Charters may be only option to fill school deserts, says one Colorado superintendent
Sterling Ranch is one of the newest and fastest-growing communities in Douglas County. From 2022 to 2023, the amount of Douglas County School District students living in Sterling Ranch increased by 40%.
Every day, nearly 900 Sterling Ranch students are bussed to schools in Highlands Ranch. "Highlands Ranch is 38,000 homes with 18 elementary schools. Sterling Ranch will have 18,000 homes. They do not currently have a single elementary school in Sterling Ranch," said DCSD Superintendent Erin Kane.
It means hundreds of Sterling Ranch students are being bussed 45 minutes away, to overcrowded schools.
"When we were buying in Sterling Ranch, we went to the sales office and they showed us a neighborhood school, they pointed to where it's gonna be. We picked our lot within walking distance," said Sterling Ranch mom Lenaya Dotseth.
Four years after her family moved to Sterling Ranch, her four kids under the age of seven still have no local school. Each morning, she drives her oldest to an elementary school in Highlands Ranch and passes the empty school site.
In the last two elections, Dotseth watched voters reject a bond that would fund building a school there.
"When it didn't pass, she was like 'why don't people think I need a school?' So it's kind of hard to explain to your five-year-old why voters didn't think it was important,'" said Dotseth.
"Those schools, one in particular at this point today, are so overcrowded that we have mobiles and are having to move in more mobiles," said Kane.
At a recent meeting, the school board floated the idea of building a charter school at that Sterling Ranch site.
"We don't just need a school in Sterling Ranch, we need a neighborhood school that's going to serve all its kids," said Dotseth. She adds that this particular site would be ideal for a neighborhood school.
While that motion failed on a three-to-three vote, the idea is not off the table.
"A neighborhood school is everyone's number one priority, but we can't build a neighborhood school in Sterling Ranch without passing a bond," said Kane.
The problem is not unique to Sterling Ranch. The Canyons, Crystal Valley, and Ridgegate East are also school deserts. Other recently approved developments like Dawson Trails will add thousands of homes to Douglas County in coming years.
If a bond isn't approved soon, charters may be the only way to create new schools in those communities. "It's the only option that I can see," said Kane.
It's up to the school board whether they will put a bond in front of voters for a third year in a row. Even if one passes this year, it will likely be 2027 before a new school could open. Kane says the district also needs the funding for critical capital projects in existing schools, like replacing boilers and chillers.
