##VIDEO ID:YJfwQlKqFmc## great uh again good evening everybody thank you so much for coming uh I am Steve kalala I'm the district's uh chief of staff and uh one of the things that that I get to do is to work on growth and Decline and and specifically uh School pairings and uh I am very lucky to work with phenomenal people uh in that uh to include uh our staff and to include our parents and uh and again thank you so much for coming um the program for night uh for tonight um we've got some slides to work through uh and I I'll work through those as efficiently as we can uh and what I'd like to do in the hour or so that we have uh is to maximize our Q&A uh our parents have been phenomenal uh in terms of the questions that they've asked and I expect tonight will be no different uh and really look forward to it um so we know that this is a really really hard conversation um and in fact there aren't conversations many conversations that are harder in is in a district that than this one um the way that that we get through it the way that we make it less hard not not easy but less hard uh and really great for our kids is for all the adults to talk and to keep on talking and uh that's in part what we're doing here and again I can't thank you enough for coming oh so there's our our agenda really briefly um um just want to say uh first and foremost um this is really all about kids that's what we're doing here uh and along those lines last year um our voters uh voted in 5A our mil Levy uh that allowed for paying increases for teachers and staff um there were retro increases to January uh starting our starting teacher teacher pay jumped uh as did all of our salaries across the board and and we were able to dig into the pay gaps that we had um in relationship to other districts uh by about one half uh and we are so appreciative and and our teachers are happier we're actually hiring has become much easier our leaders will tell you uh and it was such a big deal so thank you for that so much uh we also were able to increase uh security uh and um our cost to taxpayers uh as we talked about was uh for for the year leading up to the Mills $194 on a million doll home and we lived up to all of those uh pledges and and we're really really proud of that and along those lines um our voters by a 60% vote um approve the latest 5A and that was a $490 million Bond uh and that Bond and we'll talk more about it as the slides go on here um has in it two new school school buildings one in Sterling Ranch one in ridgegate uh along with improvements to every building across the district uh to include uh our receiving schools in the in the pairing the school pairings that we'll talk about and again we'll I'll hash that out some more and and again that that both of those 5as were just fantastic for kids uh and but we have more to do uh and along those lines let's talk a little bit about school pairings um again really really hard to do a conversation to have but the adults have to have it uh we just do as uncomfortable as all of us are uh and we're not alone in working through this um declining enrollment uh is popping up across the states uh across the Front Range uh and across the country uh we are handling a little bit different uh but and and and we're unique in a couple of different ways which we'll talk a little bit about uh but but again the conversations are going on across the country it's just now hitting uh Douglas County and specifically The Highlands Ranch area and three feeders Mountain Vista Highlands Ranch and thunder ridge uh we have other areas of the district where we're starting to see a little bit of of decline in enrollment but um the issue is no is is nowhere more acute than it is in Highland Highlands Ranch and and in those three feeders um and this is a summary the slides that that I'll show you um of our our our growth and decline data and other related information feel free to ask any question that you want we also have a growth and decline web page with a lot of information on it and there's a QR code to that later on in the slide deck uh and first principles are always important but especially in a really tough conversation like this this is all about kids uh pairing schools uh will benefit our kids um a ton uh and part of of benefiting kids is as much as we can keeping them as much as together as much as possible uh within the context of the school pairings uh our employees are vital uh we love we love our staff all all the folks who work with our kids on a daily basis and the folks who support uh that staff and so one of the ways that we're unique is that we have actually guaranteed all of the employees who are impacted by school pairings positions within the Douglas County School District commensurate positions meaning teacher to teacher um custodian to custodian principal to principal uh across the board uh every employee who's impacted in the building is guaranteed a commenor job and we can do that in a fiscally responsible way because of really two things one we have natural turnover every year um that well exceeds the amount of employees that might be displaced because of this process uh so so that alone um is going to help us uh work with our employees work with our leaders to make sure every employee who has impacted lands in a really good spot um and then two U the bond uh the bond that that voters just passed uh provides for two new Elementary buildings um and well again one in Sterling went Ranch one in ridgegate that'll open in or around August of 2027 and so to the extent that any of our employees are impacted cannot find a position throughout the district from now until 2027 we'll have two new buildings that we have to staff from side to side top to bottom and so we feel very good about that guarantee it's the right thing to do we can do it and is fiscally responsible um there's no Silver Bullet here um there there's no uh easy answer to uh to the lack of enrollment that we've seen over the last 5 to 10 years and that's not going to get any better um there's just no other way around it other than to talk about uh school parings um we know that these conversations are are hard uh we know that regardless of how much conversation we have and how thoughtful we are uh and how good things are going to be we feel for our uh kids down the road and our families down the road that result of these pairings we know that some in our community are are it's going to be tough uh we've said all along uh and it's 100% true that this conversation is part logic and part emotion and many times both of those are in the