Hundreds of students at Denver Center For International Studies at Baker walked out of classes on Friday morning to protest Superintendent Alex Marrero’s proposed school closures.

The school was established as a magnet program at Denver’s West High School in 1985 for middle and high school students, according to the school’s website.

If approved, the school would be restructured into a middle school only.

“It’s hard to start over,” said Noah Montoya, a junior student.

If the district school board approved Marrero’s restructuring plan, Montoya would have to start his senior year in a new school.

About 400 students from West Middle School and DCIS marched along Speer Boulevard Friday, down to the Denver Public Schools’ main administrative building at 1860 Lincoln St.

Camila Kunrath, a DCIS senior and student council president, led students in a chant of “small schools matter” as they marched.

Ezra Bersnahan, a DCIS freshman, said the way he sees it, a board vote to close his school would also tear apart his community.

Once they reached the administrative building the protesters were met by DPS School Board President Carrie Olson and Director Xóchitl Gaytán on the front steps.

“We already got pushed out of Baker. Don’t let the same thing happen to DCIS,” Israa Swede, a DCIS senior, told the crowd outside DPS’ administrative offices on Friday.”

The student protesters blocked the sidewalk in front of the building.

Rosalyn Leyba, a DCIS senior, spoke to the crowd, questioning how the district can afford a new corner office for Superintendent Alex Marrero while closing schools.

Last week — after voters overwhelmingly supported a nearly $1 billion bond for infrastructure projects — Marrero proposed closing seven schools and restructuring three others because of declining enrollment.

Bond money cannot be used for operational costs like teacher salaries.

Parents have repeatedly questioned in meetings with board members this week over how taxpayers could foot the bill for recent upgrades only to shutter the buildings.

The Denver Public Schools Board of Education will vote on the closure proposal next week.

Because enrollment in Colorado is tied to funding, fewer students mean less money.

The district expects to lose $70 million in funding each academic year for at least the next four years, district officials have said. The cost — on average — to operate a Denver school is about $4.7 million.

Lower birth rates, skyrocketing home costs and gentrification have been identified as the biggest factors driving enrollment declines.

While declining enrollment is a district-wide issue, southwest Denver represented by Gaytán has been hardest hit. Since 2019, southwest Denver has lost about 20% of its students, according to district data.

The schools on the closure list are Columbian Elementary, Castro Elementary, Schmitt Elementary, International Academy of Denver at Harrington, Palmer Elementary, West Middle School and Denver School of Innovation and Sustainable Design.

Two years ago, Marrero had recommended 10 schools for closure, but pared his list to three after a very public backlash. All three schools — Denver Discovery, Mathematics and Science Leadership Academy and Fairview Elementary — had fewer than 120 students, which is considered “critically low-enrollment.”

Four of the campuses on Marrero’s list — Columbian, Castro, Schmitt and the International Academy of Denver at Harrington elementary school — were on the closure list proposed and nixed two years ago.

Marrero’s proposal did not include a school boundary study.

District officials have said closures now will stave off the need for additional closures for the next three-to-five years.

The closures are expected to save the district $29.9 million.

Editor’s note: This is a developing story.