Overview
- Trustees voted 6–1 to pursue closing one middle school and three elementary schools starting next school year after reviewing multiple consolidation scenarios.
- District projections show about $7 million in savings, or roughly 19% of the $35–$37 million shortfall tied to declining enrollment and the end of pandemic-era funds.
- Administrators will present specific campus recommendations on Feb. 14, with a final board decision scheduled for Feb. 16 and widespread boundary changes expected.
- Interim Superintendent Mary Duhart-Toppen said consolidations will require using every available classroom to boost building utilization and shift dollars toward student programs.
- The move comes during leadership turnover, including last week’s 4–3 vote to fire Superintendent Milton Fields and repeated CFO departures that have left the district without a finance chief.