same paragraph uh and and again it's just kind of what makes it really really difficult so um but we're going to work with everyone and we're going to get through it and our kids will be better off so let me give you a timeline uh you'll see phase one underneath the the orange header there uh we've been in phase one now for about two years this has been at least this iteration has been a two-year conversation so for those who' been with the district for much longer than that and we have them and some of them on this call will tell you this has been a longstanding conversation uh but the board and the superintendent wanted a long runway for for this conversation and so we've been again engag Eng it for a couple of years now we've been in that planning and engagement phase uh to include these conversations with with our parents um we are heading shortly into the policy and decision phase that that middle green portion or green uh header where uh the superintendent in January um will be recommending to the board a policy recommendation on the criteria for school parents ings um in January we will not be talking about actual School pairings but only the criteria for school pairings uh and in those same conversations you will see we will publish uh a data dashboard that um is is um hopefully easy to use for everybody that will will show um a lot of pertinent data that very much lines up with the criteria that the board ultimately lands on um and so everyone will be seeing what we are seeing um and um we hope again our our our our community um will be able to work through it and and we'll have engagement after that as well in case there are any questions so again January is just criteria it's not actual School pairings uh along with the data um as we move uh to April uh the superintendant on or about April 8th will recommend to the board actual School pairings um and um that that conversation that's just a recommendation so the board will not be voting would not be voting uh on that day it just be a recommendation laying out the rationale for the school pairings and it wouldn't be until April 22nd um where that the board would vote on the school pairings so um heading into our January meeting which again is criteria only we've had a lot of conversation and a lot of Engagement um after the criteria are published uh we will engage more with our staff with our community uh and then heading into that April time frame uh where we work with work through school pairings and and the uh superintendent makes recommendations uh on those in April um and then once that happens the next uh uh operative time frame is August of 2026 that is when School pairings will become effective so what that means is that after the board votes on school pairings an entire school year will go by we're calling it a transition year and so that that the the the buildings that are in the pairing stay status quo um and everyone starts to adjust families staff kids uh we would work during that time period to get everybody together to get the staffs together to get families together to get the kids together to start building that community that transition year is going to be really really important the other reason that transition year is really important is uh remember the bond the bond has in it $490 million for a variety of projects across the district included in that is $20 million to be shared among the paired schools or the receiving schools um for additions for rejiggering inside the building uh so that when kids walk into the buildings on August of 2026 they're ready um they're a and it's an awesome experience for our kids um our goal is to have all of the construction done uh ahead of August of 2026 so again our kids walk in and boy it's it's it's a new environment for everybody and it's awesome um it's not impossible that that all the construction won't be done uh and working on contingencies for that temporary contingencies for that to make sure all of our kids are housed in a really safe environment and again are having a great educational experience so really quick recap January is criteria only April is when the superintendent will recommend School pairings and then the school pairings will take effect in August of 2026 and again we have that transition year in between uh where everybody starts to adjust so what does it mean for impacted families so um There are 16 elementary schools in Highlands Ranch in those three feeders um and we're considering all 16 for possible School pairings we're not going to pair all 16 it'll uh likely either be six schools into three or four schools into two uh and the reality is even after these pairings we'll have some small schools uh in terms of enrollment remaining um uh but the reality is those smaller schools will be easier to fund because of the pairings of the six or the four um we have not made any decisions on any recommendations uh as to what those uh pairings ought to look like we need the criteria first and the board weighs in on that uh and um uh then we do the assessment and then again the superintendent will recommend to the board in April uh for those pairings again they'll take place in AUST 2026 and we'll use Bond money uh to about $20 million to to work with those receiving buildings um and the first principles there's a lot of details we're working out um and and we have been working out and we'll continue to work out heading into January and then April uh but uh we love our kids to death uh and our families are so important and uh this is all about access their access uh to a maximum amount of learning opportunities and we talk about that in a second so our our commitment to our families is we're going to provide you as much information as possible as soon as possible um um our enrollment policies will continue to respect family needs and choices uh engaging with families is really really important to make sure that um a our pairing process for our kids is as smooth as possible um and uh again heading into August of 2026 we really want to work with the new paired communities to make sure that they're getting what they need for their kids uh this is a gigantic team effort and our parents are a big part of that so brass tax um Elementary a um and Elementary B this these are actual elementary schools within the district so Elementary a has 600 to 700 kids where they can offer because of the number of kids and the amount of dollars that come with those kids cuz remember it's it's a per pupil amount that follows the child and so when you have a 600 700 kid um Elementary School you