Welcome to the Summit School District Facilities Master Plan Page

Master Plan Update Meeting 1 Presentation

Summit School District Master Planning Committee
Meeting Record - 01
Date: October 08, 2025
Time: 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Master Plan Update Meeting Presentation #2

Summit School District Master Planning Committee
Meeting Record - 02
Date: November 12, 2025
Time: 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Master Plan Update Meeting Presentation #3

Summit School District Master Planning Committee
Meeting Record - 03
Date: December 17,  2025
Time: 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Master Plan Update Meeting Presentation #4

Summit School District Master Planning Committee
Meeting Record-04
Date: January 21, 2026
Time:  6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Presentation- Facilities Master Plan Update

The Facilities Master Plan is a 10-year roadmap that helps the district:

• Care for and responsibly manage school buildings, land, and resources
• Plan for safe, inclusive, and engaging learning environments
• Align facilities with flexible, future-ready Pathways programs and hands-on learning opportunities.
• Understand enrollment trends and long-term sustainability
• Gather community input, consider next steps, and determine timeline and phasing.

Summit School District (SSD) is engaged in a community-wide planning process to ensure that all students have access to high-quality learning environments while addressing challenges such as declining enrollment, aging infrastructure, and limited funding.

The Master Plan update process began in 2024 following feedback from the community about the failed bond. Two architectural firms (Traenor Architects and Hord Coplan Macht) and a demographic study by Western Demographics are informing the planning process. A Planning Committee of over 40 community members, educators, and parents is reviewing facility needs, enrollment trends, and consolidation options from October 2024 to April 2025.

Key Planning Considerations:
• Create safe, inclusive, and engaging learning environments
 • Maintain sustainable class sizes and staffing
 • Invest in future-ready academic pathways
 • Be transparent and fiscally responsible with public resources

Background: The Master Plan Process
In response to that feedback, the district launched a comprehensive update to its Facilities Master Plan in 2024-25. Two architectural firms were engaged for this work: Traenor Architects, focusing on Summit High School and expanding Future Ready Pathways programming, and Hord Coplan Macht, which evaluated the physical conditions and educational adequacy of all other schools in the district. Western Demographics also conducted a detailed demographic study to support long-term planning.

In July 2025, the Board of Education received an update outlining the ongoing decline in student enrollment and its impact on sustainability. The district continues to analyze facility use, staffing patterns, and educational delivery models to address these challenges responsibly. 2025.07.16 Board Retreat Master Planning Update

Planning Committee Role
A Planning Committee of more than 40 parents, staff, and community members has been meeting regularly since October 2024. Their responsibilities include:
• Addressing school facility physical needs
• Evaluating educational program quality and adequacy
• Considering solutions for declining enrollment
• Advising on budget-conscious priorities and timeline
• Offering a high-level, systems-wide perspective
• Serving as liaisons for community communication and engagement

After the failure of Measure 4A in November 2024, Summit School District took immediate steps to understand community and staff perspectives. We conducted a countywide survey through Magellan Strategies and partnered with the Summit County Education Association (SCEA) to gather staff feedback through an internal survey in December. Both data sets were reviewed and discussed by the Board of Education during their January 9, 2025 retreat to inform next steps.
From these efforts, we’re learning:
The bond proposal was too complex, making it difficult for voters to support all parts at once.
The tax increase was a significant concern, especially following local property tax hikes.
Many community members were understandably confused about how school funding works in Colorado — when local property tax revenue increases, the state’s contribution decreases, so schools do not receive additional funding overall. Unfortunately, this led to misinformation, with some believing SSD received more money from higher taxes and was now asking for even more.
Staff housing had mixed support, with some feeling it's beyond the district’s core role.
The Snowy Peaks model is appreciated, but constructing a new building doesn’t have broad backing.
While there is interest in a new Breckenridge Elementary, more people support exploring a consolidation with Upper Blue Elementary.
There is strong, consistent support for investments in safety, security, and building maintenance.
The expansion of Career and Technical Education (CTE) is viewed positively, though the community wants a clearer picture of how the current space is used.

SSD land is zoned for public use, including education. While it can be appraised (typically around $1 million for 10 acres), it cannot be sold freely for commercial development. The value lies in long-term use for public education.

Due to continued declines in student enrollment, some schools are operating well below fiscally conservative levels. Due to fixed costs, SSD schools need a minimum of 207 students to break even and 300 - 500 students to operate comfortably. Consolidation helps reduce overhead costs, enhances program offerings, and improves access to high-quality instruction for all students.

What is the sustainable enrollment size for an elementary school?
With current state funding and operational models, an elementary school needs between 207 and 300+ students to operate sustainably—but these two benchmarks represent very different financial realities.

