Here’s how Denver can make school closures less painful

Unfortunately, some Denver public schools must close.

We take no joy in closing beloved local elementary schools. This may mean upheaval for students, parents, teachers and staff, but students benefit enough from the economies of scale of a full school with full funding that we see no other option for a district with declining student enrollment.

Superintendent Alex Marrero announced this week will release a list of schools scheduled to close at the next Board of Education work session on Nov. 7.

Marrero and the board plan to hold several meetings at each of the closing schools between Nov. 7 and the day the board votes to close the schools on Nov. 21 at 4:30 p.m.

Parents, teachers and principals can provide public comment on the proposal on Nov. 18, giving people just 10 days after receiving the proposed school closure list to hold a special public hearing.

Marrero should release the draft proposal on Monday, November 4, to give Denverites time to contact board members before the task force meeting on November 7. Board members will ask better questions, consider more alternative suggestions, and generally make the kinds of detailed changes during the work session that will make each plan much better.

As we know that schools must close, we hope that those at risk of displacement will focus on how to minimize the impact on their family, school and work life.

There are many things the district can do, such as surveying parents about their preferred consolidation location – where should their new home school be?

As we said earlier, the district should give displaced students priority in the school selection lottery that begins in January. Parents of children from closed schools who choose a school other than the neighborhood school – for the next two school years – should have a greater chance of obtaining a vacant place in the school of their choice.

The district’s most popular schools often fill quickly with students who are guaranteed admission because they live on school property, leaving only a few spots left in each lottery class. Providing displaced students with a primary contact in these places is a small way to offset the effects of the closure.

The problem with this solution is transportation. Not every parent is able to travel a long distance to their chosen school, and the district does not provide transportation unless a student is assigned to a specific school.