can offer World Language stem separately art separately have a full-time music teacher uh have additional Advanced academic programming have multiple grade level teachers collaborating uh that's that's actually a big deal uh that that isn't so obvious so when you have more staff in the building when you have more teachers in the building for example it's just that many more people that teachers can work with uh to build better lesson plans to uh grow professionally otherwise it just makes for a more robust professional environment on top of providing uh more opportunities for kids um along those lines more robust intervention support support for Center based programming for students with special needs support for Universal prek and uh extracurricular activities Elementary B where again these are actual elementary schools so Elementary B has no World Language programming stem mixed in with art the music teacher is also the interventionist limited advanced programming one or two grade level teachers limited extra extracurricular opportunities and um this last one is actually staff brought up uh and when you're in a in the declining enrollment school um on an annual basis you're thinking about whether your job is going to be up to be cut um and and uh that's not an issue with with uh in a school with you know let's say 5 to 700 kids um so all in all uh uh um a really great environment for our kids the more kids that we have um let me just interject here uh something that we've said at every one of these meetings and by the way this is the fifth of of five meetings that we've had for parents and uh really trying to be as consistent as I can as we can at each meeting and we've said at each meeting this that our hens Ranch elementary schools are awesome um they they are among the highest scoring elementary schools in the district uh this is not at all uh an issue of we've got poor performing schools and so we have to do something uh to to help with that that is not it all of this is is sustainability and making really good really great uh and um School pairings in our view helps achieve both of those things along with what you're seeing in front of you right now so let's talk about some data um we will in January as I said present um a pretty comprehensive data set uh along with the proposed policy uh for for everyone to see uh but I just want to give you a flavor for it right now and again you can see all of these slides too uh on the um uh growth and decline web page all the data on the growth and decline web page along with the slides too um fundamentally we're solving for we just have too many elementary schools in Highlands Ranch the amount of students we currently and and will have uh that's it that's that's just the bottom line and again this has been a decade long uh treack uh and and we're now at a point where we really believe it's time to uh do something about it again to to for sustainability purposes and relatedly to make really good schools really great so birth rates are are important uh and as you see in in the Heights give or take 2004 2005 uh we had a pretty steep climb at birth rates and we built out the district built out a number of of buildings to meet that uh demand but we've also seen uh a decline that that definitely correlates with the enrollment we are now seeing um and and and again you see the north is that orange line that's the Hinds Ranch area and those three feeders uh where it was really most pronounced uh our population of senior citizens in the Highlands Ranch it's slightly higher in relationship to uh Douglas County the fun the issue we have is uh we have a number of people who moved here 30 years ago um and who had their kids go through the school district loved it and haven't left and why would they leave Highland's Ranch is an awesome place to live um but what's resulted is we haven't had turnover in in a chunk of those neighborhoods and to the extent that we have had that turnover we've had fewer families moving in so our our enrollment decline um has been precipitous and and that slide tells a tail through 2023 and projected into 2028 in 2012 we had about 10,500 kids uh and 201 in the Highlands Ranch uh area uh and in 2028 we're projected to have 65 500 um that that's a pretty precipitous Decline and again uh we don't see that we don't see that uh uptick anytime soon uh and so we we've we've got to get at get at it uh from a cost perspective smaller enrollment schools in relationship to uh bigger enrollment schools or a thriving School versus a small school there's for 2425 a $2500 perch Delta in ter terms of the cost of educating uh any given kid in those smaller schools versus the thriving school um and that cost uh is about uh $18 million um and as as projected uh to grow uh sorry 2028 the projected to be about 1718 million and that number is only going to grow with uh um increased cost of um salaries benefits uh cost of the building energy uh Etc and so just to give you some context it costs about $20 million to run a high school um so um that gives you some sense of that scale and the impact uh across the system so again over the last two years this been a long conversation and and uh we we uh have so much respect for our community uh that we felt and the superintendent and the board felt that um it was really important to have a long conversation with our community uh even when we were talking about the bond which was really really important we were also in the same conversation talking about uh decline so bond to meet growth we have pockets of growth uh in our district as those previous slides showed uh we also have pockets of declining enrollment and we've talked about those things in the same convers ation every time we've had those conversations so if you go to the growth and decline web page you'll see a number of public meetings that you can uh access and listen to uh that will will bear that out and and that's just that's a nod to our community and the respect we have our community you deserved that that layered conversation because that's our reality so we've we dur in that vein um we've had a number of Bo Board of Education meetings we've been to various Community meetings uh hrca a couple of times uh we've had a number of District leader district and leader conversations leader and staff conversations along those lines uh we went out to all 16 of the potentially paired schools over the last couple of months and had conversations with them presented a slide deck that is similar to the one you're looking at but then had a lot of Q&A about staff and