Dozens of parents and students at the Denver School of Arts gathered Friday morning outside the school parking lot to protest recently announced budget cuts.
The school is expected to lose several teachers and special educators after a recent budget hearing showed a $482,000 deficit. DPS officials said multiple schools will experience cuts, primarily in the north and southwest part of town.
“We understand that the district is over budget, and that cuts have to happen across the district,” said Caron Blanke, a parent at the School of Arts. “Our concern is the way in which cuts are happening.”
Blanke has two students at the School of Arts and her oldest graduated in 2021. She said the cuts would devastate students, who formed close bonds with many of their teachers.
“Our students saw their teachers being pulled out of class, for interviews about whether they keep their jobs or not,” said Blanke.
DPS officials said the cuts happen every year and that teacher performance is not the cause. DPS director of communications Scott Pribble said student enrollment is the primary cause for the recent cuts. Current data shows that DPS enrollment dropped nearly 3% across the county, a devastating blow for a system funded on a per-pupil basis.