For the second time in less than two weeks, Denver Public School students marched out of class with placards to protest teacher cuts.

Last week, more than 100 students at the Denver School of the Arts, or DSA, walked out of class over a $482,000 budget shortfall next year prompted school leaders to cut social worker and teacher positions amid declining enrollment, but not any administrative staff.

Students at Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy followed suit on Thursday.

“I think they should do it in a way that’s considerate of all the teachers and administration,” said Amaya Tec-Lucas, a Kunsmiller junior and walkout organizer. “I think they should take administrators jobs into consideration and not just teachers.”

Kunsmiller is a K-12 magnet school in southwest Denver with 789 students pursuing creative and artistic careers, according to the school’s website.

Parents and students at both campuses have bitterly complained that school administrators failed to follow protocols designed to include the community when considering teacher layoffs, known as “reductions in building,” or RIB.

This includes the teachers’ union contract, which, for example, requires one principal and three teachers to serve on the personnel committee that determines cuts.

The teachers’ union represents nearly 4,000 educators throughout Denver Public Schools.

Campuses across Denver Public Schools are staring down budget cuts amid declining enrollment and the pending fiscal cliff posed by the end of the $190 billion federal stimulus response program during the COVID-19 pandemic, called the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund — or ESSER.

Colorado received $1.8 billion and Denver Public Schools $331.4 million in total ESSER funding.

ESSER funds are due to expire nationally on Sept. 30.

After years of enrollment declines, the district did see a bump this academic year thanks in large part to new immigrant students. Unfortunately, these gains largely came after what’s called “the October count,” which is used to determine funding.

This means the district has lost roughly $14 million.

Kunsmiller is facing a $695,256 budget shortfall next school year, according to a school-wide presentation Wednesday by Interim Principal Chuck Puga.

But that shortfall has been a bit of a moving target.

During a Jan. 31 meeting with the Collaborative School Committee, or CSC, Puga reported a $632,442 shortfall, according to meeting minutes.

“We’re not looking at it holistically,” said Tami Matthews, a CSC member. “We’re doing the quick cuts and that’s going to hurt us.”

Under state statute, every school in Colorado is required to have a School Accountability Committee.

Denver Public Schools calls these groups, “Collaborative School Committees,” which are supposed to — among other things — provide guidance, evaluation and recommendations to school leaders on spending priorities.

CSC members at Kunsmiller, as had those at Denver School of the Arts, requested and were denied copies of the school budget.

Frustrated with the process, Kunsmiller CSC members last week asked Puga about the committee’s role, to which he said — according to the CSC’s Feb. 12 meeting minutes — “that it was just to receive the information.”

Karen Mortimer, chair of the district’s District Accountability Committee, has said these committees cannot make recommendations to school leaders without access to a campus budget.

The District Accountability Committee, or DAC — which works with these campus committees — serves as an advisory committee to the Board of Education on budget priorities, school improvement plans and charter school applications, among other things.

Campus committees at DSA and Kunsmiller have filed grievances with the teachers’ union.

Ultimately, the decision about layoffs rests with school leaders.

But the way Mortimer sees it, failing to include these committees in those decisions isn’t just violating state law, it’s also shortsighted.

“It’s a missed opportunity if they’re not wrapping in the voices of parents,” Mortimer said.

Kunsmiller parents and students with whom The Denver Gazette spoke voiced unanimity — as did those at Denver School of the Arts — for including administrators in the consideration groups for layoffs.

Kunsmiller is expected to cut five teaching positions, eight staff members all together, according to a recorded presentation Puga gave Wednesday that The Denver Gazette obtained.

No administrative positions were considered.

Puga deflected the criticism.

“I don’t get to make the decisions on how many admins a building has,” Puga told parents.

Kunsmiller has five principals for 789 students.

The administrative salaries are $645,233 compared to $5.9 million for teachers and deans.

Puga defended the teacher cuts.

“These are the cuts because this is what makes the most sense in regards to being able to save as much programming and as many people as we possibly can,” Puga told parents on Wednesday.

Last week, Kunsmiller’s CSC sent a cease-and-desist letter to the district and state education department, demanding that Denver Public School stop the RIB process until the school complies with Colorado laws and the union’s teacher contract.

Despite the budget cuts talk, district managed-schools have actually seen an 18% funding increased since fiscal year 2022, while enrollment declined 2.4%.

In fiscal year 2022, which began July 1, district-managed schools — which do not include charter or innovation schools — received $677.8 million in funding.

Next school year, the amount is expected to be $799.7 million, according to the district.