Five years after voters approved a to improve the districtap high school and middle school campuses, will be back on the ballot this fall seeking nearly $100 million to help rebuild its aging elementary and preschool buildings.
The district’s Board of Education unanimously agreed on Aug. 2 to go to voters, asking for a $97.5 million bond issue and a $1.5 million mill levy override to fund the complete replacement of its four elementary schools buildings and its early childhood education building, all of which are at least six decades old, officials say.
The decision was recommended to the board after months of tours, public open house and feedback sessions and additional research by the volunteer , composed of 28 parents, community members and district staff.
“I’m so grateful for the participation of this group,” Englewood’s Superintendent Wendy Rubin said in a press release after the board’s vote. “At some point, we must be the ones to say that itap time for something new.”
School board president Tena Prange, who has a daughter at Cherrelyn Elementary, another at Englewood Leadership Academy and one who just graduated from Englewood High School, said the outdated schools at the 3,000-student district are a safety issue.
“We can’t continue putting Band-Aids on old buildings that need major renovations,” Prange said.
Some of the schools do not have adequate layouts to provide designated spaces for student drop off and pickup before and after school, district officials say. Some feature grandfathered-in fire suppression systems and entry ways that do not meet modern safety guidelines. There are also a number of concerns with building accessibility under the American with Disabilities Act.
Nicole Westfall is the principal at , 4600 S. Fox St. The school has about 500 students in kindergarten through sixth grade. Though Westfall did not advocate for or against the bond issue, she recently pointed out numerous issues with Clayton, which was first built in 1948 before undergoing several renovations and additions over the years.
“We are not accessible right now under the ADA,” Westfall said, noting the school does not have an elevator despite its second-floor gym. “We struggle to meet one of our core values of being an inclusive environment because of the structural limitations of our building.”
Clayton also has an outdated and clamorous heating and cooling system, Westfall said. Temperatures can fluctuate unpredictably and the noise from the machinery distracts students and disrupts teachers.
Englewood isn’t the only district going to voters this year. According to the Colorado School Finance Project, districts statewide are pursuing or considering pursuing a combined and mill levy overrides this November in the wake of declining education funding from the state since 2010.
Prange is firm in the decision to go to ballot this year — just five years after voters approved the middle school and high school bond. She said that upgrades on the high school and middle school campuses allowed for the inclusion of high-quality STEM labs at Englewood High School, the creation of a popular at Colorado’s Finest High School of Choice and other opportunities that improved the quality and variety of education the district can provide. Modern elementary school building would allow for similar opportunities, Prange said.
“I don’t worry about timing. I believe that our community has the courage of conviction,” she said. “Englewood students deserve to have these spaces to learn in.”
