FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Plans to change and consolidate the Poudre School District in northern Colorado are restarting with some big changes.
The district presented its initial plan in the fall and got massive pushback from the public.
Now, they're moving forward with a new plan that will be led by the community and already, it's getting support.
Three months ago, it was students leading the charge pushing back on the school district's plan to consolidate. Students like Otis Hepp and Gunnar Salzmann were mad that their beloved school, Polaris Expeditionary Learning, was being put on the chopping block.
"They were ready to move forward with this and in a way, it's almost like they kicked a wasp's nest," said Otis Hepp, a junior at Polaris Expeditionary. "I mean, all the communities at all the different schools reacted immediately, we walked out, we held protests. And that resulted in them immediately, basically apologizing for what had happened."
Now, Poudre Schools is moving full-steam ahead on a community-led plan.
Through a steering committee of parents, community leaders along with school staff members and leaders, they'll hear feedback from the community and then make recommendations to the school board about what consolidations and changes the district should make.
"My mom actually applied and got accepted to be a part of the committee and is going to participate in the meetings in March for all of that. And I know that her and a lot of the people who are going to be a part of the committee are going to listen and want that input so they can bring it forth to the district and propose the best solution they can," said Gunnar Salzmann, a junior at Polaris Expeditionary.
"They could come and talk to us about what it is they value most about their particular school community, things they would like to see preserved, unintended consequences, we're really looking at this as an opportunity for the facilities planning steering committee to hear voices and consider the many interconnected dynamics that any change could have in our system and then use that information as they build out the 2-3 recommendations for our board," said Madeline Noblett, chief information officer with the school district.
But Noblett said changes to the district have to be made.
The district's declining enrollment will mean a massive funding shortfall in the years to come. And the amount of renovations their current facilities need are near $1 billion.
"This is a critical moment in our district's history where we must address this challenge and if we do not, we are essentially kicking the can down the road and creating a larger challenge over time and that's just not, we can't do that," Noblett said.
After a rocky start, Hepp and Salzmann said they're happy to see the district now ready to listen. They hope to see the community's passion for positive change at Poudre Schools continue.
"I’m very happy with how the district now has reacted to this and how they’re moving forward with trying to get community input and move the process along so as many people are heard as possible," Salzmann said.
"It's just really important for people to keep the motivation going and keep fighting for what we care about," Hepp said.
The steering committee starts its work on Feb. 2. In March, the committee will hold listening sessions that will allow the community to weigh-in on consolidation plans and ways to improve the school district long-term.
- 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Monday, March 18, at the PSD Information Technology Center at the Johannsen Support Services Complex, 2407 Laporte Ave., Fort Collins
- 6-8 p.m., Monday, March 18, at Rocky Mountain High School, 1300 W. Swallow Road, Fort Collins
- 4:30-6:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 19, at Lincoln Middle School, 1600 W. Lancer Drive, Fort Collins
- 7:30-8:30 a.m., Wednesday, March 20, at Timnath Middle-High School, 4700 E. Prospect Road, Timnath
- 6-8 p.m., Wednesday, March 20, at Fort Collins High School, 3400 Lambkin Way, Fort Collins
- 6-8 p.m., Thursday, April 4, at the Future Ready Center, Suite 510 in the Foothills Mall, 215 E Foothills Parkway, Fort Collins. This session is for participants whose primary languages are Spanish and Arabic.
- 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Monday, March 18, at the PSD Information Technology Center at the Johannsen Support Services Complex, 2407 Laporte Ave., Fort Collins
- 6-8 p.m., Monday, March 18, at Rocky Mountain High School, 1300 W. Swallow Road, Fort Collins
- 4:30-6:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 19, at Lincoln Middle School, 1600 W. Lancer Drive, Fort Collins
- 7:30-8:30 a.m., Wednesday, March 20, at Timnath Middle-High School, 4700 E. Prospect Road, Timnath
- 6-8 p.m., Wednesday, March 20, at Fort Collins High School, 3400 Lambkin Way, Fort Collins
- 6-8 p.m., Thursday, April 4, at the Future Ready Center, Suite 510 in the Foothills Mall, 215 E Foothills Parkway, Fort Collins. This session is for participants whose primary languages are Spanish.
For more information visit the district's plans on its website.
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