14 February 2024
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – The doors at half a dozen Wichita schools could close for good at the end of the school year.
The district is proposing shutting down Clark, Park, Payne, and Cleaveland Traditional Magnet Elementary School, as well as middle schools Hadley and Jardine STEM and Career Explorations Academy to save money.
District leaders said closing those six schools would save them $16 million a year, which would help close a big budget shortfall.
The district was initially short by $42 million a year. Just less than half, or $20 million of that shortfall consists of the money the district is continuing to put into support staff brought on during COVID, who they said parents and teachers want to keep.
The district was able to cut down annual spending by $9 million through administrative cuts, so the shortfall currently sits at $33 million.
Cutting the six schools would save another $16 million, bringing the shortfall to $17 million.
There’s still more reduction work planned to cut down that $17 million, according to district officials.
United Teachers of Wichita, the union representing USD 259 educators, said they’re concerned about the process the district used to select which schools to possibly close.
According to the union, state data shows these schools have more students getting free and reduced lunches than others in the district.
“Five of the six schools chosen, at least according to KSDE reports in January 2024, had levels of poverty greater than 90 percent,” said Mike Harris, United Teachers of Wichita Vice President.
“71 schools in the district are at 60% or higher, 80 are 50% or higher when it comes to our poverty rate,” said Wichita Public Schools Superintendent Kelly Bielefeld.
Bielefeld said district staff did not target or intend to close buildings in high-poverty areas in any way.
Harris said the district hasn’t specified exactly what criteria they used to choose which schools to recommend for closure, and that’s the information he wants access to.
He said the teachers’ union requested a copy of the data used when choosing schools, as well as any formulas or methods used by district leadership when making the decision.
Payne Elementary is one of the six schools recommended for closure by district staff. People in the neighborhood said it would be a big loss for the families that live here.
It’s only been a few days since Valencia Young’s daughter, still in pre-k, enrolled at Payne Elementary.
She’s already seen a world of difference in her daughter.
She said it’s been good to see her daughter, who hesitates to play with other kids, get comfortable so quickly with help from specialized staff, who also help her with her speech delay.
Another neighbor says there are a lot of families without cars living in the area who would have trouble transporting their kids to schools further than walking distance.