Jeffco Public Schools

2023 Board Updates

• August 24, 2023: Recommendation: Regional Opportunities for Thriving Schools Phase II
• June 22, 2023: Pomona/ Moore Articulation Discussion and Resolution
• May 11, 2023: Regional Opportunities for Thriving Schools Phase II Resolution
• May 3, 2023: Regional Opportunities for Thriving Schools Phase II Resolution Study Session
• February 24, 2023: Regional Opportunities for Thriving Schools Phase I and Phase II Update
• January 19, 2023: School Properties Disposition Board Presentation 

2022 Board Updates

• November 10, 2022: Board decision on Regional Opportunities for Thriving Schools
• November 8, 2022: Wheat Ridge Development Update Memo
• November 2, 2022:
  • Regional Opportunities Update to the BoE, Community Conversations and Survey Results
  • Keystone Report
• October 12, 2022: Regional Opportunities Update to the BoE
• September 7, 2022: Regional Opportunities Update to the BoE 
• August 25, 2022: Final Regional Opportunities Recommendation

Candid Conversations with our Jeffco Community (Video Series)

View the playlist on YouTube.

In our Path Forward to Thriving Schools series, we spoke with Jeffco community members who've faced school closures. Watch these honest discussions with Jeffco staff and parents as they share their experiences..

Check out this candid conversation with Valerie Moreno as she shares some of her thoughts about her own experience with school consolidation.

Check out this candid conversation with Sandy McSperrin as she shares some of her thoughts about her own experience with school consolidation.

Check out this candid conversation with former Allendale principal, Rob Malling, as he shares some of his thoughts about his own experience with school consolidation.

Check out this candid conversation between Matt Palaoro, Jeffco's Chief Student Success Officer, and Jeffco parent, Michelle Miley. Matt and Michelle discuss the transition of her son from one of our special education center-based programs.

Check out this candid conversation with Anthony West, a former parent of two students at Allendale Elementary, which closed in the spring of 2021. Anthony shares some of his thoughts about his own experience with school consolidation.

Check out this candid conversation with Tessel Stevenson, a parent of two students who attended Fitzmorris Elementary, which closed in the spring of 2022. Tessel shares some thoughts about her own experience with school consolidation.

Jeffco has capacity to serve 88,000 students in its traditional district-managed schools and we currently only serve 66,500 students.

The impact of Jeffco’s excess capacity is felt in nearly every corner of our district as we stretch our resources to sustain the number of schools we have, with declining enrollment. It is hard on all school communities when we do not efficiently utilize our resources and take advantage of economies of scale.

Most importantly, it creates inequities in the educational opportunities that schools are able to provide to students due to budget limitations.

Regional Opportunities for Thriving Schools Phase I focused on thriving elementary schools. Phase II focuses on thriving K-8 and middle schools.

A Thriving Student and Educator Experience include things like:
At least one class per grade level.

• Consistent planning time for school teachers.
• Full-time support from an instructional coach and Digital Teacher Librarian (DTL).
• Full-time Social Emotional Learning and Mental Health staff.
• Operational Budgets to support materials and resources.
• Full-time art, music and PE (AMP) teachers designated to each building.
• Family engagement supports and staffing.
• Easier to full, full-time positions.
• Equitable access to:
  • Wrap-around services based on individual student needs.
  • Intervention and enrichment
  • A broad range of peer interactions and multiple classrooms for students to experience.

2023 Related Media Coverage

• Chalkbeat, August 24, 2023: Jeffco is recommending closing two K-8 schools this year in second round of closures"

• Colorado Sun, January 10, 2023: Jeffco will shuffle kids from 16 closing elementary schools to ones falling behind in reading and math

2022 Related Media Coverage

The Regional Opportunities for Thriving Schools media report contains a compilation of media mentions for Jeffco’s Regional Opportunities for Thriving Schools initiative between June 1 and December 31, 2022. Read the report.

Members of the media can contact the Jeffco Media Relations Team to request an interview.