• At **207 students**, a school is operating at the survival threshold. It can only break even by relying heavily on the district to subsidize shared services, administrative costs, and staffing inefficiencies. There is little flexibility for enrichment, unexpected costs, or instructional innovation.
• At **300- 500 students**, a school enters a more sustainable and healthy range. It can cover its own operational costs, generate a small surplus, and invest in things like intervention programs, specials teachers (art, music, PE), student support staff, and building maintenance.

**Why does this matter?** Operating well below 300 students limits what a school can offer, especially as costs rise and enrollment declines. A larger student body helps maximize resources and ensures that dollars go directly toward teaching and learning—not overhead.
 

No. All scenarios are being modeled using up-to-date enrollment projections and building capacities. Staff and programs will follow students to ensure class sizes remain appropriate.

The Facilities Master Plan evaluated multiple elementary consolidation scenarios to address declining enrollment, facility condition, and long-term fiscal sustainability. Looked at four smallest schools. These scenarios were modeled using enrollment projections, building capacity, and cost estimates:

• Breckenridge Elementary (BRE) → Upper Blue Elementary (UBE)
   Requires an expansion of eight classrooms at UBE.
• Frisco Elementary (FRE) → Summit Cove Elementary (SCE)
   Requires an expansion of three to five classrooms at SCE.
• Frisco Elementary (FRE) → Upper Blue Elementary (UBE)
   Requires an expansion of seven classrooms.
• BRE and FRE → Upper Blue Elementary (UBE)
   Requires a sixteen-classroom expansion.
• Summit Cove Elementary (SCE) closure with redistribution to FRE, SVE, and DVE

Yes. Transportation distance and travel time were included in the enrollment study to help understand the geographic impacts of potential scenarios. Sample comparisons include:
Breckenridge ES → Upper Blue ES: approximately 1.8 miles / ~8 minutes
Frisco ES → Upper Blue ES: approximately 8.2 miles / ~14 minutes
Summit Cove ES → Frisco ES: approximately 8.8–10.6 miles, depending on route/ 19 minutes
Summit Cove ES → Silverthorne ES: approximately 8.4 miles / ~16 minutes

Housing data was incorporated into the Facilities Master Plan to better understand where future students and staff may live. Key projects reviewed include:
Runway Project (Breckenridge): 35 deed-restricted homes near Upper Blue Elementary.
Keystone-area workforce housing: Including recently completed and planned projects intended to support local employees and families.
Lake Hill (Frisco): A large, multi-phase housing development with potential long-term enrollment impact.
Smith Ranch (Silverthorne): A completed project that has contributed to stable enrollment at Silverthorne Elementary.

These developments help inform long-range enrollment projections but do not, on their own, offset the districtwide trend of declining student numbers.
 

Not necessarily. It’s important to know that school size and class size are not the same thing. A larger school can still maintain small class sizes — it just means more classrooms and teachers are added to support the student body. Class size is determined by staffing and funding, not the total number of students in a school building.

SSD is committed to continuing services for students with Advanced Learning Plans, IEPs, and language needs. These programs will be maintained through any consolidation process.

• Fall 2025 – Spring 2026: Community engagement and scenario modeling
 • Fall 2026-27: Pending community feedback, potential implementation of non-construction changes
 • 2028+: Potential construction-based changes aligned with long-term Master Plan

While we are seeing shifts in enrollment, our commitment to preparing every student for a successful future remains strong. The Future-Ready Pathways initiative is not just about adding programs—it's about maximizing and repurposing our existing space and resources to better serve today’s students and tomorrow’s opportunities.

As we look at school consolidation and space usage, we are also reimagining how we use those spaces to equip students with real-world skills, purpose, and hands-on learning experiences. The Pathways model connects classroom learning with meaningful career exploration and postsecondary opportunities through the “Big 3” framework:

• Industry Certifications
• Concurrent Enrollment (college credit)
• Work-Based Learning (internships, apprenticeships, and job shadowing)

Declining enrollment challenges us to be even more intentional with our investments—and this initiative is a bold, student-centered step forward. By transforming how we use our buildings and resources, we’re ensuring that every SSD student graduates future-ready—with the skills, confidence, and experiences to thrive in college, careers, and life.

District land is viewed as a strategic, long-term asset. This position is consistent with prior Board of Education direction and multiple Facilities Master Plan efforts.
Key considerations include:

• Land scarcity in Summit County and limited opportunities for future acquisition.
• Zoning limitations that prioritize public and educational use.
• Future flexibility to respond to enrollment cycles, program needs, or partnerships.
• Community value, as school sites often function as neighborhood anchors.

Rather than limiting future options, retaining land preserves opportunities for growth, adaptation, and community benefit over time.