their questions uh about their positions about their kids about their families uh and just like with our parents our staff is just awesome uh incredibly thoughtful incredibly kid- driven and ask phenomenal questions and that partnership is just so important uh as it is with you all uh we've actually started to do initial due diligence um through our departments uh we also have engaged a couple of North planning area uh groups uh one group made up of of community members and leaders another group made up of uh staff from the potentially impacted uh schools and those conversations will continue uh and again today have to date have just been awesome um and as I said we we've had the staff meetings with potentially impacted schools and um uh boy we're just lucky to have the people that we have so some of the issues that have come out of those various conversations you can see here um on this on this uh uh chart uh you know very honestly if if I were truly reflecting all of the issues that have come up and that we've been working through this slide uh I could I would be like five slides six slides with all the various issues that have come up and um you know it's been heartening to have these various conversations uh and to feel like we're starting to hear many of the same issues come up which means that um we we're we're where we need to be in terms of our various considerations and making sure that our kids um are are well taken care of and our staff and our families are well taken care of so this just gives you a flavor for it uh along those lines we want you involved um there's a QR code on the next slide that I'll get to here in a second asking three questions so um we have uh on the survey um a a list of criteria and and that list is really a reflection of the various criteria we keep hearing over and over again as we were having these conversations so what what I we would ask is weigh in on is this are these good criteria or each individual are these good criteria and to the extent that we're missing some something what do you think we should consider for criteria for pairing of schools um that's the first question the second question is whether your school is chosen or not what would help you navigate this difficult conversation now in the next few months we know that there are people staff members parents community members who would say listen can you just leave me alone let me know what the decision is in April and then we'll go from there we certainly have a chunk of folks who live in that world and we want to respect that uh we also have some who would say listen the minute you get the minutest of details please reach out or ple please publish it so I just have the information I can work through it and everything in between all of us myself included our parents all of us have been Educators um we know we have a sense for what that where that balance is but we want hear from you on that uh and then the third one is what questions would you like answer that we have not yet answered uh and here's why that one is is important beyond the obvious um we actually on the growth and decline web P page maintain a uh FAQ section um that um give or take nine months ago was about five questions long now is close to 16 questions long based on the various questions that we have gotten uh in these kinds of fora so uh we would love to get your take on that uh uh just so uh we can answer as many questions as we can we can continue to fill that feq section uh and to uh you know potentially adjust how we have these conversations around some of the questions that you are having so uh again we just love your take on that so there's a QR code um I'm going to sit on it for just a couple of seconds um to where you can get into it and then I've got a couple more slides to get to really quickly and I'll come back to the QR code while we do the Q&A so um I will come back to it in a second or two so um if you have questions you have uh this is in the the list of folks who you have access to and talk with the most uh your building principal is probably your point of contact most of the time on almost everything they uh we have talked with them continue to talk with them about this issue they'll have a lot of great information uh and so they're available to you our exec director of schools uh John gutterz and Ian Wells uh John is East Highlands Ranch Ian is West Highlands Ranch OS they're available to you our assistant superintendent of schools Danny Windsor is also available to you I certainly am my email is here only because I'm I'm taking points on this conversation uh and so if you if you need a district lens if you have a question for somebody in in in at central office or at the district level please reach out to me and of course superintendent cane is also very available to all of you um there's our QR code for the growth and decline web page again it's got a lot of information uh and so to the extent that you Andor your friends neighbors have any questions they've heard a rumor uh that tends to happen in these sorts of things we we've heard a few um uh um interesting ones that were 100% not true um you know that that growth and decline web page works really well in a pinch uh but truly if if you need anything beyond the web page again you reach out to Le leader reach out to me or Os Etc so uh we just want to make sure you have that information so uh this is 100% about kids uh and um uh again 5A last year 5A this year all the work that we have done over the years and we'll continue to do for our kids you at home in our buildings um you know this is just part of that effort and making sure that this process is as smooth as possible uh for them and um again we really appreciate your partnership um with that and I will go back to the QR code for the survey happy to take questions okay Steve I'm going to read some that are in our Q&A sure um let's start with why isn't redrawing the boundaries versus closure and options 600 to 700 kids in an elementary school seems pretty huge especially if we're trying to improve maintain quality and avoid overcrowding classrooms yeah it's a really good question and and the reality is there's no rebounding rebounding out of uh lower enrollment uh birth rates in the past that have has started to decline and that aren't going to reach the level that they have been over the last decade or two um there's no rebounding out of that any rebounding that you would do would would simply put other schools in the same position that we are now uh and and and potentially impact even other schools and other