October 26, 2022
Denver Public Schools announced the 10 schools that will be consolidated due to declining enrollment last night. The following statement can be attributed to Rob Gould, special education teacher and president of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association (DCTA):
“Every student, no matter the zip code they live in deserves a high quality school with all of the wraparound supports needed to succeed. Neighborhood schools are the heart of our community and as educators, we play an integral role in each of those unique communities.
“Over the past few years we have seen extreme challenges for students, educators and the community due to many changes. Educators are committed to doing all they can to ensure that students are supported through this transition. It is important to limit stress for those impacted by consolidations and ensure continuity for students and educators. We will continue to engage with our educators and the communities impacted by school consolidations. We want to ensure they are heard and supported in the upcoming months and beyond.
For years, schools have needed to make forced choices about the learning opportunities they can offer to students. Denver Public Schools opened too many charter schools in an attempt to create competition under the veil of choice. While choice is something everybody wants, the reality is, not every student has equitable access to choice. Unfortunately, our communities of color and neighborhood schools continue to suffer from the consequences.
School funding in Colorado is abysmal and without increased funding, we will constantly deal with having to cut some services to fund others. Regardless of the upcoming decision of consolidation, we must make sure students have full wraparound supports including multilingual learning, reading, writing, arts, math, music, PE and other specialized services.
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