Junie Joseph Colorado State Capitol
200 East Colfax Avenue, Room 307
Denver, CO 80203
Phone: 303-866-2915
junie.joseph.house@coleg.gov
Colorado
House of Representatives
State Capitol · Denver · 80203
Energy & Env. Committee
Appropriations Committee
Committee on Legal Services
Dear President Rajpal, Superintendent Anderson, and Members of the Boulder Valley School District Board of Education,
Thank you for the responsibility you carry on behalf of the students, families, educators, and communities of Boulder Valley. The decisions before you are difficult, and I have deep respect for the time, care, and sacrifice this work requires.
Boulder Valley School District is an extraordinary public institution, and that is a credit to your leadership, to our educators, and to the families who invest in our schools every day. I am grateful for your service to our community and to our children.
As the State Representative for House District 10, I recently met with approximately 50 community members who wanted to share their concerns about the proposed school closures and consolidations. I told them I would share what I heard with the Board, and I am writing to keep that commitment. Three themes came up most often.
First, families want to know how the district will measure whether the plan achieves its goals. Several educators on the call said the proposal's objectives, such as stable schools and strong learning environments, are good ones, but asked what measures will show that those objectives are being met. Some Douglas Elementary families noted that their children would be moving to a school with fewer students and lower enrollment than Douglas has today, and they asked how that fits the district's own definition of a stable school. Others asked how the district will track outcomes for students who are already in the achievement gap or at risk of falling into it.
Second, community members raised concerns about enrollment projections, capacity, and communities that felt left out of the engagement process. Broomfield families said their elementary schools are already near or above capacity, and they worried that closing Birch would lead to overcrowding. They also noted that Birch recently received bond funding and had not been flagged under the district's earlier criteria for school closures. Others asked whether the enrollment projections account for open enrollment and multifamily housing. Families from Lafayette, unincorporated Boulder County, and focus school communities told me they did not feel fully included in the listening sessions.
Third, there was substantial concern about transitions for the students most affected by these changes. Parents of students with disabilities asked how the open-plan building at Bear Creek would serve children who are thriving at Mesa today, including students in the RISE program. Community Montessori families asked how the school's multi-age preschool model would work in a building without preschool facilities. Families also raised concerns about transportation, longer commutes, and larger class sizes. Many told me that the uncertainty itself is taking a toll, and that some families are already considering leaving the district. They want to see concrete transition plans before any changes are finalized.
I understand that the Board has heard from a very large number of community members through its own process, and I do not suggest that the 50 people I met with represent the views of the entire district. At the same time, these are constituents who reached out to me directly, and many spoke for neighbors who could not attend a midday meeting. I believe their concerns deserve to be heard alongside the extensive work the Board has already done.
Given how close we are to the Board's final decision, I respectfully ask the Board to consider pausing long enough to hear directly from these community members and to address the questions they have raised.
Even a brief period of additional engagement could help families understand what the proposed changes would mean for their children and their schools.
As a sitting legislator, I welcome the opportunity to sit down with you and discuss the many ways I can be helpful, whether on school finance, transportation, special education, preschool, housing and enrollment trends, or other issues affecting BVSD. I would very much like to engage with you and be a constructive partner.
Thank you again for your service to our community and, most importantly, to the children of Boulder Valley. I look forward to continuing to support our schools and the families of Boulder Valley School District. For generations, BVSD has prepared outstanding students for college and for the workforce, and has sent them into our communities as engaged neighbors and future leaders.
I want to help make sure it continues to do so for every student, in every part of the district.
Warmly,