Fe in other uh areas and um we would be really in no different position I it's the core well it's it's worth noting and I think you all have a sense for it if if we could re boundary out of this we would really look at doing that instead of pairing schools because pairing schools um is a is a much harder conversation than a rebounder conversation they're both hard but re re uh rebounding is a is a much better uh easier conversation than actually pairing schools believe me we would do it if if that was viable but it simply isn't uh and sorry what was the second part of that Allison um hold or maybe I got it I think you covered it all yeah just that that six to 700 seems Seems big yeah so oh thank you uh that's actually worth talking about a little bit so um you know when we when we pair schools the idea would be um actually let me back up so the new schools being built in Ridge gate and Sterling Ranch are actually built for about 700 kids um and and uh the reason we're doing that is to avoid kind of what we're doing here you know 20 years from now um and um the the in the school pairing context School B comes into school a and the idea is that that school B kids families and staff all come over to uh School a so even if um that school a turns into a 500 600 kids school you have commensurate staff to work with those kids to where you're not looking at very likely 35 kids a classroom uh you're still looking at relatively um manageable if not low um class sizes uh and um so so it isn't it isn't like you know the pairing happens and class sizes gets doubled that that's not how that will go again you'll have commensurate staff coming over uh to work with those kids um and and it's also fair enough we we know that we have some parents who would much prefer uh smaller class sizes uh and and that that's really great in ways and not so great in other ways and that slide school a school B uh is part of where maybe it's not as optimal as we want it to be great you just touched on it but I do have several specific questions on class sizes and how how how a pairing will impact class sizes if you want to drill down at all on that yeah I I I think that's going to really depend on um the particular pairings I think what that also gets that too is that criteria or the considerations where you know what if what if the pairing includes class sizes of let's say 25 uh School a has has class sizes of 25 but School B has classes of 15 what does that look like uh that's going to be a conversation with a new building leader again we'll have commensurate staff coming over so it's not like it's going to be it's not going to go from 25 to 40 um um it's just going to really depend on those Dynamics but the goal would be is to maintain uh the class sizes that exist in both schools as much as possible uh and as close to as possible as what everyone is used to uh obviously we can't make any promises that that we're going to be able to maintain a 15 kid uh classroom across the the board again that's likely not going to happen because um um the the ability the room uh and the scale of that provides just makes it almost you can't do that however however we're also likely not talking about 30 kid classrooms either so that that will be a conversation once the pairings are decided and be part of the analysis too and and part of what uh we publish from a district perspective um as to the criteria and the considerations so that everybody can see what that will likely look at likely look like what the considerations are uh and what we'll do moving forward as to that and I'm sorry that's about as specific as I can get without knowing exactly what the pairings will be but but um it's 100% true that we have to look at that as part of our analysis going into the pairings and then we will talk about th that item among a variety of others once the the pairing recommendation is announced great thank you um here's a question will the paired schools go from under enrolled to over enrolled based upon capacity levels for example you've got school a at 60% School B at 60% and now we're over capacit that's a good question I part of the and and again I forgive me I'm not going to be able to be as specific as any probably some of you would want but I will say that likely part of the analysis of which School becomes the the receiving school and which school becomes the paired school or the closing School part of that analysis has to be capacity right so what we don't want to do and maybe this is the the spirit of the question a little bit what we don't want to do is pair schools into mobiles um you know if you were all in front of me I'd ask like how many people like mobiles and no one would raise their hand and everybody would laugh because no one likes mobils at all um so our goal would be not to uh pair into again mobiles or uh an environment that that wasn't optimal for kids from a capacity perspective remember too that to the extent that there's like a close call uh in these pairings a close call in terms of capacity we do have roughly if we go six schools into three roughly $7 million per school to augment or expand on a building to make sure there's enough space for our kids it's a really question thank you um if a neighborhood is split between two schools uh one walkable when they have to bus across a busy Main Road we're changing the zon so the entire neighborhood is zoned for the walkable School in option giving the kids who currently go across the street the option to open enroll in their current school if they want while the newly zoned school gets the incoming kindies and Beyond kind of an open enrollment question I think yeah yeah and and um boy I'm a little bit of a broken record but it's true uh part of uh if you if you've clicked on the survey and again that QR code staring in the face so i' love for you to to go there one of the criteria or proposed criteria is walkability ease of access that sort of thing traffic um um those um you know whether they're part of the pairing criteria or not we would necessarily want to look at those um to make sure that it was safe for our kids to uh get to school but part of that and it sort of goes back to the the class siiz question is culturally what what are our parents used to um and and let's say that closing school like what what are they used to uh and working with that Community to make sure that uh to the extent that maybe if we can't and Theory provide a a walkable pairing um then then and how do we work with our families to make it work for our kids um so great thank you um I have heard more