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Week of August 25, 2022
JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
JeffcoTranscript.com
VOLUME 39 | ISSUE 5
Wheat Ridge uses grant to commission affordability study Solutions still in discussion stage but experts say much can be done BY BOB WOOLEY BWOOLEY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
As enrollments fall and classrooms stand empty, Jefferson County Public School District Superintendent Tracy Dorland was set to make a recommendation to the school board on Aug. 25 suggesting which schools to be closed after the 2022-2023 school year. SHUTTERSTOCK IMAGE
Jeffco School District eyes elementary closures Declining enrollment means some schools are at less than half of capacity BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
School is back in session — potentially for the last time at some Jefferson County elementary schools. As enrollments fall and classrooms stand empty, Jefferson County Public School District Superintendent Tracy Dorland was set to make a recommendation to the school board on Aug. 25 suggesting which schools could be closed after the 2022-2023 school year. Jeffco Schools have a capacity for 96,000 students. Currently, the district has 69,000 students enrolled.
Jeffco Schools Chief of Strategy and Communication Lisa Relou said the district is looking into a number of factors when making the decision on which schools to close, including enrollment and building utilization. According to data provided by the school district, nine Jeffco Schools use 50% or less of their building capacity: Peck Elementary, Swanson Elementary, Thomson Elementary, Emory Elementary, Glennon Heights Elementary, Lasley Elementary, Lukas Elementary, Bergen Meadow Primary and Weber Elementary. Of those nine, four have projected enrollments under 200 students as of Aug. 15: Peck (38% building utilization, 159 projected students), Thomson (39% building utilization, 193 projected students), Glennon Heights (43% building utilization, 138 projected students) and Bergen Meadow (44%
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 14 | LIFE: PAGE 16 | CALENDAR: PAGE 19 | SPORTS: PAGE 22
SEE SCHOOLS, P2
Housing Authorities, tax credits and housing vouchers are all potential solutions to the affordable housing crisis Wheat Ridge faces. But Eric Ameigh, director of operations and special projects for CZB, a consulting firm hired by the City of Wheat Ridge to help make sense of the city’s affordable housing issues, said the problem with those solutions is that something like 4 out of 5 people who need them never receive them. Wheat Ridge recently received a grant to perform a housing study put together by Ameigh and his team. During an Aug. 15 Wheat Ridge Study Session, Ameigh led City Council through the numbers in an attempt to give them guidance in fixing a problem plaguing the entire state. Ameigh’s presentation was broken down into three categories including Selected Market Data, Target Markets and Potential Intervention Concepts. Market Data According to Ameigh, Wheat Ridge home values have been on the rise for years, creating serious affordability implications even before COVID-19. “This is not something that’s just happened over the last couple of years, it’s a longer-term trajectory that goes back to the past decade,” he said. Ameigh said to understand the situation, you had to look at median income in relation to home values. He said U.S. Census SEE HOUSING, P4
FUNGI FORAGING
Mushroom hunting in Colorado sees major upswing
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