Dear Editor,

Coal Creek Canyon K-8 is in danger of being closed after the 2023/2024 school year, according to numerous Jefferson County School District officials, threatening to not only change the character of the community but also reduce the home values throughout the canyon. As a part of the district’s effort to respond to declining enrollment and changing demographics, the school board is looking to close schools across the district. Last year the board announced the closure of 16 elementary schools and this summer turns its attention to middle schools and K-8s.

“We’re under the microscope. We are,” says Kevin Carroll, the acting principal of CCCK-8.

The lone schoolhouse in Coal Creek Canyon has never been terribly large. In the first few decades after it was founded, in 1890, it hosted a dozen kids or so. Over the years since, its numbers have ebbed and flowed, going as high as 149 in 2019, and down to just 92 this year.

But despite its size, Coal Creek Canyon K-8 has always been a central part of the community, with haunted houses at Halloween, movie nights, and school plays for the middle schoolers.

While it outperforms nearby schools academically, the CCCK-8 has struggled with budget cuts in recent years. It’s currently on its third principal in two years and several classes have been combined in order to save money on teachers’ salaries. One of those teachers, Robert Waadt, who was scheduled to teach first grade this year, was transferred just one month into the term.

Now the school may face permanent closure as a part of a program called Regional Opportunities for Thriving Schools, which was initiated by the Jefferson County School District in response to dwindling enrollment throughout the county and state. According to census data, there are 259 kids between the ages of 6 and 14 in the canyon, but many of them either go to school elsewhere or have switched to homeschooling, especially during the pandemic.

A school closure would mean that the children of Coal Creek will likely be split up and either bussed to Nederland or ten miles down the hill to Arvada, where the nearest elementary school, Three Creeks K-8 is already overcrowded and underperforming academically, according to state data.

Representative Brianna Titone, whose district includes CCCK-8, wrote in an email that not having a school nearby puts “an enormous burden” on parents in areas like Coal Creek.

“I hope that the importance of rural schools to the community is taken into consideration when the district considers any closing,” she wrote. The state house of representatives has no direct control over decisions made by the school board.

Even so, four other state lawmakers — Senators Lisa Cutter, Janice Marchman, Dylan Roberts, and Representative Judy Amabile — submitted a letter to the superintendent asking for similar consideration for the school. Stephanie Schooley, the Jefferson County school board member who represents Coal Creek, declined to comment about a potential closure. A spokesperson for the district said the decision has not been made yet but pointed out that CCCK-8 was among the most expensive schools in the district at $20,000 per student (the average, she said, was $17,000).

“If you look at the decisions that we made last year, I mean, the fact is Coal Creek K-8 is the smallest school in our district,” she said. She later added that “I think that we are interested in the conversation with community about the use of the building.”

She said she is not sure how long travel times will be for students who will have to bus to a new school if the current one closes. Currently some students already ride for 45 minutes each way without an additional trip down the hill or north to Nederland.

Residents are also concerned that many parents may consider leaving the canyon if the school closes.

“We have the potential of losing home values and losing a lot of young families,” says Veronica Cooper, whose son is in the first grade. “Because why would we stick around if we don’t have the opportunity for schooling for our kids?”

According to a 2017 paper in the Journal on Housing Research, the closing of a well-performing school generally causes a 6.8 percent drop in home values to nearby communities, even in communities where distances to the next school are closer.

Lisa Friisbaastad, a veteran realtor based in Black Hawk who specializes in mountain homes, said she’s not sure the closing will have an effect on home prices but she worries it may make it even harder for families to live here.

“People move here who can afford to live up here,” she said, adding that “families can’t afford homes in Coal Creek Canyon.”

Carroll, who has come out of retirement to work in CCCK-8, plans to work part-time next year in order to save money for the school. He says he has not given up hope, but he encouraged community members to make their voices heard by both the Jefferson County School Board and the superintendent.

“It is a pretty amazing place,” he says. “If I didn’t believe that this was a wonderful place for kids to learn, I’d go fishing next year.”

How to learn more about the potential closure and get involved.

In a community meeting on April 17, the superintendent of the Jefferson County School District, Tracy Dorland, expressed interest in working alongside community members in Coal Creek.

“We’re going to probably be reaching out to start the conversation soon about what we should do,” she said.

Dorland has until August 2023 to submit her recommendations for school closures next year. After that, the school board has until November to make its final decision. On May 8th and May 11th there will be a community meeting at the school and a school board meeting in Denver, respectively. You can also send letters to the superintendent at supt@jeffco.k12.co.us, and to the board at board@jeffco.k12.co.us.

For more information about the school closure and community efforts to save it, reach out to Kendra Long, secretary of CCCK-8 (kendra.long@jeffco.k12. co.us, 303-982-3409) or Tami Lawson, PTSA president (tamikrislawson@hotmail.com).

Erik Vance

Parent in the district