parents wanting to move to this area due to other County curriculums I'm not sure about that but has there been impact in the last year or so to support this or start a conversation around it so if you have we seen an influx of people coming to the Highlands Ranch schools I believe is the question um we we have parents open and rolling throughout the district um you know we haven't seen enough of it nearly enough of an influx and to include the Highlands Ranch area and the three feeders that we're talking about we haven't nearly seen enough of an influx to be to say oh well maybe we we don't go through this conversation um yeah great um the math is still unclear do you have schools that are at 50% capacity if not how could you possibly combine schools without overcrowding will you also renovate some schools to make them larger uh will you over rely on portable classrooms yeah no that's a good question as I said we we're not really interested in having uh Portables um be any sort of long-term solution and when I say that I mean you know if if in a school paring context um uh we decide that a building has got to be augmented expanded whatever the case might be the only way we would use mobbles as if um um for a short period of time we had to finish up construction and we just needed a good place for our kids and our staff uh to do school um uh Portables are not not a long-term solution for us they're not mobiles or not um so I think to your other question you're really getting out the D data and as I said in January we'll publish a pretty good U comprehensive data set to where uh that question among others um U would likely be answered uh keeping in mind too that you know likely enrollment well we're here because of enrollment so enrollment will be a criteria capacity will be a criteria traffic will be a criteria uh programming will likely be a criteria sorry I mean to say likely I I don't want to get in front of our Board of Education at all but uh if we're guessing that's kind of what we're working through and we'll see where the board lands but so so capacity and enrollment um are likely going to be important but other factors will also be important too so um yeah I I just want to make sure I wouldn't necessarily assume that uh you know if a couple of criteria hit the mark that necessarily then there will be school pairings because there's there's more to the analysis great thank you um let's talk about the schools um that would be closed to to an El school are there tentative plans um for the facilities are closed um opportunities for you similar to The Legacy campus now perhaps yeah that that's a really good question and um I'll be honest with you again we've we've had five of these conversations with our families and and every time I've gotten asked that question I just take that opportunity to answer it if somebody hadn't asked the the question I would have brought it up so thank you for asking the question and teting that up so I will just uh say uh or reiterate what superintendent kanaine has said time and again that the buildings that will be Clos or the the schools school buildings that will be closing uh we will not sell uh and will not give to Charter Schools uh we will maintain those buildings and we will have programming uh coming into those buildings uh so that um we don't have neighbors we don't have community members um losing property value uh again those buildings will be maintained the bond has money in in in it uh for maintenance of all of our buildings including um whatever paired schools there are we have again money for every building uh and um we have District programming now um where we're renting space and housing that programming so renting space isn't great for taxpayers that's what we have to do right now um but it's not great for taxpayers it's not it's not great for our kids or it's not optimal for our kids and so uh we would look to um use those buildings for other District programming here's the other upshot um if in 20 years 30 years we see uh an influx of families back into Highland's Ranch because remember um you know you need folks without kids to move out but you also need kids to move in so assum assuming that happens in in in material numbers uh to where we need an additional school we can repurpose re repurpose those buildings into elementary schools uh uh without you know taxing the the stuffed elementary schools and uh any any more than we have to so there's that added Advantage as well we don't plan to sell those buildings uh we won't sell those buildings and we will bring those will be active buildings um there will be some time to take in terms of assessing which programming is most appropriate for those buildings uh and again we'll we'll work with our community and our parents on what that looks like um um and but we don't we don't want those buildings sitting idle for long stretches of time we understand that home buyers Buy in part because of the school in some cases like right next to them schools that they can see so uh having a building dilapidate and or sit empty uh is not great for anybody yeah this and actually there's another question which we can't I'm not sure we can explicitly answer but is there anticipated home value impacts with closed schools yeah yeah that that to to your point Alison not one that I can readily answer I can only answer what we plan to do and um um you know we we very much understand uh that Dynamic that's really important that uh as when we are a premier School District uh that all of our buildings are well maintained well kept uh and active uh whenever possible and our our closing closing schools for lack of better description will be used and and upkept um yeah great Eva um a sped question how will the SSN programs be handled if both schools um that are combining have a program will that program become one large program or will they be kept separated um how will the special needs students be supported in this transition and how will ratios look for those type of programs yeah we we're going to take care of kids uh and um you know obviously sped kids included and you mentioned SSN so I'll just I'll talk about that for a second um we we um as a matter of course take care of our SSN kids uh as a matter of law we must take care of our SSN kids and we plan to do that um are ratios ferally mandated ratios that that go into that and operational considerations that that we are working through uh and actually um our um uh sped uh director um Liza Meyer uh is very much involved in this conversation and and sorry and in this process