CLOSURES

Eschbacher, a Denver-based independent education consultant who previously served as executive director of planning and enrollment for Denver Public Schools.

e school system is the rst institution to feel the ripple e ects of fewer children being born, Eschbacher said.

Considering lower birth rates stretching back to 2017, he said, “it is likely that kindergarten enrollment will continue to decline, which will then put additional pressure on the overall K-12 system in future years as fewer students are entering and matriculating through schools.” e state hit its peak with births in 2007, when 70,777 children were born, and Garner predicts the state’s birth rate could rebound but not until 2034 at the earliest.

Colorado’s declining birth rate — which attened in 2022 — is “hands down” shaping enrollment drops, said state demographer Elizabeth Garner.

About 62,400 Colorado kids were born in 2022, slightly up from 61,976 births in 2021. e birth rate, however, has remained at, Garner said, even as the state has continued to see an increase in women of childbearing age.

“I think this decade we will see a slowdown in enrollment in almost every area,” she said. “After this decade, we may start to see an increase.”

Eschbacher anticipates that the declines in student enrollment

Piko recommended an app called “Shovler,” where residents can hire a shoveler for their residence or become a shoveler themselves.

Councilmember Robyn Carnes said she wonders if there is a way to extend community grants to neighborhoods so they can purchase a tool like a snowblower for the neighborhood.

“Let’s go beyond, think creatively, to help our citizens,” Carnes said.

Centennial has two community grant programs — the Neighborhood Engagement Grant, which provides grants of up to $500, and the Large Community Improvement Grant, which o ers up to $10,000 for a larger-scale project. To teach residents how to apply for the large grant program, there will be two informational meetings held in February.

Carnes also mentioned volunteers are needed for Arapahoe County’s program, “Dig Out Your Neighbor.” Under this program, volunteers shovel the driveways and walking paths of the homes of older adults and people with disabilities. Residents interested in volunteering can nd more information at: bit.ly/shovelvolunteer.

“I’m thinking that maybe there’s some other ideas we can explore,” Maurer said. “I thank you for the discussion.” ose interested in learning more about the city’s snow and ice control plan, such as which streets the city plows, can visit: bit.ly/snowqa. To learn more about the city’s community grants and its upcoming informational meetings, visit: bit. ly/grantmeetings. across the state could lead to more school closures — similar to recent decisions in Je co Public Schools to close 16 elementary schools at the end of the school year. e rst step districts must take as they grapple with lower student counts: “understanding the new normal for what enrollment might look like in their area,” Eschbacher said.

“Districts are going to have to analyze how changing enrollment patterns combined with changing funding structures from the federal and state level may impact the number of schools and programs that they are able to o er in the future,” he said.

Districts also must collaborate with their communities to grasp what fewer students will mean for their schools and the kinds of adjustments they need to make.

“We need to acknowledge that these dynamics are bigger than COVID,” he said, “and we need to start having tough conversations with our communities about it.”

Enrollment also fell among white students and students of color, families opting to home-school their children and students pursuing online learning. e state reported the biggest change among white students, with schools educating 7,673 fewer white students this school year than in 2021. American Indian or Alaska native students experienced the largest percentage drop in public school enrollment, with the state recording close to 5% fewer students this past fall than the year before.