Why it matters
The vote decides which Poudre schools stay open for 2027-28. After weeks of parent and staff input, the board amended a plan that began as nine recommended closures and approved four closures, two consolidations and new Bacon Elementary boundaries instead.
Board approves amended plan in 5-2 vote
The Poudre School District Board of Education voted 5-2 for an amended resolution to close four schools, consolidate two others and change boundaries for Bacon Elementary School ahead of the 2027-28 school year.
Karla Baise, Ozlem Gurkan, Kevin Havelda, Andrew Spain and Jessica Zamora voted yes on the final vote of the meeting, while Scott Schoenbauer and Coronda Ziegler voted no. The board approved multiple amendments before taking that final vote on the amended resolution.
The meeting began the evening of Oct. 27 and adjourned at 1:56 a.m. Oct. 28, putting the decision in front of families only hours before the next school day began.
Final plan shrinks from nine closures first recommended
The Comprehensive Planning Committee had recommended closing Beattie, Irish, Johnson, Livermore, Putnam, Red Feather Lakes, Stove Prairie and Timnath elementary schools and Blevins Middle School, a list the board then changed with amendments.
The committee also recommended consolidating the district's two alternative high schools, Centennial and Poudre Community Academy. The recommendation included Timnath Elementary, where Timnath parents fought the closure plan for a school at 95% full, and the plan drew community engagement sessions after it was made public Sept. 25.
Putnam is one of the four schools to close ahead of the 2027-28 school year, while Irish will remain open through the 2027-28 school year. The approved package also includes boundary changes for Bacon Elementary School.
Putnam principal greets families hours after decision
Principal Tyler Muniz of Putnam Elementary School was seen talking with parents and hugging kids and parents as school started the morning of Oct. 28, just hours after the board voted to close Putnam.
Coloradoan reporter Miles Blumhardt reported the scene as the school day got underway on Oct. 28. Putnam was named among the four schools to close, making the campus one of the places where families first faced the board decision.
The closures do not happen that morning. They are set ahead of the 2027-28 school year, giving families and the district a clear date tied to the board action taken early on Oct. 28.
Warnings for students in special programs preceded vote
Parents and staff told the board the original closure recommendation would fall hardest on students in programs for students with disabilities at Blevins Middle School and at Johnson and Putnam elementary schools.
The specific programs are for students with disabilities that impact their learning abilities. Parents and staff said a school change is a much bigger concern for those students than for other students, a warning detailed in parents' warnings that the closure plan hits special needs students hardest. The plan would move three programs for students with special needs.
Data from the Colorado Department of Education cited in the reporting shows all eight non-mountain schools recommended for closure or consolidation have higher percentages of minority students and students who qualify for free and reduced-cost school meals than the district averages.
