WEEK OF AUGUST 29, 2024
VOLUME 11 | ISSUE 32
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Schools eyed for closure in 2026 Douglas County
‘effectively’ ends homelessness, but the data is nuanced BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Superintendent Erin Kane laid out a timeline to close schools, with decisions about which ones to consolidate coming next spring. She said she expects that six schools will be merged into three. “The discussions around school pairings are all about opportunities
For nearly two years, an outreach team has traveled around Douglas County, contacting unhoused people — often more than once — to build trust and offer them help. Now, the county says it has “effectively ended homelessness,” attributing its success to the outreach program and other efforts. Officials are “pleased to announce that we have functionally ended homelessness in Douglas County,” said county Commissioner Abe Laydon, noting that officials counted just six people sleeping outside in the county on one night this summer. “That is about as close to functional zero as we’re going to get.” Earlier this year, a count had found 80 homeless people — sheltered and unsheltered — in Douglas County.
SEE CLOSURES, P15
SEE HOMELESSNESS, P16
Douglas County School District is firming up its timeline to consolidate elementary schools in Highlands Ranch, an area that is PHOTO BY ARIA MARIZZA seeing a decline in enrollment. The consolidations are planned for the 2026-27 school year. BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Douglas County School District is firming up its timeline to consolidate elementary schools in Highlands Ranch as part of an effort to better serve both communities that are aging and those experiencing or expecting baby booms.
No specific schools have been named for closure, but declining enrollment in the Highlands Ranch area has prompted the district to plan to merge elementary schools for the 2026-27 school year. In 2012, elementary schools in Highlands Ranch had almost 10,500 students enrolled. In 2023, that number dropped to 7,409 students enrolled.
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