Pueblo District 60 school board votes for emergency closure of Carlile Elementary School

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- The Pueblo District 60 school board unanimously voted yes on the emergency closure of Carlile Elementary School.

The board said millions of dollars worth of repairs needed to make the school safe led to the decision to close the school.

During a 2 p.m. meeting on Thursday, the school board was presented with a report on roofing damage caused by recent rainstorms. Robert Lawson, Executive Director of Facilities and Construction Management, said many areas of the tiled roof had become dislodged, wood boards had been damaged by water, and mold was growing in some areas.

Additionally, during the first week of June HVAC and boiler staff discovered piping had eroded to the point where it would be unsafe to operate.

Lawson also said Carlile's steam boilers are near the end of their expected life. The district says steam heating is no longer a common heating method in schools due to increased safety concerns, which means the school would have to undergo construction of a complete plant consisting of an air separator, expansion tank, pumps, and building automation system controls.

Between roofing and the building's HVAC and boiler set-up, the full cost of renovation could reach $25 million, according to the report found by the district.

When asked how much a new state-of-the-art school building would cost in comparison, Lawson referenced Sunset Park and Franklin Elementary Schools, saying those constructions cost $24 million. That figure includes the demolition of the old school and the construction of new, 450-occupancy schools.

Lawson recommended to the school board an emergency closure of Carlile Elementary School due to the extensive amount of repairs needed. According to Lawson, even if the school board went ahead with the repairs, the school would need to close for an extended period of time to complete those repairs.

In addition to closing Carlile Elementary School, the school board unanimously approved changing school boundaries.

Carlile students will be integrated into Columbian Elementary School and parents who choose to send their students to Columbian will not have to take any action.

Families who choose not to send their students to Columbian have the opportunity to begin the alternative school choice process beginning Thursday at 6 p.m. Click here for more information on how to apply for School Choice transfer.

According to D60, Carlile is made up of 189 students and Columbian is made up of 247 students. In total, Columbian would reach 436 students. The district says Columbian Elementary School has a maximum capacity of 491 students.

Additionally, the district says no existing programs at Columbian will be displaced as a result of the new students.

Carlile's autism program is set to transfer to Bessemer Academy. The district says the school has available space, equipment, and resources to accommodate the program.

Regarding Carlile staff, D60 says the District's Human Resources department will meet with staff and try to transfer as many as possible to Columbian while finding other positions to fill throughout District 60.

The school board also approved making the current principal of Carlile Elementary School, Jimmy Pool, the principal at Columbian Elementary School.

While the school board approved the emergency closure of Carlile Elementary School, the board did not decide what to do with the actual building. During the meeting, Superintendent Charlotte Macaluso confirmed decisions that the board may make regarding repairs or reuse will be at a later date.

Watch the full school board meeting below:

BOE | Special Meeting 07-15-2021 from Pueblo District 60 on Vimeo.