Education |

Denver Public Schools turns to federal COVID-19 relief money to avoid layoffs

Denver Public Schools said Thursday it is using COVID-19 relief money to avoid laying off employees as declining student enrollment cuts into school budgets.

The district, which received $16 million for schools in the 2021-22 school year, got an additional $3 million last year that was used to prevent job cuts, according to the news release.

This month the district placed a hiring freeze on vacancies in its central office and said it will cut the number of executive-level positions and have employees in senior leadership positions reapply for their jobs.

DPS, the state’s largest school district, is facing funding cuts as enrollment in schools is expected to decline in the coming years. The district also plans to close schools as part of its downsizing plans.

The district is creating a committee, made up of families and other community members, to determine what criteria should be used to determine if a school closes. More than 360 people have applied to be on the committee, said Superintendent Alex Marrero during a school board meeting Thursday.

Enrollment in K-12 public schools has dropped across Colorado as the state sees birth rates decline, more children are home-schooled and families relocated during the pandemic. At DPS, enrollment in preschool through 12th grade fell by 172 children to 88,889 students in October, according to the state Department of Education.

DPS also plans to use an additional $6.5 million next school year to “help keep schools fully staffed.” In addition to declining enrollment, schools also are facing shortages in nurses, bus drivers, food service workers and teachers during the pandemic.

That is on top of the $10.5 million in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund money the district has allocated for schools during the 2022-23 school year, according to a news release.