Signs of economic woe find their way into Fairview Elementary School principal Norma Giron’s office every day.
Parents fill the school office seeking help finding work, kids tell teachers they have lost their homes or are living in motels, and hungry students increasingly seek second helpings at free lunches and breakfasts offered through the federal meal program for low-income students.
At Fairview, south of Invesco Field, 97.2 percent of students are poor enough to qualify for the benefit — making the school the second-poorest in Denver Public Schools.
Before spring break, Giron noticed students began acting out, showing signs of anxiety, and figured they were distressed about the school’s closing for a week.
“We give them breakfast and lunch, and at least they knew they get those two things every day,” she said. “On break they aren’t guaranteed that.”
As the economy worsens more children are becoming homeless, increasingly showing up to class in tattered clothes and relying on free meals offered at the schools.
Schools often take on the role of social services. These days principals, teachers and support staff say they are being overwhelmed by the stark realities affecting students and families.
At the same time, budget cuts are eliminating some of the services that help kids.
In 2008, 23,079 school-age kids in Denver lived below the poverty line — 500 more than 2007, according to U.S. Census figures in December.
In March, 1,200 DPS students claimed homelessness — meaning they were living in shelters, motels or with family members or friends. A year ago , it was 1,100 kids.
Olivia Torres is a restaurant hostess and has seen her hours cut to one to two days a week. Her husband is in construction and hasn’t had a regular paycheck. She sees the strain on her two children, who attend Bryant-Webster Dual Language School in northwest Denver.
“They are saying, ‘Mom, why are you not working? Why are we going through this?’ ”
Torres was among a group of parents who last month appealed to the school board to save a popular social worker whose hours were being cut. The employee works with families to help them find services.
Throughout DPS, counseling positions, social workers and school-psychologist positions are being cut due to budget constraints.
This year DPS has 75 full-time counselor positions at 38 schools — up from 61 the year before. Next year the district will have only 68 counselors at 35 schools.
The ratio is out of balance, said Michelle Moss, school board vice president.
In other Colorado districts, Moss said, the ratio is 500 students for each counselor. In Denver, the ratio is 1,100 kids for each counselor, she said.
“In this economy, where parents are stressed and people don’t have resources and now the schools take those away, who is going to help kids with those issues?”
Bryant-Webster principal Pam Linan hopes an influx of federal stimulus money will allow her to pay for more days for the social worker.
“The decision is if we had to choose between social worker, psychologist and counselor, what is the first thing we need to push for,” Linan said. “We need all three.”
DPS Superintendent Tom Boasberg understands the challenges for principals who must figure out their own school budgets — paying for teachers and support staff from a pot of state and federal money based on how many students are enrolled.
Also, DPS pays more for retirement and pension costs than any other district in Colorado, which takes about $50 million a year from schools.
Adams 14 School District in Commerce City is the second-poorest metro district, behind Sheridan schools.
Of Adams 14’s 6,500 students, 82 percent are eligible for federal meal benefits and 9 percent are homeless.
The district’s policy puts a psychologist in every school.
Dan Gurzick is a psychologist at Alsup Elementary, north of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, where 84 percent are eligible for meal benefits.
Gurzick works one-on-one with kids who have been suicidal or who see hallucinations. He also counsels teachers on how to help kids cope.
“Kids are always affected by what is going on in their home,” he said. “But they don’t have the skills or understanding of how to deal with it.”
