FROM CENTRAL PARK PARENTS

What’s happening with Northfield’s boundary?

Sharing what we’ve learned, who to contact, and some draft emails you can make your own.

The issue

Denver Public Schools is considering moving Central Park neighborhoods south of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard out of the Northfield High School attendance boundary and into the George Washington High School boundary for 2027–28.

This is part of DPS’s Redrawing Our District Equitably (RODE) process. No final decision has been announced. DPS expects to make its decisions in October and publish updated boundaries in November.

Many of our kids have grown up going to school with the same friends and neighbors. Changing the high-school boundary could split up those relationships and disrupt a school path our families have counted on.

What we can do

DPS leadership is developing the plan, and the School Board sets the policies and provides oversight. They can hear from us, ask questions, and press for other options before the decision is final. We can tell them why this matters to our families and ask them to find an option that keeps our neighborhood together.

We’ve done some research and drafted emails for people who can help. These are starting points, not scripts. Please change the wording, add your own experience, and send only what you agree with.

The district’s process and exact Board approval role are still being clarified. This page doesn’t claim that the Board votes on every boundary change.

Who to contact

Choose someone below to see why they matter and open an editable draft. You send the email yourself from your own account.

DPS Enrollment / RODE Planning Team

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District enrollment and boundary-planning staff, designs and analyzes boundary alternatives

Role in decision: District enrollment and boundary-planning staff, designs and analyzes boundary alternatives; the most direct operational route to a different map before recommendations are finalized.

Position & rationale: Treat community cohesion as a design criterion alongside equity and capacity. Integration should create durable school communities, not simply alter demographic polygons. If several configurations can achieve RODE objectives, prefer the one causing less involuntary disruption.

Primary ask: Develop and seriously evaluate a Near Northeast alternative that preserves south-of-MLK within Northfield while still meeting meaningful capacity and integration objectives.

To: schoolchoice@dpsk12.org

Subject

Message — edit any part

DPS Enrollment / RODE Team,

I’m a Central Park parent concerned about the potential removal of the neighborhoods south of MLK from the Northfield High School boundary.

I support RODE’s goals of equitable access, healthy enrollment and stronger socioeconomic integration. However I am asking that community cohesion be treated as a real design objective alongside those goals.

Families south of MLK have built years of relationships with classmates, neighbors, feeder schools and the broader Northfield community. A boundary solution should not break those relationships if the same district objectives can reasonably be achieved another way. In a district with extensive SchoolChoice, changing an address also does not necessarily create the durable integration a boundary map may appear to create. At the same time, SchoolChoice volumes into Northfield directly present an alternative option to redirect student flow from one High School zone to another without the broad disruption and harm to my kids’ education and the broader community and family.

DPS’s own 2025 Board presentation reports that 44% of DPS K–12 students attended a school outside their assigned boundary or enrollment zone in 2024. That does not predict what south-of-MLK families will do, but it demonstrates why redrawing a boundary cannot be equated with changing actual enrollment. If families instead choose Northfield through SchoolChoice, other DPS schools, private schools, or eventually move, the anticipated enrollment and integration benefits could be reduced while the disruption to established peer and feeder-school relationships remains. Please compare the proposed boundary against an alternative that preserves this community using projected actual enrollment, not only assigned addresses.

EL-18/19 talks to understanding neighborhood uniqueness through community conversations that inform boundary recommendations and avoiding further socioeconomic segregation. Please show how both requirements are met for south-of-MLK, including whether targeted families have been able to review the specific proposed change and provide meaningful input. Compare an option that preserves our community with the contemplated reassignment using expected actual enrollment, socioeconomic composition, capacity, student travel and community disruption, beyond the number of addresses moved on a map.

Please develop and seriously evaluate an alternative that keeps the south-of-MLK Central Park community within Northfield while still delivering meaningful equity and capacity improvements. If I can be of support to that end, I am happy to discuss.

Thank you for considering a solution that achieves enrollment and educational outcome goals through strengthened and integrated communities, rather than unnecessarily breaking an existing community apart.

[NAME]
Central Park parent and DPS community member

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Dr. Alex Marrero

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Superintendent, Denver Public Schools

Role in decision: Superintendent, Denver Public Schools; Executive owner of RODE; can direct staff to develop another alternative before final approval by himself (unclear if decisions would also require board approval).

Position & rationale: Accept his stated equity objective and appeal to his emphasis on community- informed implementation. RODE can demonstrate that equity and strong communities can coexist and reinforce each other. Durable reform should minimize avoidable disruption while achieving the policy outcome.

