Breaking: New Information on FASD's Facility Search
Reminder: Independent parent group — not affiliated with or endorsed by FASD.
TL;DR
Breaking news from Chalkbeat and Colorado Public Radio: FASD proposed moving to the former Harrington Elementary building during DPS's Request for Information process last year. However, DPS has now issued an RFP for Harrington to become a community center (not a school facility). The RFP is for community organizations to provide food and housing assistance, after-school enrichment, and adult education. Bids are due next week. This means FASD cannot compete for Harrington under the current RFP.
Unfortunately, I saw these articles after the FASDads email went out this week.
What We Just Learned
Chalkbeat obtained documents from DPS's 2025 Request for Information process. According to their reporting published March 3, 2026:
"Three other proposals came from schools. The French American School of Denver, a charter elementary that offers French immersion, proposed moving to the Harrington building."
However, DPS has now decided to pursue Harrington as a community center, not as a school facility. The current RFP specifically calls for a community center offering food and housing help, after-school enrichment, and adult education classes for underserved neighborhoods in northeast Denver.
What this means:
FASD did target a specific building (Harrington) during last year's RFI process
DPS chose to pursue it for community center use instead
The current RFP is not open to schools
FASD cannot compete for Harrington under this RFP
Sources
Chalkbeat: "How Denver might repurpose closed school buildings" (March 3, 2026)
Colorado Public Radio: "School closures Denver child care community center" (March 3, 2026)
KUNC: "Denver asked for proposals for reusing vacant school buildings" (March 4, 2026)
What's Next
I'm still processing what this means for FASD's facility search and what questions this raises about the Board's February 6 communication. I'll publish a fuller analysis once I've had time to think through the implications.
If you have information to share or questions, email me at info@fasdads.org.
~Greg
This is a breaking news alert. A more complete analysis will follow.
