Cherry Creek School District Lastest Update. Cherry Creek School District Introduces Major Changes This School Year. With school underway, it is time for Cherry Creek residents to sit back and assess some of the major changes that have taken place for this school year.
One of the biggest changes to affect students and parents was the change in starting time, with the elementary schools now starting an hour later than the middle schools in an effort to address bussing issues. In addition to changing starting times, a larger number of parents are now having to transport their children to and from school because the walking distances for middle school and high school students have been increased by half a mile.
While the increase in walking distance is certainly far more inconvenient for parents, most agree that they would rather see the school system saving money in this way rather than cutting back on classroom teachers. In fact, by rearranging the schedule and increasing the walking distance, the district stands to save more than $1.8 million this school year as well as $5 million over the next three to five years. After seeing a $17.7 million cut in state aid, the district found itself needing to make cuts in all departments.
Despite the increase in walking distance, Cherry Creek students are still walking far less than those who attend Denver Public Schools. In fact, Cherry Creek middle school students are only walking up to 1.5 miles and high school students are walking up to 2 miles, while middle school students attending Denver Public School must walk up to 2.5 miles and high school students must walk up to 3.5 miles to get to school.
Meanwhile, 19 schools within the Cherry Creek School District also underwent infrastructure improvements during this past summer thanks to funds provided by a bond issue that was passed by voters back in 2008. The construction resulted in larger classrooms while also streamlining the overall layout of the schools in order to improve classroom instruction while also providing teachers and students with improved access to the school and its facilities. Parking lots, irrigation systems and landscaping were also improved at the schools affected by the bond issue.
Interestingly, the construction projects that were funded through the 2008 bound issue helped to reduce some of the effects of the $17.7 million budget cuts. Furthermore, the bond issue made it possible for the district to open Pine Ridge Elementary School for this school year, as crews were able to complete improvements on wiring, protection equipment, plumbing systems and heat and air conditioning during the summer.
