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A bunch of oldsters suing Denver Public Colleges over a choice to shut or partially shut 10 colleges has requested a choose to cease the closures and order that the faculties keep open.
Mamás de DPS LLC filed a movement Wednesday in Denver District Court docket for a preliminary injunction that might maintain the closing colleges open for the 2025-26 faculty 12 months.
The proposed injunction additionally requested that Denver college students be allowed to use to attend the faculties slated for closure throughout DPS’ annual faculty selection course of. That course of, which is vital to assigning college students to varsities, started Jan. 15 and ends Feb. 18.
DPS spokesperson Invoice Good mentioned DPS doesn’t touch upon pending litigation.
At a Denver faculty board assembly Thursday, a district enrollment official mentioned 40% of the households impacted by the upcoming faculty closures have already submitted a faculty selection software for his or her pupil to attend a special faculty subsequent 12 months. A presentation mentioned that 1,137 of DPS’ roughly 90,000 college students shall be impacted by the closures.
In November, Superintendent Alex Marrero beneficial closing or partially closing the ten colleges to deal with declining enrollment. The varsity board voted unanimously to approve his suggestion that very same month. Mamás de DPS is suing Marrero, all seven board members, and a marketing consultant employed to advise the board on its faculty closure coverage.
Seven Denver colleges are set to shut on the finish of this faculty 12 months: Castro Elementary, Columbian Elementary, Denver College of Innovation and Sustainable Design, Worldwide Academy of Denver at Harrington, Palmer Elementary, Schmitt Elementary, and West Center.
Three extra colleges will partially shut. Kunsmiller Inventive Arts Academy will lose its elementary faculty grades, Dora Moore ECE-8 College will lose its center faculty grades, and Denver Heart for Worldwide Research will lose its highschool grades.
In its lawsuit filed final month, Mamás de DPS alleged district leaders had an “ulterior motive” for the varsity closures “of changing public sources to the non-public market.” The group accused DPS of not being clear about its enrollment and mentioned its claims about underutilized faculty buildings have been doubtful. The lawsuit additionally mentioned it’s unclear how the reported $6.6 million in financial savings DPS will obtain from closing the ten colleges will repair any monetary issues.
The movement for the preliminary injunction made comparable claims.
“All of the proof helps that the closures will trigger particular person, familial, and neighborhood hurt, and that stopping the closures will stop that hurt,” it mentioned. “However, DPS’ solely purported curiosity in closing colleges is a $6.6 million value financial savings, which quantities to roughly 0.4 % of DPS’ complete annual funds.”
“DPS merely can’t justify ramming by way of the closures whereas this litigation — which alleges severe and widespread monetary mismanagement and a starkly inequitable public faculty system — stays pending,” the movement for the preliminary junction learn.
Learn the complete movement beneath.
Melanie Asmar is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Colorado. Contact Melanie at masmar@chalkbeat.org.