will cut 159 jobs as part of an effort to trim nearly $23 million from the district’s budget, Interim Superintendent Jennifer Perry announced Thursday.
Most of the job reductions — as many as 123 full-time equivalent positions — will be made among school support staff, such as people who work in special education, gifted and talented, and language supports, as well as administrative health liaisons and high school administrative support, according to Cherry Creek Schools’ .
“These decisions are not easy, but they are necessary to ensure the long-term strength and stability of our district,” Perry wrote in an email to parents. “By reducing costs and strengthening accountability, we are staying focused on what matters most — educating students and delivering on our promise of excellence for all. ”
Cherry Creek Schools has a $840 million budget and is projected to have a $15.4 million deficit this year, in large part because of declining enrollment.
The district will also cut 36 full-time central personnel positions, such as in transportation, maintenance, IT, communications and human resources.
Nearly $9 million of the reductions will come from other parts of the district’s budget, including overtime pay, professional development and a reduction in contracts, according to the district’s website.
At least two of the contracts that Cherry Creek Schools expects to eliminate are related to the district’s ongoing investigations into former Superintendent Christopher Smith and his wife, Brenda Smith, the district’s chief human resources officer.
Cherry Creek Schools’ investigation is focused on the Smiths’ ties to , which has received nearly $3 million in contracts from the district.
The district’s list of contracts being eliminated from its budget includes one worth $850,000 with Education Accelerated and a second worth $350,000 with a Washington, D.C.-based real estate firm called that has ties to Education Accelerated, according to the district’s website.
The budget cuts largely come as K-12 districts across Colorado are tightening their belts amid declining enrollment. Statewide, enrollment fell by more than 10,000 students this academic year — the largest decrease since 2020.
The decrease is largely driven by fewer people having babies and housing costs shifting where families live, but districts also saw enrollment drop more than expected this year because fewer immigrant students are attending schools amid the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts.
Jeffco Public Schools, the state’s second-largest district, is slashing $45 million in spending, including cutting 139 full-time positions in its central office. Most of those cuts were made via retirements and other turnover, but at least 50 people will be laid off at the end of the school year.
, which serves Adams and Broomfield counties, cut at least 150 jobs in 2025 because of budget pressures.
