The future of Del Pueblo Elementary School may be decided this evening just four days before the Baker neighborhood campus is scheduled to open.

Denver Public Schools administrators are expected to give an update to the board of education about the dwindling enrollment, lack of resources and the dearth of teachers at Del Pueblo.

Since January district officials had discussed whether it was feasible to keep Del Pueblo, 750 Galapago St., open because of declining enrollment.

Fidel "Butch" Montoya, a community activist and Denver's former manager of safety, said he felt the fate of Del Pueblo is pretty much a foregone conclusion. Montoya said signs had been posted on the door of the school in recent days telling neighborhood residents that the school had indeed closed.

Montoya strongly criticized the district's handling of Del Pueblo because it didn't give parents and families an opportunity to review other campuses so they could decide where to send their children. By meeting just days before the school year is to start DPS also placed the burden on other campuses which may have to take in additional students who had been planning to attend Del Pueblo, Montoya said.

Montoya and other activists don't oppose the potential closure of Del Pueblo but said the district should have assisted families since last school semester to transition their children into new campuses.

"I don't think they understand the ramifications of closing Del Pueblo without any transitions at the other schools, and that's not fair," he said.

Alex Sanchez, DPS' communications director, said the board and district officials will review enrollment figures to help them determine whether Del Pueblo can sustain those numbers, and they will weigh their options.

"I don't know what the actual numbers are going to be for the students," Sanchez said of the school enrollment. "It's low. The question is going to be how low."

On Oct. 2, DPS is expected to look at a list of schools that could be eliminated from the district.

Tonight's board meeting is at 5 p.m. in the first floor board room, 900 Grant St.