thomas Nuland said pre-K schedules do not fit working hours, which burdens working families, including Latino families. He asked the district to talk to working families and explore extended daycare or more flexible pre-K schedules, which could also raise enrollment.

A board member said they wished they could vote on Boulder County measure 1A, the Brighter Start Kids measure that sets aside money for child care and early education. They live in Broomfield. They urged Boulder County voters to vote yes and hoped Broomfield would follow.

Superintendent Anderson reviewed state ballot items. These were Prop NN (lifts the TABOR cap for education), Amendment 87 (graduated income tax), and Prop 134 (limits student sports by biological sex). He said Prop 134 has no clear enforcement role for CHSAA and would push districts to adopt differing policies. The board cannot pass written resolutions this year because of agenda changes and the lack of in-house legal counsel.

Board members gave individual positions. Lalenia Quinlan Aweida opposed Props 133, 134, 135 and the fentanyl measure. Alex Medler supported 87 and NN and opposed 133, 134, and 135. Deann Bucher supported NN and county measure 1A and opposed Amendment 81 and Props 134 and 135. Jorge Chavez opposed 134 and 135 and supported NN. Medler also asked for an update from IMPACT on a federal tax credit for private school scholarships.