Denver Public Schools board members huddled all day Sunday in a retreat designed partly to ensure they're ready for a rough couple of months ahead.

On Oct. 2, the district will release its proposal for closing as many as 40 schools and using the savings to improve the schools left open.

Board members, who will then vote on the proposal in November, worry the potentially controversial action will sidetrack ongoing efforts to boost student achievement across DPS.

"If we don't do it well, it will divert our attention," said board member Michelle Moss. "I'm worried about what it will do in our classrooms."

The retreat, which continues today, is geared toward setting goals through 2009.

Board members agree on the primary objective: "Massive student achievement improvement" is how facilitator Sarah Glover summed it up.

And they agree that fully funding the district's reform plan, called the Denver Plan, is the way to get there. But the district is about $33 million short and has been unable to fund elements of the plan such as summer school and intervention teachers.

Closing schools is seen as one way to free up some of those needed dollars. DPS currently has about 30,000 empty classroom seats.