27J School District builds more schools to meet growing demand

Across the Denver metro area, there are big differences in how school districts are looking at the future. While some are considering consolidation, Brighton 27J is in the process of growing.  

On Friday, the district, which spans Brighton, East Thornton and Commerce City, celebrated the opening of a new elementary school. Southlawn Elementary is now the 14th elementary school in the growing district.  

"Thank you for believing in the dream," Principal Candice Degrafinried-Reese said at a ribbon cutting.  

With a brand-new building and team of eager staff, 2022 is off to a promising start at Southlawn. A month into the school year, more than 440 students fill the classrooms and halls, and soon, there will be room for more.  

"Some people were actually wondering, would our building open?" said Degrafinried-Reese. "Now, not only are we open, but our classes are filling up."  

The district's newest school was funded by additional premium and interest from a 2015 bond passed by voters. It also includes a second wing, funded by a different bond approved by voters in 2021, that will open in the coming weeks.  

"It will allow us to expand up to 4 or even 5 classes per grade level," said Degrafinried-Reese.  

On Friday. Reese, other school district officials, and a host of local leaders gathered to celebrate the occasion with an official ribbon cutting.  

This fall they'll celebrate other milestones too, as the district of 22,000 students is set to grow more. So far this year, 27J has broken ground on career and technical education centers at three high schools, and later this fall, the construction of a K-8 school will begin.  

"In the fall of 2000, we had about 5,000 students in the district. Our October count we're going to be in excess of 22,000 students when all said and done," said Superintendent Dr. Chris Fiedler. "You can see all the building that's going on, and there's a lot of room to build, so we anticipate the long-term buildout of the district to be about 50,000 students."  

27J's growth comes as some metro area districts are looking at consolidating, a result of changing demographics and affordability, among other factors.  

Here, the biggest challenge moving forward will be funding, and this November, the district is asking voters to pass a Mill Levy Override (MLO) that would provide an additional $17.7 million for teacher pay, program expansions, and operating expenses.  

While voters have approved 5 of the last 9 bonds on the ballot, the past 7 Mill Levy Override attempts have failed. On the other hand, voters in other metro area districts have passed MLOs in recent years, giving them a leg-up in some aspects of funding.  

"We are doing 100% of the work with about 80% of the revenue compared to those around us, but we always find a way," Fiedler said.  

As the area expands and more families choose 27J schools, the need for financial support will continue to grow too. Fiedler said bonds help build classrooms, but Mill Levy Overrides bring them to life.  

Right now, Southlawn Elementary is an example of the former. Eventually, the school could bring in close to 700 students, which would require more funding for teachers and programs.  

"Parents have the opportunity to choose to go to other school districts, but they are choosing to remain within 27J. In addition to that, there are families outside of 27J, they're saying we have the option to choose into 27J and we want to choose 27J," Degrafinried-Reese said. "I'm excited for our future and what's to come."