DCF School Closure Policy Statement To the DCSD BOE
A Team of Professionals Putting Kids First
304 Inverness Way South, Ste 310
Centennial, CO 80112
720-389-9829
Members of the DCSD Board of Education:
I am writing on behalf of Douglas County Federation, the teacher and staff union, to express concern about the proposed Board/Superintendent policies on school closure, consolidation, and/or relocation, as well as actions taken by the District to facilitate the current pairing process in the Highlands Ranch area. While we see the need for closures due to declining enrollment, at this time, we do not believe all stakeholders are being given a real opportunity to weigh in on these proposed policies and subsequent planning.
It is our opinion that the District has not done its due diligence to convey that this process, while only affecting Highlands Ranch now, will set precedent for any future closure, consolidation, or relocation. Where is the transparency? This is a big deal and will affect every tax payer in the county. At this juncture, we have only been made aware of teacher/staff meetings and parent meetings in Highlands Ranch– the District should develop a communication plan to notify all teachers, staff, parents, and neighbors county wide about the criteria and considerations for school closure. Some suggestions include mailings, email blasts to all parents, and social media posts. Additionally, based on past practices in Littleton and Jefferson County, we would suggest hosting community forums and staff meetings in all parts of the county so that all tax payers have an opportunity to weigh in on a process that could affect their particular neighborhood schools in the future.
We urge the District to consider ways to solicit feedback from the community rather than using meetings as just information sessions. For example, as written, the proposed Superintendent policy really only includes requirements for community notification rather than community collaboration and plan development. And the policy only grants the community 14 days to review recommended school closures before they are submitted to the Board of Education. We do not believe this is enough time for members of the community to provide meaningful input, especially since the superintendent is given so much time for implementation. DCF would suggest expanding this portion of the timeline so community groups, which are largely run on a volunteer basis, can bring their subject matter expertise to the table.
Of course, in Littleton and Jefferson County, collective bargaining with the teacher and staff unions allowed for legally protected input from teachers, staff, parents and neighbors on how to maintain standards through closures/consolidations and how to expand programming in the process. But because the DCSD Board of Education has not recognized DCF as the exclusive bargaining agent for Douglas County educators in the past 12 years, we are left at a disadvantage when it comes to developing community centered planning through bargaining and contract language. Wouldn’t it be helpful if we had a standard way of addressing DCSD issues and needs through the standard practice of collective bargaining, something every other educator in the Denver Metro area is afforded the opportunity to do? We would like to remind the board that recognizing our union and engaging in collective bargaining will solve the need to reinvent committees and procedures every time there is a new issue/need to address.
We know the District has created a teacher/staff committee from the targeted 16 schools in Highlands Ranch– one certified and one classified employee from each– and have met only twice before these proposed precedent setting policies were posted. These meetings have been mostly informational and a “check the box” action when it comes to allowing for actual educator participation in plan development.
This is evident when you look at the criteria and considerations in the Superintendent file. No where is it mentioned that the District must consider methods to retain our dedicated and talented teachers and staff during this statewide educator shortage. If this is not accounted for in closure/consolidation planning, DCSD will run the risk of further exacerbating the issue of unfilled staff positions. The District is operating mid year with 193 posted job openings– carrying this many unfilled positions harms our students. Closures cannot be a reason we lose good people. Additionally, nowhere in this proposal is the Reduction in Force policy referenced in the case of future layoffs. Right now, DCSD is promising that all teachers and staff will be able to stay in a commensurate position, a promise DCF intends to hold the district accountable for. But that may not be the case in future planning beyond the current Highlands Ranch scope and should therefore be tied to existing processes of dismissal.
Another missing piece in the Superintendent policy is planning requirements for future use of closed school buildings/facilities. It would seem that there should be an in-depth policy with specific considerations, timelines, and community forums for this. DCF sees the value in local control of publicly owned buildings. Neighbors should be able to have meaningful say. We would urge DCSD to consider amending these policies to include requirements for longer range planning, i.e. future building use and selling of real estate.
In summary, we would like the Board of Education to pursue any and all means necessary to inform the Douglas County public about policy development and focus on transparency and collaboration in planning. However long siloed planning committees have been working to address growth and decline in Douglas County, it is important to recognize that regular people do not follow BOE agendas and meetings closely. DCSD should be tasked with meeting the community where they are on issues of this stature. Doing so may mean pursuing communication methods outside of usual BOE procedure and getting creative with methodology beyond the usual “checking of the box”. Doing so will lead to better outcomes for our students and community, a goal we all share.
We appreciate your attention to these matters.
Lucy Squire,
President, Douglas County Federation
