Map: Five schools approved for closure |
It impacts thousands of Wichita families. Monday the Wichita School Board gets its first official look at proposed boundary changes.
The district says things have changed since the 2008 bond issue passed. Lack of state funding has forced it to break promises and change plans.
Even in good times, Superintendent John Allison says re-drawing boundaries isn't an easy task, now it's even tougher.
The district says it will have to close schools to open new ones and for the past few months parents have come out to support their child's school.
The district says it's listening to those parents, but doesn't have a choice. The school district hired a consulting group to help make the boundary changes.
The district then looked to a focus group made up of parents and citizens to help.
They've met for months each time coming up with changes; some changes that would close some schools and keep others open.
For months, some parents have fought to keep their child's school from closing. There are four elementary schools on a potential closure list.
The district says it comes down to money, that state budget cuts are forcing the district to close some schools in order to open new ones. Many school boundaries will also change.
Tomorrow's meeting is the very first time the school board will see a proposal. No public comments will be allowed. It's considered a workshop. The board will likely ask for some changes and in one week they'll meet again to see a final proposal. A final vote will take place on February 27th.
