Cherry Creek board hears special populations update on preschool growth, multilingual supports and special-education challenges

At its March 10, 2025 meeting, the Cherry Creek Board of Education received a special populations update from district staff that detailed increases in preschool enrollment, growth in multilingual learners, expansions to gifted and twice-exceptional programming, and a Colorado Department of Education (CDE) requirement to develop a remediation plan after finding disproportionate long-term suspensions for students on individualized education programs (IEPs).

The update matters because rising student needs and potential state funding changes could affect program capacity and services across the district. District leaders outlined current program capacity, recent hires and trainings, and next steps for compliance and funding contingencies.

Presenters told the board the district now serves about 2,060 preschool students, roughly 1,500 of whom attend through the states Universal Preschool program. The presentation said the districts special-education roll shows 672 students in preschool special education, of whom about 335 have severe needs. The district credited streamlined registration and school-level welcoming practices for recent enrollment gains but cautioned that proposed state funding changes could reduce universal preschool hours if enacted by the Legislature.

Dr. Tony Pool, presenting the special populations update (staff member), said, "We do have…