The Denver Public Schools Board of Education voted Thursday, Nov. 12, to close Robert F. Smith STEAM Academy. The school will shut down at the end of the 2026-27 school year.
Four board members voted to close the school and two voted against. Board Vice President Monica Hunter and board member John Youngquist opposed the closure. Hunter asked whether the vote could be put on hold until an agreement on concessions for the school’s teachers is finalized.
The school has an enrollment problem. Over four years, the number of students fell from 135 to 24. DPS Superintendent Alex Marrero recommended the closure last month, citing declining enrollment. In August, the district eliminated ninth grade, so no first-year students entered the school this year.
The board chose what is known as an operational closure. It is typically used when keeping a school open is physically or financially unworkable, for example when per-pupil funding does not allow a school to function. The school had no attendance boundary, so every student had to choose it, and its budget depended on those choices.
The school opened in 2021. It was meant to be modeled on historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). It is named for an East High School graduate, and a group of Black parents and coaches proposed its creation. In December 2022, the board agreed to move it to the former Barrett Elementary School building, where it could take in more students.
Marrero also spoke about possible further closures. Enrollment in DPS is declining, and the superintendent said he would recommend closing more schools. He told the board that more consolidations are likely ahead for the district.
Source: Denver Post
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