KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Hundreds of Kansas City students won’t just be adjusting to new teachers next fall. The Kansas City, Missouri School District just unveiled a plan that closes 13 schools.
Interim Superintendent Dr. Clive Coleman calls it “rightsizing”. He says it boils down to too many schools for too few students and a loss of $44 million in revenue.
The possible closings would transfer the up to 2,000 students affected to nearby schools. McCoy Elementary falls on the list and students there would go to nearby Rogers or Trail Woods.
The consolidation could also mean the loss of 300 teaching positions. Officials say attrition would handle most of the cuts and doesn’t yet know if layoffs will be necessary.
The closings include seven elementary schools and two eighth-grade centers.
School Closings:
Blenheim Elementary
Bryant Elementary
Chick Elementary
Ecole Longan
Graceland Elementary
Hale Cook Elementary
McCoy Elementary
Milton Moore Elementary
Meservey
Pershing
Richardson Elementary
Thatcher
Westport Middle School
Click here to see a slideshow of all the schools closing.After changes, the district will have 51 schools instead of 64. The district’s alternative K-8 center will be relocating and officials are also proposing to permanently close two schools used as temporary sites and a school that trains Montessori teachers.
School Consolidations Include: 8th Grade centers ending at Thatcher, Central, East, and Westport
Moore Elementary to newly vacant Central Middle School
McCoy Elementary to Rogers and Trail Woods
Richardson Elementary to Franklin Elementary
Graceland Elementary to Carver Elementary
Melcher Elementary becomes a K-5 Magnet School
Melcher’s students can move to King Elementary
French Magnet program at Longan moves to Foreign Language Academy
Coleman invites parents to become a part of the process at a public hearing about the closings on June 15. The public hearing will take place at the downtown district offices at 12th and McGee at 6:30 p.m. The Kansas City Board of Education has to decide on a final plan and budget by the end of the month.
