PSD board sets special meeting to discuss ending long-range planning process: What we know

UPDATE: The Poudre School District Board of Education voted unanimously to end the current school closure and consolidation process on Monday, May 20.

Just days after a meeting that drew more than 450 protestors rallying to save local schools, the Poudre School District Board of Education scheduled a special meeting that will at least in part focus on the district's long-range planning process.

The meeting, which will be open to the public, is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. Monday in the school board’s regular meeting room at PSD’s Johannsen Support Services Center, 2407 Laporte Ave. It will also be livestreamed in both English and Spanish, the district said in an email announcing the meeting.

There are three action items on the agenda posted late Friday afternoon. The first is for the board to consider ending the current long-range planning process, which has focused on possible school consolidations and closures to address funding losses that will come with projected declining enrollment.

The agenda does not specify what that action item would mean. The Board of Education basically ended the work of the 37-member Facilities Steering Planning Committee that had been involved in the long-range planning process at its Tuesday meeting without a formal vote. The committee had recently drafted four revised scenarios that would each close up to five schools in the district beginning with the 2025-26 school year. It was expected to present final recommendations to the school board May 28.

But at the board's most recent meeting Tuesday, Board President Kristen Draper told representatives of the committee that the revised draft scenarios they had just presented would serve as those final recommendations.

More: More than 450 people protest PSD's school closure plans outside Board of Education meeting

A final vote on those recommendations is scheduled for June 11.

The decision to end the steering committee's work wasn't voted on at Tuesday's meeting — something the Coloradoan pressed board members on about 40 minutes before notice of Monday's special meeting went out.

The Coloradoan had emailed board members Thursday asking for an explanation of their actions following more than two hours of discussion about closures, consolidations and boundary changes during Tuesday night’s meeting. Friday, the Coloradoan emailed board members again asking for a response.

However, Draper told the Coloradoan in an email after Monday's meeting was announced that a vote wasn't required to end the committee's work.

"Although the Board of Education provided the steering committee with guiding principles that were voted upon at a Board meeting, the Board of Education did not vote to create the steering committee," Draper wrote Friday evening in an email to the Coloradoan. "Thus, a vote would not be expected to conclude their work. It is within the Board of Education's purview, as well, to task staff with conducting work on topics of interest to the Board, which is what the Board did on Tuesday night. As you will recall, during that discussion, all members of the Board provided feedback as to what they would like staff to work on as it relates to long-range planning moving forward."

As for what action might be taken Monday, Draper wrote that "the Board of Education is convening on Monday to consider the topics expressly stated in the agenda."

Superintendent Brian Kingsley and the Board of Education have said PSD has too many schools with low enrollment that require supplemental funding to provide a minimal level of staffing, student services and supports. To address declining enrollment and the associated reductions in per-pupil funding from the state, the district must close and/or consolidate some and adjust boundaries of others.

The other two “action” items on the agenda for Monday's meeting are to consider moving the district’s Transitions and Pathways programs for adults 18 to 21 years old with special needs to “a new location within the district” and to move Poudre Community Academy to “a new location within the district.”

Also on the agenda is board discussion with elected officials. The elected officials were not identified.

Editor's note: This story was updated Monday morning to include links to planned livestreams of the meetings in English and Spanish.

Reporter Kelly Lyell covers education, breaking news, some sports and other topics of interest for the Coloradoan. Contact him at kellylyell@coloradoan.com, x.com/KellyLyell and  facebook.com/KellyLyell.news. 

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: PSD board to hold special meeting as school closure concerns continue