Sept. 26, 2023
Dear Poudre School District staff and families:
Poudre School District believes in offering innovative programming and educational choice for our students and their families. All students should have opportunities to pursue their interests and passions while experiencing a strong sense of belonging and connection with others. This enables them to achieve at their highest levels. To be good stewards of taxpayer dollars, we must offer these opportunities while using available space in our school buildings as effectively as possible.
School districts nationwide are experiencing and adjusting to declining enrollment. PSD is no exception as we, too, have experienced declining enrollment over the past few years. This is in large part due to declining birth and fertility rates (Colorado has the sixth lowest fertility rate in the country) and elevated housing costs that make it difficult for staff and families to buy homes within our district boundaries.
Shifts in enrollment are impacting parts of our district disproportionately. Some communities in PSD, such as Timnath and Wellington, are growing and may even need more space for students in the years to come. Meanwhile, some schools in our community are seeing smaller enrollment numbers each year, which results in reduced funding. Their school budgets are getting smaller, which makes it harder to offer the same specials classes or electives as other schools with higher enrollment. This is not equitable for students.
This is both a challenge and an opportunity to maximize our use of space and accommodate student interests. We are going to be making some difficult but needed adjustments to address changes in our population proactively.
I understand that this communication may feel vague, and that’s because we are having conversations with folks internally who are directly impacted by the forthcoming changes. I will share more specific information at the Oct. 10 PSD Board of Education meeting and communicate with our entire PSD community thereafter.
I want to thank you for your patience, your understanding, and your commitment to making PSD the best school district in Colorado. This is a truly amazing community, and I will share more with all of you soon.
With appreciation,
Brian Kingsley
Superintendent
Poudre School District