Families say proposed Boulder Valley School District boundary changes will create 'big loss' for neighborhoods

BOULDER, Colo. — Denver7 is following up on potential school boundary changes for Boulder Valley School District.

In 2022, the BVSD Board of Education established the Long Range Advisory Committee to explore potential solutions to declining enrollment. For the first time in 40 years, the school district is considering changing its school boundaries.

If approved, the proposed changes would impact around 150 students and take effect in the 2026-2027 school year.

Education

Boulder Valley School District considers boundary changes to address enrollment

Danielle Kreutter

After our story aired, Denver7 heard from several families who were concerned about the potential change.

Denver7

"Why would they disrupt our community like that?" said Jacqueline Vineyard, a BVSD parent.

Her family's home in Gunbarrell is included in the proposed boundary change. The change would send her kindergartner to a different elementary school and eventually to a different middle school.

Vineyard believes the change, if approved, would upend her family's routine as well as many of her neighbors' routines.

"Community creates connection. Connection creates purpose," she told Denver7. "[The district says] it will foster community, and it will do the exact opposite."

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During our initial interview with Rob Price, assistant Superintendent of Operations, we discussed Vineyard's neighborhood.

"The Gunbarrel area, half of that community currently goes to Crestview, and the other half goes to Heatherwood Elementary School," he said at the time. "We feel like it's important that that entire community goes to Heatherwood Elementary just, again, to meet that neighborhood and community cohesion."

Price said open enrollment is still an option for families that want to remain at their current school.

"School Choice allows families to make any decision they want, as long as there's capacity within that school and we have the resources in that school," he said.

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Another Denver7 viewer and BVSD parent named Ashley reached out after the first story. In her email, she said, "My son has 32 kids in his fifth grade class this upcoming year - while [another school] a half a mile away has closer to 22. BVSD needs to quit the open enrollment for already full schools. That’s the issue."

Vineyard said she and her neighbors are nervous about the possibility that there might be so many families who open-enroll to stay in their current school and avoid the boundary change, that not everyone will make it back to their preferred classroom.

We took both of their concerns to the school district. A spokesperson was not available for a second interview on Friday, but the district released the following statement:

"We do hope to speak up," Vineyard said. "I hope they listen, I really do."

Public comment is encouraged at the BVSD board meetings throughout August and September. The board is expected to make its final decision at its second September meeting.

Requests to speak at the meeting must be submitted before 12 p.m. on the day of the meeting by completing the Request to Speak During Public Participation form (English) or the Solicitud para hablar durante la sesión de participación pública form (Spanish). Both are available on the Board of Education’s website.

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