Posted on: April 21st, 2025

Subject: Protecting What Works at Gold Hill School

Dear Gold Hill Community,

Gold Hill School is an incredible place. With a dedicated staff, engaged students, and deep-rooted community support, we are offering something rare and beautiful for our families. But even a strong school can be vulnerable when structural decisions don’t reflect its unique needs. As we work to preserve all the things that make GHS exceptional, we invite you—our community—to help advocate for what we have.

The following document outlines the challenges we’re facing, not to undermine confidence in our school, but to protect its future. If you’re interested in supporting Gold Hill School, we encourage you to use this document as a reference when writing to BVSD leadership or speaking at upcoming school board meetings. Your voice matters.

The upcoming school board meetings are at 5:00 at the Ed Center- 6500 Arapahoe Rd: 

• April 22, 2025
• May 13 2025
• May 27, 2025
• June 10, 2025
• June 24, 2025

In order to speak for 2 minutes, you will need to fill out this form by 12:00 on the day of the meeting.  

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe4Sa1jcJ90b0TtIaaEtXy5vNDcb4Bmb8zYmKYOiZCtkEZlpQ/viewform

If you can attend and speak on behalf of Gold Hill School at one of these meetings, can you please let me know so we can be sure to coordinate our attendance together? The sooner we have a strong presence at these upcoming meetings, the better chance we have at success. Here’s my email: danahatlelid@nullgmail.com

If you can also send an email, please use the Discussion Points below and direct your emails to:

Jessica Seevers, Principal: jessica.seevers@nullbvsd.org

Tamara Acevedo, Executive Director of the Northwest Network, tamara.acevedo@nullbvsd.org

Robbyn Fernandez, Deputy Superintendent, robbyn.fernandez@nullbvsd.org

Rob Anderson, Superintendent, rob.anderson@nullbvsd.org

Nicole Rajpal, School Board (Our area representative & Board President), nicole.rajpal@nullbvsd.org

Beth Niznick, Board VP, beth.niznik@nullbvsd.org

Alex Medler, Board Treasurer, alex.medler@nullbvsd.org

Jason Unger, Board Member, jason.unger@nullbvsd.org

Lalenia Quinlan Aweida, Board Member, lalenia.quinlanaweida@nullbvsd.org

Kitty Sargent, Board Member, kitty.sargent@nullbvsd.org

Jorge Chavez, Board Member, jorge.chavez@nullbvsd.org

 

We have such a special resource in the Gold Hill School. Please help us protect this school for the generations to come.

Dana Hatlelid

danahatlelid@nullgmail.com

 

 

Please see below: For use in emails to BVSD administration, board members, or public comment

Discussion Points for District Outreach on Behalf of the GHS

1. Flat Cuts Aren’t Fair in Mountain Schools

• Equal cuts across all schools may look fair on paper, but the impact is not equal.
• In small mountain schools like Gold Hill, these reductions have a significant and potentially irreversible effect on students, families, and the broader community.
• Equity isn’t about treating all schools the same. It’s about ensuring all students have access to safe, sustainable, and meaningful education.

2. The Model Already Operates on a Shoestring

• Gold Hill already makes full use of a multiage model and strong community partnerships, operating with fewer resources than most schools.
• Moving from two teachers to one, while still serving six grade levels, pushes the model beyond its breaking point.
• Other BVSD multiage programs typically serve 2 to 3 grades and benefit from greater staffing and enrichment access. Gold Hill does not.
• Two licensed teachers are the minimum needed for safe, effective, and developmentally appropriate education.