uh and as with Staffing or Staffing plan uh as with sped uh we will be uh publishing a one pager one to two pager of um you know what it's going to look like um through school pairings we will take care of kids and the related staff that that work with our kids um I think we would all agree that having staff uh stay with kids for as long as possible staff that our kids are familiar with uh and have worked with them for stretches of time maybe even long stretches of time that's good for everybody and uh that's that's definitely on our radar hey Brad gerer if you'd like to um unmute um you've got a comment sounds like working on settings um the board has discussed very much of the impact on our special education children and how to make this work I had a uh chance to visit a couple of schools this week and the difference in how we're able to address special needs and effective needs in larger schools is absolutely clear not that small schools don't do a great job and try to do that but there is a one of the advantages to combining schools is to have a more coordinated larger special needs and effective needs programs um so we are actually hopeful that this will provide more benefit to those students in a larger school with a bigger um with more staff able to focus upon those kids and those needs um this is something that is important to a lot of board members and we're going to be following through on that very closely not just before we make the decision but after the decision is made over the next year to make sure that those kids are not left behind great thank you um I'm going to combine a couple of Charter School questions one is asking why we renewed Charter Schools um at our last board meeting um and then because even though we knew about our enrollment um declining and then are the volume of charter schools in the area contributing to low Public School enrollment charter schools are public schools but are they contributing to the um declining enrollment in our neighborhood schools yes so I'll I'll take that last one first um uh every school in in the Highlands Ranch area is seeing um is is having the same issue the advantage that the district has is that we have the scale uh to be able to offset the declining enrollment uh that we've been seeing over the last half decade to a decade uh and so that's helped a lot um whereas you know other whether it be a singular charter school or a private school is harder to to to do that um as far as the the the um the board meeting the other night I I just I'm gonna I'm gonna stay as factual as I can I if you're if you're interested and you're curious I really urge you to go watch that meeting and you'll draw your own own conclusion I will just I will stick with the facts and um the board did not approve or renew a charter school the other night the issue there was uh one of authorization and whether the district authorizes the charer school or whether CSI the charer school ins Institute of Colorado um authorizes that that was the that was the conversation it wasn't approving or disapproving a Cher school um the um whether it's CSI or whether it's the district um every Charter School um by law this is by law has to have a parental um interest uh and and I'll just summarize it has to have their act together has to have a viable plan uh and under state law there really is not an ability to deny each charter school if if those things are in place uh and that includes renewals so uh I'll say it for the third time under state law de declining enrollment in a neighborhood school um does does not necessarily give license to a board or CSI to non-renew or deny a charter school that has interest and or is thriving whatever the case might be um and so that that's just as a matter of fact that's that's the world we all live in um and um it's a good question it's come up a couple of times and and um I'm happy to answer that it's actually an FAQ as well great and and yes the the board did vote on that there were uh Charter School renewal presentations oh gotcha and those will come up in a um in a January meeting I believe yeah yeah I'm sorry I I was focusing on I was focusing on the authorization and yes the renewals uh the As a matter of course the board typically takes renewals uh this time of year and this the rules I just articulated apply um so perfect thank you we do have um a lot of questions about staff I've answered some um online here so but I think I'm going to um try to combine a couple of these um the question is um because I have I have shared that that all staff will be that our HR department has plans and will be working with every single staff member um and I've got someone asking you know if will they automatically be offered a job um at the parod school or will they be offered a job somewhere else if a staff person is faced with added travel costs are you concerned about losing staff to other districts in this process yeah it's a really really good question um I this is purely anecdotal uh but um we uh HR typically goes out and recruits and and we're out recruiting uh a few weeks ago and uh teacher um recruiting and one of the te prospective teachers asked um hey you know I hear you're you're working on potential School pairings and you know what does that mean for um you know uh those people's jobs and how are you all handling it and and she referenced the perspective employee did um at other districts it was it was kind of like you were a little bit on your own um and um uh our HR director told her that every position every person um uh in those impacted buildings has guaranteed a job um and that um you know we take care of people and this is one indicator of how we take care of people that everybody's going to to land in a position either at the receiving school or across the district uh and um again anecdotally um the the teacher Prospect said okay where do I apply um so uh we we feel good about how we treat people the school pairing context is one more example of us taking care of people again we can do it we have enough attrition we have two new skill build uh two new buildings opening up um and uh we're going to bend over backwards to place everybody uh in the best possible position that we can uh we've actually gotten that conversation had that conversation about well hey if if if the the guaranteed job for lack of a better description is you know 5 10 miles away from where I currently work uh you know how like is there anything we can do and and my answer to that is and has been and will continue to be we're going to work really really hard to