Jackeline Dominguez, a Northeast Elementary School fourth-grader, shows her support for her school Wednesday night at the Board of Education meeting. Northeast Elementary is slated for closure next year under the revised “Right-Sizing the District” proposal. Emily Randall
The Kansas City School District board of directors is getting closer to a final decision on school closings for the coming school year.
The board members met Wednesday night for a special session to discuss the revised school-closing plan, which Superintendent John Covington offered Monday. The revised plan would reduce the district from 61 buildings to 32, move preschool into elementary buildings, and create pre-k-2, 3-6 and 7-12 grade centers.
Under the revised plan, schools in Northeast to close include Scarritt Early Learning Center, Woodland Elementary, McCoy Elementary and Northeast K-8 schools. Northeast K-8 was not on the original closing proposal.
McCoy students would go to Rogers Elementary next year, Northeast Elementary students would go to Gladstone and James schools, and Woodland pupils would go to Garfield and Whittier. Additionally, Lincoln College Preparatory Middle School would close and consolidate into Lincoln College Preparatory High School.
“In order to break even, we need to have 30 buildings close,” Covington said. “The further we move away from the original recommendation, … we have to pursue other avenues.”
He said in order to save $50 million under the revised proposal, the district staff would look at canceling some contracted services in addition to the proposed school building and central office closings.
Some board members expressed concern that the closings would result in a greater loss of students in the coming school year, which would exacerbate the current problem of declining enrollment, which has created the dire financial situation to begin with.
Community members were given two minutes each for about half an hour Wednesday night to make comment. Many of those who stepped up to speak were concerned about consolidating the Afrikan-Centered Education campuses and Northeast K-8.
Northeast third-grader Shalece Tolbert summed up the Northeast K-8 supporters’ sentiment.
“You are not seeing what the school means to us,” Shalece said.
However, district staff explained that Northeast has fewer children who stay enrolled in the school the entire year than Gladstone and James, as well as a 57 percent utilization rate, as compared to 77 percent at James and 74 percent at Gladstone.
Some of the community members who spoke up were in support of the plan. Jamekia Kendrix said the problem with the district historically has been the board members’ lack of willingness to support the superintendents they’ve hired.
“I ask you to put away your agendas,” Kendrix said. “Do what’s in the best interest of our district.”
The board members are slated to vote on the proposal at the March 10 meeting at the Board of Education office.
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