The fate of six schools, 322 employees and 2,213 students will be decided Monday, when the Wichita school board votes on a closure proposal that the district leadership team says would save $16 million. It’s the culmination of a whirlwind process that began in late January, when the district’s chief financial officer first notified the public of a $42 million budget shortfall and presented board members with a choice between closing schools and laying off teachers. Emotions ran high Thursday as the district hosted a public hearing on the recommended closure of four elementary schools — Clark, Park, Payne and Cleaveland — and two middle schools, Hadley and Jardine Magnet. The buildings would be shut down at the end of the semester. “School isn’t just learning. It’s relationships, personality building, character building. So much more than just books and reading,” said Mozart Padilla, a junior at Northwest High who went to Cleaveland and whose sibling is a student there. “Closing these schools would save money for things that you could say are needed. But the money you save isn’t going to save the relationships that you’re breaking.”
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