help you land in the spot that where you want to be to include uh Pro in terms of proximity I can't promise it we can't promise it but we're going to work really hard and the reality is that you know those 500 positions that open up on an annual basis that I referred to early on in the presentation we have a number in Highlands range uh that will open up and so again we're going to work really really hard uh to with our staff to make sure uh that we again that they can land in as as good a POS place as we can part of that will be once the pairings are announced we're we're planning on having uh HR folks land in each of those buildings to have individual conversations with each of our staff members um so teachers EAS custodians principles everybody across the board to assess how they're feeling any questions that they have and what they want professionally and personally uh we're likely we're bound to have some staff members who would say you know what this is an opportunity for a fresh start can I go to you know uh Parker or Castle Rock or whatever the case might be we're bound to have some of those folks um but regardless um we we can do this again in a very fiscally responsible way uh and all of that to say all that taken together sure we might lose some folks to other districts uh but you know as I've said before and when ask the question I invite anybody uh to go look at how other districts have have worked with their staff when this has come up um and um and and compare it to to how we're handling it um and really the short answer there is it's you'd be hard pressed to find uh a district that uh are are are guaranteeing the way we are guaranteeing and leaning in the way we are leaning in to make sure our staff across the board across the board classified and licens are taken care of great thank you um everyone we are approaching 7 o'clock but we still have a few questions and we'll we'll be answering all those questions if you want to hang in there with us we will also be posting the a v this video to the growth and decline website so you can always watch it or share it with um a friend or neighbor if they were unable to attend um what are the plans with the staff at both schools and what about specials so we've answered staff but um I'm at a school that has had four specials last year and now it's down to three with specials increase or possibly decrease with the school population increasing in room starting to be a commodity um so that that gets out certainly programming also gets that capacity uh the reality is when you have more kids um you have more ability to add Staffing for specials for sped as needed and and across the board uh and so you would expect to see um in most cases in a school pairing context uh more programming and not less now we may in a pairing scenario um have come uh you know once the pairings are are nailed down a community Andor staff Andor leadership say Hey listen Maybe we want to adjust some things in terms of our programming maybe on the extracurricular side and so maybe you'll see um um more of Arts less of PE that sort of thing um um um but but that's going to be really dependent upon that new community and and what that Community is looking for but uh generally speaking you ought to expect to see more programming and less great thank you um my kids currently go to a school with mobiles will schools that are not closing but have mobils now be able to get a permanent structure addition so the uh if I'm if I'm understanding the question correctly um the $20 million for um the out of the bond are really for the receiving schools uh to augment within those contexts there's likely to be some sort of spillover effect into other buildings potentially um in terms of freed up resources to maybe do some more to those buildings but we would really have to take a look at it but at least at this point we're really looking at that 20 million for and again assuming six schools into three just hypothetically those three receiving schools would share those seven that that $20 million give or take 7 million per uh to to work on those receiving buildings to make sure that um again our our kids are coming into a really nice uh uh new new building um I don't know if that totally answers the question forgive me if it doesn't um that's how I interpret it as well it it feels like at the moment we can't that's uh not not sure and not part of the immediate um work that we're doing exactly okay um I do have one more question at this point and then we will be done with our questions that I have um how will the bond fund amounts allocated to schools um how are they allocated to the schools specifically those that are closing and so you'll repeat that those are intended for the receiving schools yeah so remember the bond has money in it for really all of our buildings to include the buildings that will close uh and and uh the schools that will close um um after the pairing happens those buildings again will not dilapidate date they'll be maintained so there is Bond money for that maintenance there's annual funds uh uh for that maintenance as well just as we normally do the bond though just makes it so much easier uh uh uh and makes it so makes our our our um helps with our capital resource allocation so much more uh and we we don't we don't have any concerns about those buildings staying um um highly functional um so sorry what was the second part of that um sorry Alison no no no that yeah that that will the money go to the closing schools and no that 20 million is intended for the receiving School schools yeah thank you thank you correct yeah I dismiss them after I asked on no I get it I get it yeah those are all the questions that we have um we've answered quite a few in in our Q&A um and so those are available to everyone and again we will be posting the video um online we hope to get that up um I suspect It'll Get Up by tomorrow um and you've got all the links please go to the growth and decline page for more information anything else from you Steve um uh no other than again thank you so much and as I said early on we'll continue to offer um a fora like this in person and um virtually um uh throughout this process through January after January into April and likely even Beyond April to make sure that you're getting all of the information and to have your questions answered so uh we really really really appreciate your time you're a big part of our team and and thank you so much for coming yes thank you for coming and have a good evening have a great evening everybody and and happy holidays