Primary ask: Direct the RODE team to develop and seriously evaluate an alternative preserving south-of-MLK’s Northfield relationship before recommending a boundary change.

To: Alex_Marrero@dpsk12.net

Subject

Message — edit any part

Dr. Marrero,

I’m writing as a DPS parent and Central Park community member concerned about the potential removal of the Central Park neighborhoods south of MLK from the Northfield High School boundary.

I support the DPS goals with RODE, however I am asking you to challenge your team to achieve those objectives without unnecessarily breaking apart an established school community.

You have repeatedly emphasized the importance of community input when DPS undertakes consequential changes. For Central Park families south of MLK, Northfield is more than a line on a boundary map. Our children have grown up with classmates, neighbors, activities and expectations that collectively form a school community. Because Denver families retain SchoolChoice, changing a line also does not necessarily create the durable integration DPS is seeking. Meanwhile, our neighborhood has not been presented the opportunity to provide your team the community input you have championed. While generic engagement meetings have occurred, I believe the proposals affecting our neighborhood have not been broadly published to the specific impacted communities with an invitation to engage.

RODE can set a better standard and help you demonstrate the value of community engagement and input, improving socioeconomic integration while preserving functioning communities wherever a reasonable alternative exists - and as an extra bonus, this can help you to implement more durable change.

DPS reported to its Board that 44% of its K–12 students attended outside their assigned boundary or enrollment zone in 2024. In a district where that many families exercise options, moving an address between boundaries is not the same as moving an enrolled student. The district risks imposing certain disruption on children and established school communities in exchange for integration or utilization gains that depend on how families actually respond. Some may choose other DPS schools or even leave the district entirely. A final recommendation should present analyses of realistic enrollment and equity outcomes of the proposed changes, including SchoolChoice response, compared with an alternative that keeps south-of-MLK connected to Northfield.

Your Board’s Consolidated EL18/19 framework specifically calls for understanding neighborhood uniqueness through community conversations, avoiding increased socioeconomic segregation, and considering safe access and transportation. I have not seen evidence that affected south-of-MLK families have been given a concrete boundary option and a targeted opportunity to help shape it. Please make this a more substantive Consolidated EL18/19 design and engagement exercise.

Before recommending a boundary that removes south-of-MLK Central Park from Northfield, please direct the RODE team to develop alternatives that keep this community together while still delivering meaningful equity and capacity improvements, and to seriously engage the community to help achieve simultaneous educational, equity, and community benefits. If I can be of support to that end, I am happy to discuss.

Thank you for considering our community’s perspective.

[NAME]
Central Park parent and DPS community member

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Monica Hunter

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DPS Board of Education, District 4

Role in decision: DPS Board of Education, District 4; Elected DPS representative for the affected district and Board-level influence over the Superintendent and final boundary policy.

Position & rationale: Frame neighborhood-school continuity and equity as compatible values. Her role is to represent affected families before a recommendation hardens, while still advancing equitable access. Sustainable integration should build communities families participate in rather than treating existing relationships as expendable.

Primary ask: Personally press Marrero and RODE staff for an alternative preserving south-of-MLK within Northfield while materially advancing RODE goals, and advocate for that alternative with the Board. Demand Board oversight of EL-19 proposals.

To: MonicaLHunter@gmail.com

Subject

Message — edit any part

Director Hunter,

I’m writing as a District 4 DPS parent concerned about the potential removal of the Central Park neighborhoods south of MLK from the Northfield High School boundary.

I support the goals of stronger, more equitable and integrated Denver schools. I also believe neighborhood-school continuity is a legitimate value that should be protected whenever those goals can be achieved without breaking an established community apart.

Families south of MLK have built years of relationships with classmates, neighbors, feeder schools and Northfield, and have been part of creating the educational community of elementary and middle schools that feed Northfield and help make it what it is. I’m asking for your help before a recommendation becomes final, not to stop RODE, but to make the solution better.

DPS’s own 2025 Board materials show that 44% of K–12 students attended outside their assigned boundary or enrollment zone in 2024. That number makes actual family behavior central to this decision. A reassignment might look effective on a boundary map but generate much less integration if families choose different schools, while still dividing classmates and weakening families’ confidence that long-standing neighborhood-school pathways will remain dependable. It is reasonable for the Board to ask what the plan achieves after SchoolChoice and possible DPS enrollment losses—not merely what the revised boundaries appear to achieve.

