Carlile Parents Fighting For School
Some parents in Pueblo are picketing big changes in School District 60.
Carlile Elementary parents don’t want the school to close. Spann, Somerlid and Beulah Heights are also set to shut down under a proposal being considered by Pueblo City Schools leaders.
“I think it’s still worth fighting for,” said Patti Eastman, who has one son in school and a toddler whom she’d like to see attend as well. “Great teachers, great staff– my son is receiving the education he deserves here at Carlile.”
Closing the schools is just part of a major shakeup that includes reconfiguring how kids learn during their middle school years.
“What we’re seeing across the nation is the middle school years is where we lose kids,” said Greg Sinn, head of media relations for District 60. “They lose some of their focus, their academic achievement, so we’re trying to bring some excitement and energy and real opportunities to students.”
Those opportunities include more academies within the district, which mix kids of all ages at the same campus.
There will also be a focus on developing specialties at some schools in subjects such as math, science, engineering and performing arts. Sinn also said kids will be offered more advanced learning classes in their tween years.
“We think getting away from the cookie-cutter approach where all elementary schools are the same, all middle schools are the same, ” said Sinn. “If we provide students and parents some choices, we are going to see terrific academic outcomes.”
Pueblo City Schools is following a model first adopted by Denver City Schools said Sinn.
But parents against the changes said they’ve started a petition to keep Carlile.
“To move kids to the high school doesn’t make sense to us either,” said Ronda Funkhauser, a Carlile parent. “We think they’re worried more about money than the kids’ future.”
Sinn said chronic budget problems in the school district played a role in the plan but said District 60 has far more elementary schools than it needs for the number of students. He said it could lose some schools and not experience overcrowding problems.
A public meeting on the ideas is scheduled for 6 p.m. Dec. 7 at South High School.
