D-11 plan closes schools

    A proposal to close schools as soon as August and use the buildings for other programs is expected to be outlined Wednesday at the Colorado Springs School District 11 board meeting.

    Elaine Naleski, district spokeswoman, said D-11 doesn't intend to release a detailed plan until employees at schools that might be affected can be notified.

    A second, more comprehensive plan would come later, officials said, laying out additional possible closures down the road.

    Administrators at a work session last week painted a grim financial picture and said a large number of schools means that limited resources must be spread further. Every school has a principal, utility bill, janitorial staff and mainte- nance costs, said Glenn Gustafson, D-11's chief financial officer.

    "I know this is a challenging issue," he said, "but I do think its time has come."

    D-11's enrollment has dropped by more than 3,000 since the 2001-02 school year, Gustafson said. In the same period, D-11 built six schools to address a growing population in the northeast part of town.

    The only school specifically mentioned for transfer to another building was The Bijou School, one of the district's alternative high schools. The building needs costly renovations that could be avoided if the school were moved to another location.

    Board member Charlie Bobbitt said a discussion about The Bijou School is one thing; looking to make multiple changes by August would be too much.

    "To me, it's just out of the question," he said.

    Some board members sounded more agreeable to hearing a plan about school closures.

    "This dirty diaper is never going to get any cleaner," board member Tom Strand said.

    School closure has been a topic off and on for several years, said board member Sandra Mann, and shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone.

    "I applaud the administration for saying, ‘We're willing to tackle this.'"

    Wednesday, the board discussed the final report of the School Configuration and Utilization Committee, which met for nine months and came up with recommendations ranging from closing the achievement gap among students to developing a protocol for school closures.

    No specific schools were named as candidates for closure in the report.

    Board members received a spreadsheet Wednesday listing each D-11 school's enrollment, age, programs, test scores and demographics.

    Schools that have been closed, or targeted for closure in the past, typically have low student enrollment or low test scores.

    Although some of the debate comes down to money, administrators said there are intangible factors such as historical significance or importance to the neighborhood.

    The ability to provide classes such as art, music and physical education is also a factor, Naleski said. Smaller schools might not be able to afford a full-time teacher for those subjects, making it beneficial for students to move to schools that offer those opportunities.

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0394 or shari.griffin@gazette.com 

BOARD MEETING

 
Who: Colorado Springs School District 11 Board of Education

When: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday

Where: Board room at the district Administration Building, 1115 N. El Paso St.

Agenda: www.d11.org/novus/meetings0708.aspx