This is also a question of Board policy oversight. Under Consolidated EL18/19 Superintendent is expected to present to the Board an understand neighborhood uniqueness through conversations that inform boundary recommendations. Have south-of-MLK families been meaningfully engaged on a concrete proposed option, and how will you determine whether staff evaluated an alternative that preserves this community while satisfying those equity requirements?

Would you please personally ask Dr. Marrero and the RODE team to develop and seriously evaluate an alternative that keeps south-of-MLK Central Park within Northfield while still delivering meaningful equity and capacity improvements, and advocate for that alternative with your Board colleagues?

We should be able to build more integrated schools while preserving strong communities. If I can be of support to that end, I am happy to discuss.

Thank you for representing our families.

[NAME]
Central Park parent and District 4 DPS constituent

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John Youngquist

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DPS Board of Education, At-Large Director

Role in decision: DPS Board of Education, At-Large Director; Citywide Board oversight; educator/administrator background makes implementation and actual student behavior particularly relevant.

Position & rationale: Use his own prior concern about the complexity SchoolChoice adds to boundary policy. The key issue is whether moving a boundary changes actual attendance and creates durable integration, or disrupts an existing community while families exercise choice elsewhere.

Primary ask: Challenge staff to test actual attendance behavior and develop an alternative preserving south-of-MLK while accomplishing RODE’s substantive objectives.Demand Board oversight of EL-19 proposals.

To: John_Youngquist@dpsk12.org

Subject

Message — edit any part

Mr. Youngquist,

I’m writing as a DPS parent and community member concerned about the potential removal of the Central Park neighborhoods south of MLK from the Northfield boundary.

I support the goal of creating strong, diverse schools across Denver. My concern is whether breaking apart an established school community is actually the best way to accomplish it.

When now-Conolidated EL-18/19 was being considered, you raised the complexity SchoolChoice adds to boundary-based integration. That concern seems particularly relevant here. Changing a family’s assigned school does not necessarily change where that student attends, but it can disrupt established peer, feeder and neighborhood relationships.

I hope DPS will set a higher bar: achieve meaningful socioeconomic integration while preserving established school communities wherever a reasonable alternative exists.

The enrollment figures make your earlier concern especially concrete: a DPS Board presentation found 44% of K–12 students attended outside their boundary or enrollment zone in 2024. This does not establish how these particular families will act, but it means the district should not assume the reassignment of addresses delivers a corresponding reassignment of students. If families exercise SchoolChoice or exit DPS, the projected integration gain could shrink while the cost to peer continuity and family confidence remains. I hope you will ask for a side-by-side analysis of the proposed line and a community-preserving alternative using expected actual attendance.

I also request that you take steps immediately to demand that significant changes to school boundaries are presented prior to adoption for Board review and oversight. Conolidated EL-18/19 makes this a direct Board oversight issue. Please ask staff to show the projected actual student attendance under the proposed change, beyond just revised boundary assignments, along with a feasible alternative and an explanation of how the affected community’s input shaped the recommendation.

Would you please ask the Superintendent and RODE team to develop and seriously consider an alternative that keeps south-of-MLK Central Park within Northfield while still achieving the capacity and equity objectives of RODE? If I can be of support to that end, I am happy to discuss.

Thank you for considering this from both an educational and implementation perspective.

[NAME]
Central Park parent and DPS community member

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Jessica Rodriguez Bracey

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Principal, Northfield High School

Role in decision: Principal, Northfield High School; Not the boundary decision-maker, but an important institutional voice on Northfield’s school community, student belonging and continuity.

Position & rationale: Northfield’s community includes future students, siblings, peer networks and neighborhood relationships, not just currently enrolled students. School leadership can advocate for continuity while supporting districtwide equity. Her own school profile emphasizes community partnership and care for all school-community members.

Primary ask: Affirmatively advocate to DPS leadership that RODE preserve established Northfield community continuity south of MLK while pursuing its broader objectives.

To: j_rodriguez-bracey@dpsk12.net

Subject

Message — edit any part

Principal Rodriguez Bracey,

I’m writing as a Central Park parent concerned about the possibility that neighborhoods south of MLK will be removed from the Northfield boundary.

I appreciate that the boundary decision is made at the district level. I’m asking for Northfield leadership to be an active voice for the community the school serves and the students who are preparing to join it.

For our children, Northfield is not just an assigned building. Their classmates, siblings, neighborhood relationships and expectations about high school have developed over years. Those relationships are part of student belonging and the strength of a school community.