3. Losing Our Second Teacher Will Break the Model

• Jamestown, another small mountain school, is retaining both of its licensed teachers along with a 0.5 FTE office manager. Their community now has the option to fundraise to restore paraeducator hours.
• Gold Hill, in contrast, is losing its second teacher entirely and has been assigned a 15-hour-per-week paraeducator position that we must now fill.
• Fundraising to restore licensed teaching positions is not permitted under district policy and would be cost-prohibitive anyway.
• Hiring a part-time hourly employee, especially for only 15 hours per week, is extremely difficult in a remote community like ours. Even full-time hourly roles are hard to staff due to the commute, weather conditions, vehicle wear, and lack of long-term stability.
• The chances of attracting and retaining someone for such a limited role are low. Without consistent support, the classroom model is at risk.
• Gold Hill has long followed a rolling enrollment model. Staffing has remained steady through both high and low years to maintain stability, continuity, and trust.
• If we lose our second position now, we lose Jojo—an irreplaceable educator and cornerstone of this community:
  • Born and raised in Gold Hill
  • Alumna of the Gold Hill School
  • Daughter of a beloved former teacher
  • Served as our office manager for five years, bringing rare continuity to a high-turnover role
  • Completed her student teaching at GHS and is now in her third year as a full-time licensed teacher
  • Manages Colorado Mountain Ranch during the summer, connecting local and Boulder-area children through outdoor education
• Jojo is connected to every facet of Gold Hill life. Losing her is not just a staffing change. It would unravel a carefully woven system.
• Non-local hires have consistently struggled. In 151 years, only two teachers from outside the community have been hired. Both left after three years due to the commute and isolation. In contrast, local teachers since the 1920s have stayed an average of 13 years each.  Most of these former teachers that are still living still support the Gold Hill School.  Gold Hill School teachers are central community figures and always have been.  This can not be thought of as just a job.  
• The district has said that appeals may not be considered until August or September. That is far too late. Jojo will likely have accepted another position by then, and the opportunity to retain her will be gone.
• Even if the position is restored later, it becomes harder to fill. Why would a qualified teacher take a job that might disappear again the next year? Instability discourages the long-term investment we need to keep our school strong.
• We cannot simply rebuild what Jojo brings. Once she’s gone, the entire model is in jeopardy.

4. This Isn’t Just About a Job. It’s About Community Survival

• Gold Hill School is not separate from the town. It is the town’s heart.
• Families support the school through volunteering, fundraising, and intergenerational involvement. In return, the school creates a center of learning, connection, and joy.
• Programs like musicals, gardening, ski days, and outdoor education are possible only because of deep community integration.
• That level of support cannot exist without staff who are embedded in and trusted by the community.
• Jojo is more than a teacher. She is a cultural touchstone. Her presence keeps learning rooted in place and relationships strong. Without her, the system begins to fray.

5. Staffing Cuts Undermine Safety and Supervision

• Expecting a single teacher to safely manage students from age 5 to 11 is both unrealistic and unsafe.
• In a medical, behavioral, or environmental emergency, one adult cannot respond while also supervising the rest of the group.
• Larger schools have additional staff who can step in during emergencies. We do not.
• While BVSD may not have a formal minimum-staffing policy, this staffing model does not meet basic standards for safe school operations.

6. Substitute Coverage Will Become Impossible

• Finding substitutes willing to drive to Gold Hill is already a challenge. Most sub jobs go unfilled, or are dropped the morning of when the commute becomes clear.
• We currently operate with three full-time staff members. Teachers frequently cover for each other.
• It is not uncommon for two staff to be out on the same day due to illness, professional development, or life events.
• Three full-time staff provide just enough coverage to keep the school open and functioning.
• How can a single teacher take a sick day? What if the para needs to leave early?
• Asking a sub to manage six grade levels without another licensed educator is unrealistic.
• Without a second teacher, even one absence could force the school to close, disrupting student learning and family stability.

7. Additional Burdens Carried by Gold Hill Teachers

Another critical factor to consider is the sheer number of hats Gold Hill School teachers are required to wear. In addition to delivering high-quality instruction, they are responsible for nearly every layer of school operations—roles that, in most schools, are distributed across an administrative team, office staff, district departments, and parent organizations.

At Gold Hill, teachers are tasked with:

• Managing all financial responsibilities for both BVSD and the PTO
• Handling all purchasing, including food, classroom supplies, project materials, and event needs
• Planning, coordinating, and running all school and community events—many of which serve as major community-building and fundraising efforts
• Leading the PTO, managing all fundraising campaigns, and writing every grant application
• Communicating directly with every BVSD department—HR, finance, facilities, IT, curriculum, transportation, communications, and more
• Maintaining the school grounds and overseeing all safety and emergency protocols, including managing the school’s role as a designated emergency shelter
• Representing the school at all required BVSD meetings, professional development sessions, and district committees
• Organizing and leading student enrichment experiences such as field trips, performances, service projects, and guest artist visits
• Managing all internal communications with families and facilitating school-wide outreach and enrollment efforts
• Creating and maintaining the school website to ensure accurate, up-to-date information is available to families and the broader public
• Planning and executing all enrollment initiatives, including events, advertising, social media, and direct outreach to prospective families
• Managing all media and press relations, including outreach, interviews, photography coordination, and storytelling—such as for the 150th celebration
• Leading school improvement planning, coordinating with specialists, implementing instructional frameworks, and supporting all student needs (including MTSS, IEPs, and 504s)

These tasks demand a tremendous amount of time beyond the school day. Planning and delivering instruction already exceeds the hours of a traditional teaching schedule. The added responsibilities—fundraising, grant writing, communications, facilities oversight, and more—require additional evening, weekend, and break-time work.

