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School districts across Colorado have closed, merged and paired schools together to address declining enrollment. Now, BVSD is trying something new.
BOULDER, Colo — We’ve seen districts close, merge and pair schools together to address declining enrollment across Colorado.
Now, the Boulder Valley School District is trying something different, offering parents who work within the district area – from Broomfield to Nederland – priority placement in enrolling their kids.
Over at Heatherwood Elementary, Principal Genna Jaramillo has seen the number of students at school drop slowly.
“It happened gradually every year, a little bit every year,” Jaramillo said. “So through my nine years here, we went from 400 students to 260 students.”
For Heatherwood, the school is tucked in a quiet neighborhood with fewer kids. It’s not a prime choice for school enrollment across BVSD.
But the problem with declining enrollment stretches beyond Boulder Valley.
“There’s declining birth rates in Colorado. It’s impacting Boulder in specific ways. In addition to just that, we’ve got very expensive housing and so that does have an impact,” said Randy Barber, chief communications officer with BVSD.
While neighboring districts like Denver, Poudre and Douglas counties have weighed closures and consolidations, Barber said they’re trying a different take.
“We really have been trying to take a different approach by not just immediately looking for closure, but looking for ways we can adjust our policies,” Barber said.
Ideas that include transforming Heatherwood into a STEAM school. Along offering priority enrollment for kids whose parents work in Boulder.
“That idea of you know, go ahead and bring your kid along, come and drop them off at school, that way when you’re at work if something goes on and you need to stop by, you can come to an event in the middle of the day,” Barber said. “I mean, it really does make it more convenient. And so yeah, they put a priority on parents that were commuting.”
They even put up a billboard on Highway 36 to get commuters’ attention. Barber hopes it helps even out enrollment.
“Sometimes when we talk about declining enrollment, the focus is really on the negative element of it,” Barber said. “But there are other opportunities that really come out of it. That opportunity to really look at our schools and offer new programming, that ability for those parents to get those things that they’re looking for.”
And with it, giving good schools a chance.
“We’re a small but mighty school and have lots and lots of things to be proud of. And anytime we have that opportunity, we invite people in,” Jaramillo said.
To qualify for that priority placement, you have to be working within the BVSD boundaries when you apply and on the first day of school. Families who already have kids in the district won’t get bumped for out of town families.
The district is hopeful this idea can help them stabilize the enrollment declines districts are all dealing with.
For more information, visit the Boulder Valley School District website.
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