I support DPS’s goals around equity and healthy enrollment. I hope Northfield can advocate for a solution that achieves those goals while preserving established community continuity wherever reasonably possible.

DPS has reported that 44% of K–12 students attended outside their assigned boundary or enrollment zone in 2024. That is an important reminder that a boundary change alone does not guarantee a new student community. Even if some families choose elsewhere rather than their reassigned school, children still experience the uncertainty and loss of an expected pathway with friends. Northfield’s perspective on belonging, feeder relationships, sibling continuity, and the likely enrollment response could help DPS avoid disruption without delivering the intended outcomes.

Conolidated EL-18/19 expressly calls for understanding the uniqueness of neighborhoods and incorporating community conversations into recommendations. Northfield’s perspective on students’ established peers, feeder-school ties, activities and transition expectations could make that requirement concrete. Please help document those impacts for the RODE team rather than allowing community continuity to disappear into a map-based calculation.

Would you please communicate directly to DPS leadership that Northfield supports finding an alternative that keeps the south-of-MLK community together while still advancing RODE’s objectives?

Thank you for representing the broader Northfield community.

[NAME]
Central Park parent

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Mayor Mike Johnston

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Mayor, City and County of Denver

Role in decision: Mayor, City and County of Denver; No formal authority over DPS boundaries, but significant civic convening and influence with DPS leadership. Also, a member of the broader Northfield-boundary community (north of MLK I think, meaning he could have shared perspective).

Position & rationale: Appeal to neighborhood stability, family confidence in Denver and the proposition that equity and cohesive communities should reinforce one another. If mentioning his community connection, do so only generally: 'as someone who is also part of the broader Northfield community.' Do not mention an address, family circumstances. Electoral consequences may be fair game as a topic, families can decide to add or not any language on that topic.

Primary ask: Use civic influence with Marrero and DPS leadership to encourage an alternative advancing RODE equity objectives without unnecessarily dividing established Northfield/Central Park communities.

To: mayorsoffice@denvergov.org

Subject

Message — edit any part

Mayor Johnston,

I’m writing as a Denver parent and Central Park resident concerned about the possibility that Denver Public Schools will remove Central Park neighborhoods south of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard from the Northfield High School boundary as part of its RODE initiative.

I support DPS’s objectives - but I am very concerned that achieving these goals should not require unnecessarily breaking apart established school communities.

For families in our neighborhood, Northfield represents years of relationships among children, classmates, siblings, and neighbors. These connections are part of what makes Denver's neighborhoods strong and gives families confidence in their public schools.

The implications extend well beyond school enrollment. School assignments influence families' decisions about where to live, policies and votes to support, whether to remain in the city, and whether to participate in public schools at all. I am left along with many of my neighbors wondering if Denver continues to represent a place I can confidently build my family, or if whimsical decisions will upend the quality of life and opportunity I moved my family to the Central Park community for. I believe that these types of decisions have outsized consequences for the long-term vitality of our neighborhoods and the future of Denver.

You have emphasized your position on the importance of stronger coordination between the City and DPS, including decisions affecting school locations and transportation. I believe this situation is a perfect illustrative opportunity for you to demonstrate how and why that coordination matters. School boundaries may be under DPS's authority, but their consequences extend into the broader health and stability of the city.

There is also a practical risk that this disruption may not produce the intended educational benefits. DPS reported to its Board that 44% of K–12 students attended outside their assigned boundary or enrollment zone in 2024. A new boundary may change the socioeconomic composition of assigned students without producing the same change in students who actually enroll. Families could choose other schools, including outside DPS, reducing the expected integration benefit while still weakening long-standing ties and trust in the district’s neighborhood-school pathways. We should ask what this plan will accomplish in practice, not just what the map says. School assignments influence where I and most parents choose for our families to live. The cumulative consequences can extend far beyond the affected neighborhood or school. Some families may select other schools through SchoolChoice, change their voting preferences, leave DPS, or even relocate.The loss of community continuity and confidence in Denver as a place to raise and educate my children is not something I thought I had to worry about.

There is a specific city role here as well. DPS’s Consolidated EL18/19 contemplates partnering with the City of Denver to provide safe, accessible routes to school. When boundary changes may alter students’ travel patterns and families’ confidence in neighborhood schools, the City has a practical interest in the outcome. Not authority over DPS, but a responsibility to bring its neighborhood and transportation perspective to the table. DPS also reports that roughly 44% of its K–12 students attend outside their assigned boundary or enrollment zone. A changed boundary therefore does not, on its own, guarantee the enrollment or integration benefit projected on paper; family choices may dilute that benefit while the community disruption remains.

