Competition or coexistence? Denver school board puts charter school next to district-run school

“Sign up for Chalkbeat Colorado’s free daily newsletter to get the latest reporting from us, plus curated news from other Colorado outlets, delivered to your inbox. Despite pushback from parents, students, and teachers at a district-run elementary school that’s more than 100 years old, the Denver school board voted Thursday to allow a charter elementary school to move in next door. KIPP Sunshine Peak Elementary will relocate this fall from a cramped rented church building to a newer, more spacious building that already houses KIPP’s southwest Denver middle school. The middle school building is so close to district-run Valverde Elementary that the two share a parking lot. Standing outside of KIPP’s middle school, it’s possible to see Valverde’s playground and hear the squeals of children at recess. The close proximity of charter and district-run schools has long been a sore spot for charter critics in Denver, and the arrangement resurfaces familiar arguments in a difficult context. Enrollment is declining sharply in southwest Denver, and schools are competing for the students that remain. Valverde families worry that KIPP’s relocation will spell the end of their neighborhood school, which has thus far survived closure threats. “You don’t see a Home Depot next to a Home Depot,” said parent Averi Littlewolf, who has two children at Valverde. “So for an elementary school to be next to an elementary school that has already been there for over 100 years, it’s – I’m speechless.” KIPP Sunshine Peak Elementary is located in a rented former church building. It doesn't have a gymnasium, and its cafeteria used to be a classroom. But Denver Public Schools Superintendent Alex Marrero said he’s confident the schools can co-exist. KIPP’s building only has the capacity to house 420 students from kindergarten through eighth grade. And as part of the move, KIPP agreed to give up its preschool classes. Valverde will keep its preschool, which Marrero said gives Valverde an advantage because many young students end up staying at the elementary school where they went to preschool. “This not only works for KIPP, for obvious reasons, but also the Valverde community because this will not allow KIPP to grow,” Marrero told the school board before the vote. KIPP leaders also promised not to actively recruit Valverde students, a move that district officials said shows an unprecedented willingness to collaborate. But the promise could be difficult to enforce. Colorado law allows any student to apply to attend any public school in the state, and DPS can’t stop students from transferring. “We want to partner, and we don’t want there to be a feeling of competition,” said Taamiti Bankole, KIPP Colorado’s chief external affairs officer. To add an extra layer of protection for Valverde, Marrero said the district will buy the school a digital marquee sign to help with marketing. Valverde will also get a bit more money, though the exact amount is unclear. DPS owns KIPP’s middle school building, and KIPP pays a fee to use it. That fee will increase when more students move in, and DPS will give the extra money to Valverde for the remaining two years of KIPP’s contract, Marrero said. KIPP is a national charter school network founded in Texas more than 30 years ago. The network has six schools in Denver, including three in the southwest. Denver school board member Kimberlee Sia was the CEO of KIPP Colorado Public Schools from 2013 to 2019. KIPP’s willingness to give up its preschool, coupled with the space constraints of the newer building, were cited by a majority of school board members who voted for the relocation. KIPP Sunshine Peak Academy's building has the capacity to house 420 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Board member Monica Hunter, a former teacher who works for the statewide teachers union, said she was also swayed by the poor condition of KIPP’s rented elementary school building. It has no gymnasium, and its tiny cafeteria used to be a classroom. Some of the school’s 146 students learn in trailers near the playground because there’s not enough space inside. “While I will never be accused of being pro-charter,” Hunter said, “I do believe all children are our children. And every child deserves access to a high-quality building.” Valverde Elementary School has been serving students in southwest Denver for more than 100 years. Board President Xóchitl Gaytán was the only board member to vote no. Gaytán represents southwest Denver and has long accused charter schools of taking students from district-run schools. She said the same could happen to Valverde, which currently has about 350 students. “Understand that will happen, and your vote will have those repercussions going forward,” Gaytán told her fellow board members. Board member John Youngquist, who once served as principal of a different district-run elementary school in southwest Denver, called for DPS to come up with a longer-term plan for enrollment in that part of the city “so there’s a level of predictability.” Two southwest Denver elementary schools, Schmitt and Castro, were shuttered at the end of last school year due to declining enrollment. Melanie Asmar is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Colorado. Contact Melanie at masmar@chalkbeat.org .

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