“Our request is for time.”

Dear Members of the Boulder Valley School District Board of Education,

We are writing as individual Broomfield City Council members and interested parties, not on behalf of the Broomfield City Council.

Birch Elementary serves families in multiple wards of Broomfield, and we have heard directly from parents and residents who are trying to better understand the process and analysis that led to the recommendation to close the school.

Our request is not that the Board reach a particular conclusion or that Birch Elementary necessarily remain open.

Our request is for time.

Parents and community members are asking reasonable questions about the data, methodology, and decision-making model that led to the recommendation.

It is our understanding that BVSD schools in Boulder were redistricted last year, but Broomfield schools were not. We are curious about how that process was determined and if rebalancing in Broomfield would better address the specific enrollment concerns at those 4 schools, especially since Centennial Elementary is marked for closure in the adjacent Adams 12 district and it is less than 3 miles away.

We believe the community should have an opportunity to understand those answers before an irreversible decision is made. Seeking transparency about the methodology should not be viewed as acrimonious or as opposition to the District. This level of transparency and community understanding is vital throughout the process of a recommendation of this significance.

When families are being asked to accept the closure of a neighborhood school, they need to be able to see and understand the analysis that led to that conclusion.

We are not seeking a special voice at the table for the City and County of Broomfield, nor are we asking the District to substitute the City's data or judgment for its own. We recognize that decisions regarding school facilities rest with BVSD and its elected Board of Education.

We are simply asking that the Board allow sufficient time for the affected families and community to understand the information, methodology, assumptions, and decision making framework used to arrive at the recommendation.

If the analysis supports the recommended outcome, sharing that information will strengthen the community's understanding of the decision.

If additional questions emerge from that review, there should be time to consider them before taking a permanent action.

Given the significance and long term consequences of closing a neighborhood school, we believe providing that time is a reasonable request.