I am not asking you to oppose RODE or its equity objectives. Rather, I am asking you to use your relationship with DPS leadership and the City's existing school coordination mechanisms to encourage an alternative that preserves the established Northfield community south of MLK while still achieving meaningful equity and capacity improvements.

Denver should be able to build stronger, more equitable schools without unnecessarily weakening the communities and the city that sustain them. I would appreciate your engagement with Superintendent Marrero and the DPS Board before the district finalizes its recommendations. If I can be of support to that end, I am happy to discuss.

Thank you for your leadership and consideration.

[Name]
Central Park Neighbor, Constituent, and DPS Parent

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Shontel M. Lewis

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Denver City Council Member, District 8

Role in decision: Denver City Council Member, District 8; No formal DPS boundary authority, but represents Central Park and can use constituent and civic influence with DPS leadership.

Position & rationale: Appeal to her public emphasis on equity, community participation and avoiding displacement as policy pursues progress. Do not equate housing displacement with school reassignment; apply the broader principle that change should strengthen existing communities rather than impose avoidable disruption.

Primary ask: As District 8 representative, ask Marrero and the Board for an alternative preserving south-of-MLK’s Northfield community while achieving meaningful RODE equity and capacity goals.

To: district8@denvergov.org

Subject

Message — edit any part

Councilwoman Lewis,

I’m writing as a District 8 parent and Central Park resident concerned about the possibility that DPS will remove Central Park neighborhoods south of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard from the Northfield High School boundary through its RODE initiative.

I support RODE’s objectives of improving equitable access, socioeconomic integration, and healthy enrollment. My concern is that achieving these goals should not require unnecessarily breaking apart established school communities.

For families south of MLK, Northfield represents years of relationships among children, classmates, siblings, and neighbors. These relationships are part of what makes our neighborhood a community, rather than simply a collection of households.

The consequences extend beyond school assignments. Where children attend school influences families’ decisions about where to live, whether to remain in Denver, and whether to participate in public schools. Over time, these decisions can have significant consequences for neighborhood stability, community cohesion, and the future of our city. That makes the DPS changes worthy of interest by the City of Denver.

I believe this is an opportunity to demonstrate how community-centered leadership can advance equity while also protecting the relationships and institutions that make Denver's neighborhoods strong. Those principles should reinforce one another, not compete. That is what Denver can stand for.

Given your experience in community engagement and your role representing District 8, I hope you will take an active role in ensuring that affected families have a meaningful voice before these decisions are finalized.

The implementation risk deserves attention as well as the principle. DPS told its Board that 44% of K–12 students attended outside their assigned boundary or enrollment zone in 2024. A new boundary may change the socioeconomic composition of assigned students without producing the same change in students who actually enroll. Families could choose other schools, including outside DPS, reducing the expected integration benefit while still weakening long-standing ties and trust in the district’s neighborhood-school pathways. We should ask what this plan will accomplish in practice, not just what the map says.

Consolidated EL18/19 says DPS should understand the uniqueness of neighborhoods through community conversations that inform boundary recommendations. That is particularly relevant to your experience in DPS community engagement. The policy also expressly recognizes partnership with Denver on safe routes. In a district where roughly 44% of K–12 students attend outside their assigned boundary or zone, the city and DPS should consider real enrollment responses and neighborhood effects alongside changes to map boundaries. Those choices could reduce projected integration benefits even as the disruption to children and neighborhood trust remains.

Specifically, I ask that you engage Superintendent Marrero and the DPS Board, advocate for serious consideration of an alternative that preserves the Central Park south-of-MLK Northfield community while meeting RODE’s equity and capacity objectives, and help bring affected families and DPS leadership together around a constructive solution.

This is an opportunity to demonstrate a model of neighborhood advocacy and community-centered decision-making that can serve families throughout Denver.

We are not asking DPS to abandon its goals. We are asking its leaders to find a better way to achieve them.

Thank you for your consideration and your leadership on behalf of District 8.

[Name]
Central Park Resident and DPS Parent

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Neighbors are making their voices heard

The issue

What we can do

Who to contact

DPS Enrollment / RODE Planning Team

Dr. Alex Marrero

Monica Hunter

John Youngquist

Jessica Rodriguez Bracey

Mayor Mike Johnston

Shontel M. Lewis