USD 259 plans to close some schools after end of school year

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – At the end of this school year, around five or six campuses in the Wichita Public School district will be closed. That number is according to United Teachers Wichita.

The district blames declining enrollment and the loss of COVID-19 emergency funding for contributing to a $42 million budget shortage. Closing some schools should save the district $16 million.

The schools being considered are elementary and middle schools, not high schools.

There are a lot of different things the district is looking at as it decides which campuses need to go. Aging buildings with deferred maintenance are a priority but other factors also come into play. Enrollment, building age, and projected repair costs are all factors the district is looking at when deciding which schools to close.

“We’ve been doing a great job of keeping things to the high standard that we want, but we also need to shrink the footprint so we have more resources to do things better,” said USD 259 Superintendent Kelly Bielefeld.

Bielefeld says the average age of the district’s buildings is 60 years. According to him, some buildings need more costly repairs than others.

“The ongoing cost of all of that maintenance, at some point, you know, catches up with us,” he said.

Split between either laying off hundreds of staff or closing schools, the district chose to protect people over buildings.

“You know, closing buildings, I think, the past few boards; this has been the last decision anybody wants to have to make. We’ve done all the other things, you know,” said Bielefeld.

United Teachers of Wichita President Katie Warren said the decision is disappointing.

“I think it’s unfortunate that — or I’m disappointed that we would have to make decisions on laying off teachers, especially during a teacher shortage — or closing buildings,” said Warren.

She’s concerned about having a smooth transition for teachers who the district has promised won’t be laid off and those who just moved to other positions in the district. On top of that, some teachers fear they will have to teach a new grade level and learn a new curriculum to make lesson plans. Some could take financial hits if they have to change buildings entirely.

“A lot of staff in our schools, like in our elementaries, they have supplementals, you know, they supplement their income by running the afterschool latchkey program. Will they then lose money when they move to the new school,” said Warren.

She says her priority is to make sure teachers are given plenty of notice before they’re transferred to a new school. She also wants teachers who have been part of the district for longer to get dibs on keeping the same grade level.

Warren says closing schools will impact entire neighborhoods.

“Our schools are the heart of the community, and closing them is gonna be very, very difficult on children, families, and our educators,” she said.

Bielefeld says the district will re-assign teachers and staff who are impacted by school closures. A list of schools that could be on the chopping block will be released in mid-February.