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D51 board work session: district outlines timeline and logistics for three elementary closures affecting 10 schools
Summary
District staff outlined a four‑phase closure and receiving‑school plan for three elementary closures (Nisley, Clifton, Scenic), seven receiving schools, staffing plans, abatement and bond work, an early childhood center at Nisley for 2025–26, and a May 19 early‑dismissal schedule for affected schools.
Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 staff gave a detailed update at a board work session on the elementary school closure process that will affect three closing schools and seven receiving schools, describing phases, timelines, staffing steps, facilities work and family supports.
District staff said three elementary schools—Nisley, Clifton and Scenic—are scheduled to close under the currently described plan; seven receiving schools were named: Wingate, Broadway, Orchard (Orchard Avenue), Chatfield, Rocky, Fruitvale and Taylor. The district said the closure process touches 10 schools in total and is being organized in four phases: building empathy and understanding (January–February), planning and implementation (March–April), summer moving and projects (May–July), and a “strong start” launch for the 2025–26 school year.
Jen, a district staff member leading the closure planning, described academic and student‑support preparations: building‑based transition teams are inventorying curriculum materials, transferring Title I resources and making plans for students with IEPs and multilingual learner supports. Staff emphasized that the bulk of packing and moving work is curriculum materials rather than furniture.
Operations and facilities staff described bond‑funded abatement and capital work scheduled at multiple receiving schools. The district said Fruitvale, Taylor, Chatfield and Rocky will receive significant abatement and other bond work as part of master planning; staff said the abatement work was already planned within the bond/master plan and will be completed in the 2024–25 timeframe. Operations said packing materials and Connex storage boxes will be delivered starting at spring break, that the district is developing a tracking system for stored items, and that some moves will be outsourced to contracted moving companies. IT staff will remove and reinstall equipment where full abatement occurs. District leadership scheduled planning meetings with building principals to inform schematic design and educational‑adequacy needs.
On preschool and early childhood programming, staff said Nisley is being planned as an early childhood center for the 2025–26 school year. Preschools located in Clifton, Fruitvale and Chatfield will be relocated; Orchard’s preschool (currently about five blocks from Orchard Avenue) will be placed in Nisley; Taylor’s preschool must relocate during abatement; Broadway will consolidate two preschool classrooms into one. The district said May 19 will be the last day for students in the 10 affected schools and that a two‑day early dismissal will occur for those schools to support moves and reconfiguration.
Human resources staff outlined staffing and hiring steps: site visits and one‑on‑one recruiter sessions have started; staff said positions are expected to post starting in mid‑February, with initial postings available internally for the first three weeks. Nonprobationary teachers and support staff at closing schools are guaranteed a position for the next year; probationary teachers who do not secure a mutual‑consent position may be non‑renewed in May but remain eligible to apply to posted positions. The district said displaced nonprobationary teachers and counselors will be interviewed first at receiving schools and that staff from closing schools will be guaranteed interviews within grade bands or specialty areas. The district also said each staff member at a closing school will receive one extra substitute day, and that employee assistance resources and an early‑retirement incentive (18 letters received to date) are available. Staff reported roughly 33 resignations and retirements systemwide so far.
District staff said they had requested and been awarded state grant funds from the Colorado Department of Education to cover transition costs; staff said those funds will pay stipends for building‑based transition teams and support family‑engagement work with a partner organization (CEI). Staff said CDE requested a family‑focused approach as part of the grant and that the district will produce an after‑action report.
No board votes or final approvals were recorded during the work session; staff repeatedly said additional updates will be provided to the board and community as phases proceed.
