CLOSURES

and are not being replaced,” Kane said.

There are 18 elementary schools in the Highlands Ranch area, while only seven elementary schools serve Sedalia, Sterling Ranch, the Canyons, Castle Pines, Roxborough Park and Ridgegate East.

With those numbers in mind, Kane said the district is beginning to analyze where it might be appropriate to combine elementary schools, with a timeline of consolidation in 2026.

“We know that we have to do this with our community, not to our community, and we have to do it not in a huge hurry,” Kane said. “Really what we’d be looking at is marrying two elementary schools into one for the long-term.”

Decisions about how to use leftover buildings will come after consolidations are finalized, Kane said. Potential uses included special education programming, office space, professional development space or career and technical education.

Kane said some of the concerns with under-enrolled schools are a lack of academic, extracurricular and special education programming, as well as combined classrooms and staffing challenges.

Growth still happening

Shavon Caldwell, district planning manager, said the enrollment projections showed an overall decline, but noted pockets of growth and overcrowding still exist because neighborhoods

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According to Shannon Bingham from Western Demographics, Crystal Valley Ranch, Sterling Ranch and the Canyons all experienced a baby boom last year.

“All of these areas that have a three- or five-mile radius where there are no schools, we’re seeing the effects of the new housing that’s coming online in those areas,” Bingham said.

To meet demand in the growing areas of the district, the district will need voters to approve a bond, Kane said. If voters approve a bond in 2023, the soonest the district could open new schools would be 2026.

Currently, to deal with overflow issues, the district has bused students to existing schools and changed school boundaries, but Kane said those strategies are becoming more difficult.

“Right-sizing our elementary schools through the method of busing children to other geographic regions is really challenging and we haven’t historically done that in Douglas County,” she said. “It’s very reasonable for families moving into Douglas County to expect a community elementary school to be in the vicinity.” candidate should focus on that candidate’s qualifications for o ce. We cannot publish letters that contain unverified negative information about a candidate’s opponent. Letters advocating for or against a political candidate or ballot issue will not be published within 12 days of an election.

Overcrowded schools face issues with not having enough space for special education programming, staff challenges, large class sizes and mobile classrooms.

The school board directed staff to move forward with creating a detailed timeline and engagement plan for both growth and decline in the north planning area.

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Reminder: first half property tax payments due

First half payment is due by the last day of February, second half payment due by June 15, or full payment due by April 30. For more information, please visit douglas.co.us/treasurer or douglascotax.com

Skip the trip - motor vehicle services just a click away

Renew your driver license or motor vehicle registration and more from the convenience of your smartphone, tablet, desktop or laptop. You can also renew vehicle registrations at MVExpress kiosks. Find information at DouglasDrives.com

Are you ready if disaster hits?

It takes a matter of seconds for disaster to strike and change your life forever. Thankfully, it also takes only seconds to sign up for free emergency notifications at DouglasCountyCodeRED.com ensuring that you will be in the know if dangerous circumstances are foreseen or happening near you.

Live Town Hall meetings

Did you know Douglas County offers Live Town Hall meetings, inviting you to engage in the local issues of importance to you and your neighbors? Register at douglas.co.us/townhall to ensure you are contacted about all future Live Town Halls – it’s always your choice whether or not to participate. Registering will also allow you to receive surveys so that you may share what topics YOU want to hear more about.

Keeping Your County Healthy…

You can help keep your community healthy. The Douglas County Health Department investigates communicable diseases. You can help by reporting infectious diseases along with animal bites that break the skin. To report, visit douglas.co.us and search Health Department