Despite declining enrollment, numerous classrooms have become noticeably overcrowded this year. Due to the significant decline in the 2025-2026 Boulder High budget, multiple teachers were laid off before this school year started, which has unfortunately led to a multitude of problems for both students and staff.
Mr. Offil, the Boulder High teacher union representative, speaks on the issue. Sharing his experience regarding the teacher layoff, he states that “High schools don’t operate the same way. Right now, Boulder High is back to roughly 2017-2018 enrollment levels, and we have fewer teachers now than we had then. You see class sizes increase as a result. Probably the most significant impact has been on the Freshmen Seminar. It’s such an important program.”
Many students are also feeling the impacts of the teacher layoffs. Nina Skolnick, ‘27, shared, “A lot of my classes are very full, which means you get less one-on-one time with teachers, especially in advisories, because they’re always pretty full.” A group of freshmen shared similar views as they reflected on classroom sizes. One boy stated that “There are too many people…You can’t focus, there’s too much going on.”
Oddly enough, these layoffs coincided with drastic architectural changes in the Boulder High building. Over the summer of 2025, a new hallway was introduced, much of the flooring was updated, and many other things were implemented.
The construction work was met with mixed reactions from students and staff. Mr Offil explains that “There were definitely parts of the building that needed to be upgraded, especially around safety concerns. So, all that is great.” On the other hand, Ava Baranyi, ‘26 shares, “I think the construction was not the greatest use of our resources and our time, as only certain areas were upgraded, and those certain areas have some sort of push back to it. Like the classrooms with just the windowpanes as walls, I feel like those can be very distracting for people walking by.” Reghan Jones, ‘26, agreed with her pupil, adding, “I also think the glass classroom isn’t as safe, which isn’t good.”
Although I’m sure many aspects of this construction process were fully necessary, I can’t help but think that some of the new installations are superfluous, particularly projects like paint jobs and the establishment of new glass walls. It’s hard to imagine why things like these would be treated as urgent matters, especially during a time when our school budget is tight. This raises the question: Why was so much money spent on construction this year, rather than on the teachers who instead lost their jobs?
Upon conducting further research and interviewing Dr. Morales, I came to the understanding that budget allocations are largely decided by state and county legislation. After being asked about the construction budget, Morales explains that “None of [the construction work] impacts our budget, because it is all based on the bond.” This budget that Morales mentioned almost completely stems from an act called the 2022 Facilities Critical Needs Plan. According to the BVSD website, this program was put in place after Boulder County citizens voted in favor of it, agreeing to put a certain amount of money towards the necessary construction of BVSD schools. Because citizens voted for this, the money designated for construction cannot be moved to any other areas by staff. Morales also mentioned that the school budget is placed into categories partially by the school district, but these categories seldom ever shift. However, it is possible if needed.
With seemingly excessive amounts of money being put towards construction and not enough being put towards teachers, the BVSD budget is overdue for an update. Although our school’s budget has become significantly smaller this year, Boulder High is still a highly wealthy school compared to many others, and I believe that with a combination of school board efforts and shifts in county legislation, positive change is possible. If we can afford to spend money on things like modern glass-paned classrooms and brand new wall tiles, it should surely also be possible to put money towards the teachers we need for an optimal learning environment.
