As we move through an important season for Summit School District, I want to provide an update, reflect on what we are hearing from our community, and recognize the strong work happening across our schools.

Celebrating Our Schools

We are proud to celebrate the continued success of two outstanding school communities:

Breckenridge Elementary – John Irwin School of Excellence Award

Frisco Elementary – Governor’s Distinguished Improvement Award

These recognitions reflect sustained academic achievement, strong instruction, and the deep commitment of our students, staff, and families.

They also reflect something more: schools that are working—and working well for students.

We want to acknowledge that this moment can feel complex. As we engage in conversations about the future of our schools, including potential consolidation scenarios, it is natural to ask: If a school is performing at a high level, why would it be part of this conversation?

That is a fair and important question.

This work is not about addressing school performance. It is about ensuring we can sustain and strengthen high-quality student experiences across the entire district over time—especially as we navigate declining enrollment, aging facilities, and rising costs.

Our goal is to build on the success we see in schools like Breckenridge and Frisco—so that every student, in every school, has access to the same level of opportunity, support, and excellence.

As we have listened to our community, many of the questions that follow connect directly to this tension—how we honor what is working today while planning responsibly for the future.

Many of you have participated in community engagement sessions since this work began last year. Thank you for your time, thoughtful questions, and honest feedback.

One of the most common questions is:
"Why does enrollment matter so much in this process?"

Here is what our current data shows:

• Summit School District is currently serving  3,217 K-12 students, since FY23, the district has faced three consecutive years of decline: FY24 (-2%), FY25 (-3%), and projected FY26 (-3%)
• Several schools are operating below 207 students, the number identified as the sustainable enrollment level
• School funding is based on a per-pupil formula, meaning the district receives funding for each student enrolled. As enrollment declines, total funding decreases—even though many costs, like staffing, transportation, and building operations, remain the same. This creates increasing pressure on resources and impacts how we can support programs and services for students.
• Importantly, increases in local property taxes do not increase school funding overall—state funding is reduced to offset those increases, so total funding remains largely the same.

This matters because how we organize our schools directly impacts the student experience.

When enrollment is spread across too many buildings:

• Fewer students per grade can limit collaboration and peer learning
• It becomes more difficult to consistently provide specialists, interventions, and enrichment
• Resources are spread thinner instead of being focused where students need them most
• Class size may fluctuate greatly across grade levels, counterintuitively resulting in large class sizes in small schools.

Our goal is not simply to respond to enrollment trends—it is to ensure every student has access to:

• Strong, consistent instruction
• Reliable support services
• Consistent class sizes
• Meaningful academic and extracurricular opportunities

Moving Forward: 

We are making important progress this month:

• A survey is being shared 4/13 - 4/26 to gather additional input
• We are refining multiple options based on community feedback for Board consideration
• The April 16 BOE Community Voice event will help shape next steps
• Updated recommendations on the Master Plan and school consolidations will be presented to the Board on April 30
• The Board will consider next steps, including potential consolidation scenarios, in early May.

In addition, we have partnered with Magellan Strategies to conduct a countywide poll in mid-May—alongside broader outreach—to better understand community perspectives before any potential future ballot decisions.

Our Commitment

Every recommendation is grounded in what matters most—student success.

Guided by our principles of safe and inclusive schools, high-quality learning environments, future-ready opportunities, responsible stewardship, and transparent long-range planning, we are focused on strengthening outcomes for every student.

We remain committed to:

• Clear, transparent communication
• Listening and responding to community input
• Making thoughtful, student-centered decisions

The success we are celebrating at Breckenridge and Frisco is exactly what we are working to sustain—and expand across the entire district. Please join us in celebrating this outstanding recognition. 

 
Dr. Tony Byrd
Superintendent, Summit School District