Speakers challenge district closure plans

Several speakers focused on school closures and transition plans, while others discussed district staffing, housing stability, Indigenous heritage, LGBTQ+ youth and a Timnath school grant.

One speaker urged the board to reconsider Blevins’ closure, saying a director had acknowledged casting the deciding vote in error. Speakers also urged keeping Blevins open for five years and asked directors to delay a reconsideration vote until the vice president could attend if they were not prepared to honor the earlier intended outcome.

Speakers said closing Blevins would divide its students between Weber and Lincoln and could leave Weber with nearly 1,000 students, adding to concerns about classroom space, clubs and other student opportunities.

Speakers questioned the closure analysis, saying the board had not explained how closing Blevins would benefit students or shown it would yield sufficient savings, and questioned whether criteria were applied consistently across communities. One speaker raised allegations about whether public-meeting requirements were followed and said they were seeking an injunction.

A speaker asked the board to require a room-by-room plan for every receiving school by Dec. 8, including specialized programs and displaced classrooms, and confirming no student would be moved to a modular classroom. Speakers said families still lacked answers about staffing, full-time specials, schedules, child care and social-emotional support; one said receiving schools would not process school-choice applications until January. Comments also raised concerns about space, accessibility and support for students in specialized programs, with one speaker saying some families were considering leaving the district.

A representative of the Poudre Education Association said educators faced staffing cuts, heavier workloads and growing student needs, and asked the board to work with staff on transparent pay and benefits, cost-of-living raises, class-size caps and workload support.

A representative of Fort Collins Rescue Mission said its district partnership had provided about $244,000 to nearly 90 households, helping about 180 children avoid homelessness, and that nearly all families assisted in the first year maintained their housing.

A student urged Indigenous children discovering their heritage to learn their languages, traditions, ancestry and history with support from elders and teachers, saying disconnection from culture does not erase identity or ancestry.

A speaker asked the district to apply for a BEST grant for Timnath by Nov. 23 and assign a representative to work with the town’s task force. A PFLAG Fort Collins representative said a survey found 90% of LGBTQ+ young people said recent anti-LGBTQ laws, policies and debates had caused additional stress and anxiety, and 78% of those said the policies made them feel unsafe.