Denver residents will lose the Robert F. Smith STEAM Academy after the current school year, as the Denver Public Schools board voted 4-2 on Thursday to shutter the high school. The decision directly affects the 24 students enrolled this year and their families, who will need to find new placements before the school closes.
Board Vice President Monica Hunter and member John Youngquist cast the two dissenting votes. Hunter, a former Denver teacher now with the statewide teachers union, asked the board to pause the vote until a concession agreement for the school’s teachers could be finalized. Youngquist described the closure as “heartbreaking” and urged earlier district intervention when schools show signs of struggle.
Superintendent Alex Marrero said the district has completed negotiations with the school’s staff. He confirmed a verbal agreement that includes a $1,000 payment to teachers and protections for international teachers holding work visas. Marrero noted the district rejected other requests, including a proposal to give non‑tenured teachers two paid days off to interview for other jobs, calling the precedent‑setting decision a necessary step before potential future consolidations.
Robert F. Smith STEAM Academy opened in 2021 as a school modeled on historically Black colleges and universities, created by a group of Black parents and sports coaches in far‑northeast Denver. The school initially had open enrollment, but a mislisted address in its first year limited visibility. Enrollment grew in 2022, then fell sharply in 2023 after DPS relocated the campus away from its core community. The school also faced leadership turnover, including the departure of its founding principal, and a lawsuit filed by parent‑founder Brandon Pryor, who successfully sued the district after being barred from school grounds.
District officials highlighted that DPS funds schools on a per‑student basis, and the academy’s dwindling enrollment made it financially unsustainable. Marrero has signaled that additional school closures may be recommended as district enrollment continues to decline.
What’s next: The academy will cease operations at the end of the school year, and DPS will work with affected families to place students in other district schools. The board’s vote also signals that the district may evaluate other schools for possible consolidation in the coming months.
Sources: denverpost.com
