No Child Left Red-Lined: From District 11 to Your Neighborhood School

School District 11 in mid-city, Colorado Springs, is facing the same kind of pressures as most school districts across the U.S. in 2009: Declining enrollment and aging buildings means more consolidation. Desire for science-centric magnet schools leads to deals with the devil for corporate aerospace companies to run the schools, using district money. Parents are the last to know the ultimate plans of the board.

In late February, parents learned that many of the schools slated for closure in District 11 were in lower-income neighborhoods. Isn't it funny how even kids get red-lined? Even though parents were kept in the dark until the last moment, they have been quick to organize. This is a video of them gathering outside a closed, executive-session meeting of the board on Feb. 25, 2009.