Douglas County trustees weigh school consolidations and authorize classified reductions as part of plan to close $6.9 million gap

Douglas County School District No. Re 1 trustees on Feb. 3 reviewed detailed facility assessments and three consolidation scenarios aimed at closing a multi‑million dollar budget gap and voted to authorize notices for classified reductions as one element of the plan.

Superintendent Frankie Alvarado told the board the district is “close to a $5,200,000 deficit this year” and said staff had modeled a target of “reducing $6,900,000 by June 2027,” a package of savings that would include staff reductions as well as other measures. He said the district had identified consolidation scenarios in the North, South and Lake areas that, taken conservatively, could save roughly $2.2 million combined while noting substantial operational and capital costs tied to any closure or consolidation.

The district’s director of facilities, Phil Demas, reviewed three years of capital work at each campus and spelled out pending and forecast projects — from rooftop package‑unit replacements and boiler work to pavement and stadium upgrades — with project estimates ranging from tens of…