The Poudre School District Board of Education has approved a plan to close at least five schools. The decision came early Wednesday morning after a board meeting that began Tuesday and continued past midnight.
Get top headlines and KUNC reporting directly to your mailbox each week when you subscribe to In The NoCo.
In September, the district announced a proposal to close nine schools and consolidate others. Since then, PSD has held multiple public comment meetings to gather feedback from students, parents and other members of the public on the proposed plan.
Many, especially those in the district’s mountain region, voiced their concern. Families in that area were worried that Livermore, Red Feather Lakes and Stove Prairie elementary schools would close under the plan, forcing some students to travel around an hour to their new schools.
“It’s hard to fathom the extent of how closing one or two of these schools would disturb the very effective, efficient and equitable system in place,” said one parent during Tuesday’s meeting. “One that was built to function on its current model. The whole mountain school system would need restructuring.”
Other parents of mountain students said many would consider homeschooling their children to avoid the commute, which in the end would cost the district funding.
"Closing these schools only saves money if the district keeps the students," said Trevor Luna, a parent. "The report assumes that it keeps every single one of them."
In the end, the district chose to keep the mountain schools open.
Here’s what the district did approve during the meeting:
- The Board of Education has voted to close Beattie Elementary, Johnson Elementary, Putnam Elementary, and Blevins Middle School beginning in the Fall of the 2027-2028 school year.
- The Board of Education has voted to consolidate Centennial High School and Poudre Community Academy to form a new school beginning in the Fall of the 2027-2028 school year at a location to be determined.
- The Board of Education has voted to close Irish Escuela Bilingüe in the Fall of the 2028-29 school year. In addition, the Board directs the administration during the 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 school years, to develop a more unified Dual Language program that will begin during the 2028-2029 school year.
- The Board of Education has voted to close Timnath Elementary in the Fall of the 2028-2029 school year unless the Town of Timnath secures funding to fully fund the cost of building a new elementary school that would be owned and operated by the Poudre School District by November 2027.
The district says transportation will be available to students who change schools next year.