It is also important to note that Gold Hill’s principal is based at another school in Boulder, approximately 15 miles away, and is primarily focused on that much larger site. As a result, the teachers at Gold Hill receive very limited administrative support or on-site presence. The principal does not typically attend Gold Hill events, and most families have never had the opportunity to form a relationship with her. This leaves teachers to independently manage not only instruction, but the full spectrum of operational, community-facing, and leadership responsibilities that a principal would normally handle.

Ironically, these responsibilities often increase in years of low enrollment. With fewer families, there are fewer volunteers available to support events, fundraising, and PTO initiatives—leaving even more of the work to teachers. At the same time, there is increased pressure to promote the school and raise enrollment, which brings a new set of outreach and coordination efforts.

Despite these challenges, the teachers have successfully raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund the school’s many unique and exceptional offerings. These efforts provide for supplies, enrichment experiences, arts programming, student support, and basic essentials like cleaning products, and even toilet paper. The district provides staffing, a building (originally donated by the town in the 1970s), curriculum materials, and a copy machine—but virtually none of the programming that makes Gold Hill feel magical. That magic has been made possible solely through teacher-led fundraising and countless hours of unpaid labor.

Expecting a single teacher to manage all of this is not just impractical—it is inequitable and unsustainable.

8. The Broader Impact: A Slow Closure in Disguise

• The district has said there are no plans to close Gold Hill School, but this staffing cut sets the school and town on a path toward collapse.
• Fewer staff means fewer families will choose the school. Enrollment will fall, and additional cuts will follow.
• This is how closures happen—without ever being officially declared.
• Gold Hill School has been the heart of this town for more than 150 years. It is the reason families live here. It is a symbol, a gathering space, and a vital part of Boulder County’s history.
• Gold Hill predates the City of Boulder. In fact, Boulder was established in part to support the mines here. A school was created to help transform the town from a boomtown into a sustainable community.
• If a school in Boulder closes, families have other neighborhood options. If Gold Hill School closes, it would crush our community.
• What may seem like a small budget decision could erase an entire town’s future.
• Once the school is gone, it does not come back. And neither do the families.

9. Structural Barriers Are Undermining Enrollment

• The district has not clearly stated how many students are needed to retain or regain a second teacher.
• Many kindergarten families do not register until the summer, so spring projections are incomplete.
• We’ve been told that additional open-enrolled students might not help because we do not have enough students living inside our official boundary.
• Yet Gold Hill’s boundary is the smallest in BVSD.
• Jamestown’s boundary is more than twice the size of Gold Hill’s.  It stretches all the way to the Peak to Peak Highway. Gold Hill’s, by comparison, is much smaller—despite being located near several other mountain communities.
• We have repeatedly asked to expand our boundary to include Ward, Fourmile, and Sunshine. These communities are significantly closer to Gold Hill than the schools they are currently assigned to.
• Those schools are also struggling with enrollment and have resisted sharing boundaries.
• This means families in surrounding areas must open enroll in order to attend their nearest school. That adds unnecessary red tape and deters potential students.
• Granting dual-boundary access would allow more families to consider Gold Hill without extra paperwork or uncertainty.
• Enrollment issues cannot be solved unless these structural issues are addressed.
• We were disappointed that mountain schools were excluded from the district’s recent boundary discussions. After years of asking for more equitable boundaries, leaving us out again sends a clear message: the needs of mountain schools are not being considered in districtwide planning.
• You can view current boundaries here: BVSD Elementary School Attendance Map

Final Message

This is not just a staffing cut. It’s the unraveling of a thriving model, a historic school, and a resilient mountain community.

We ask the district to look beyond numbers and spreadsheets. Please see the people, the systems, and the relationships that make Gold Hill School what it is.

Gold Hill is still viable. It is still vibrant. But it cannot survive if it is pushed below the threshold of sustainability.

Equity isn’t always equal. This moment calls for wisdom, creativity, and the will to preserve what still works.

From Concerned Gold Hill Stakeholders
Educators, families, and community members advocating for the future of our school