The Board votes September 22
Now tell the Board how you feel
A ready-to-send email for every board member, opening with these words. About two minutes.
Write to the Board →I've become quite concerned by the impact closure of Flatirons Elementary and other schools will have on my neighbors and other members of the Boulder community. I can understand the need to address under-enrollment and the budgetary impacts on BVSD, but the more I've dug into this plan to close and consolidate schools the more I find that doing so will have little to no impact on long-term under-enrollment rates and that there seems to be little thought put into how this change benefits the school system long-term. The numbers don't add up: the move itself will cost an estimated $5 million, there will be an additional $10 million in building changes and renovations depleting bond allocations for BVSD, and supposedly this saves $4 million per year in facility upkeep and staffing (which means job cuts?). So by its own math this will only break even in 3-4 years, and that's assuming all goes to plan. By its own metrics this school closure plan might reduce under-enrollment by 13%, barely a dent in the problem and still leaves many schools at a critical level of enrollment and subject to future closures, further disrupting classes, families, and teachers and facilities staff. What is the plan for reinvesting that $4 million per year in facility costs savings? What other projects will have to be delayed or canceled if we allocate $10 million in bonds for renovations? What happens if, after we close schools, we discover that under-enrollment is still a problem (which we almost certainly will)? How are we going to support the teachers and/or facilities staff that gets laid off or reassigned? This is a HUGE change for many families, children, and teachers and facility staff, and I want to know that its for something, that there is some kind of long-term plan that this pain is worth enduring. That's missing right now, and I don't know if its a communication issue or if there really is no answer to those questions right now. In either case, BVSD needs to SLOW DOWN the process and get more public engagement, give more than a single session of public comment before a vote, and frankly rebuild some trust with the community.
The Board votes September 22
A ready-to-send email for every board member, opening with these words. About two minutes.
Write to the Board →