Educators gathered outside Schmitt Elementary School’s auditorium on Tuesday evening as parents, accompanied by their children, began to arrive.
Kindergarten teacher Leira Coronado greeted everyone with a cheerful “Hola!” as Denver Public Schools safety officers guided families through a metal detector and checked their bags.
Extra security measures were put in place at the front doors of the southwest Denver school in anticipation of a Board of Education meeting. Despite this, Coronado and her colleagues warmly directed parents and children to the cafeteria, where a dinner of tamales, beans, rice, pizza, and cookies awaited them before the meeting.
The purpose of the gathering was for parents to advocate for the preservation of Schmitt, one of the 10 schools slated for closure as part of DPS Superintendent Alex Marrero’s consolidation plan, announced earlier that month in response to declining enrollment in the district.
The board is set to vote on the closure of seven schools on Thursday, while Marrero has the authority to reduce the number of grades served by the remaining three schools without board approval.
Marrero’s plan for Schmitt’s closure presents an opportunity to create a new enrollment zone in southwest Denver, ensuring that former Schmitt students have a place at one of three larger schools: Godsman, McKinley-Thatcher, and Asbury elementaries.
This move could lead to greater integration of student bodies at McKinley-Thatcher and Asbury, as Godsman, similar to Schmitt, primarily enrolls students of color and children from low-income families.
During the 2023-24 academic year, 93% of Schmitt’s 182 students were students of color, with 75% coming from low-income families. In contrast, McKinley-Thatcher and Asbury have student populations that are more affluent and less diverse.
Marrero’s rationale behind the closure is centered on providing students with an equitable educational experience. He argues that smaller schools like Schmitt receive less funding per pupil, resulting in fewer resources for academics, extracurricular activities, and mental health support.
The district’s consolidation plan aims to eliminate transportation barriers that may have hindered Schmitt families from choosing to send their children to schools like Asbury or McKinley-Thatcher.
As discussions around the closures and restructuring of schools continue, the focus remains on how to best serve students, particularly those from marginalized communities.
Stay tuned for updates on this evolving situation.
