Kansas superintendent says, ‘I will go to sleep tonight and sleep well’ after closing six schools

(The Sentinel) – In the end, the decision to close six Olathe schools was unanimous. But opponents say it’s not over.

The Olathe USD 233 voted 7-0 to close six schools at the end of the current school year, as opponents prepare to send “6,100 Voices” to the state school board to review the decision to close Black Bob Elementary, Heritage Elementary, Indian Trail Middle School, Scarborough Elementary, Tomahawk Elementary, and Walnut Grove Elementary.

In his remarks, Superintendent Brent Yeager praised staffers and board members for their dedication to the district in making the decision to close the schools, then concluded:

“I’m sorry that we’re in the position we are in. I wish we were not in this position. But I will go to sleep tonight and sleep well, because I know there is no other community, no other school system that can navigate this better than we can.”

School closure opponents gathered a week ago in a public hearing, as parents and students pleaded for their respective schools. But the district sided with a task force that recommended closure of the schools in a budget-cutting move.

Olathe board member Claire Reagan had a fiery response to the anger circulating in the crowd after the vote:

“Rowing in the same direction isn’t easy to do. That’s why those rowing teams have people sitting on the end of the boat, screaming at them, motivating them, pushing them forward.

“There’s a lot of anger right now, and I can appreciate people being angry. But as Mrs. Steele (Board President Julie) said, the circumstances that we are having to deal with, and the people who are absorbing the repercussions; you did not create those circumstances.

“A lot of forces in the universe did, but one of the forces that created the circumstances that put us in the position that we’re in right now is the Kansas Legislature. Every single House member is on the ballot on November 3rd. And people can say they support schools. People can say they support our district, but have they supported it when it matters? Have they built coalitions of legislators to support our district on the floor of the Kansas House? The Kansas Senate? Voting for funding in a committee hearing, that’s all well and good, but until you get it to pass on final action, I don’t want you to tell me you support public education in Kansas.

“So, if you’re angry and you’re hurting, like so many people in our community are tonight, you need to join together and row in the same direction. I will be at the front of that boat. I will be yelling at all of us to row, because we need the funding in our district, Wichita needs the funding in their district, Topeka, Lawrence, Blue Valley, Shawnee Mission, Gardner, Spring Hill. Roll in the same direction, and let’s go!”

Olathe has joined Blue Valley, DeSoto, and Shawnee Mission districts in preparing to sue the state over what it perceives as underfunding of special education.

Olathe school closure opposition takes action

Opposition leader Chelsea Medved said her “6,100 Voices” group, named for the number of petition signatures required of them, will begin their effort for a state review:

“The fact that the board voted on these schools to close with incorrect data and little transparency destroys all trust. Now the parents get to work with the community; we will send this to the state board of education for review. Starting tomorrow, we will begin the work of getting our petition out there. We have 45 days to collect 5% of registered voters’ signatures (6,1000.) While the state can’t stop the closures, they can respond if the local board is being reasonable or not. Pushing through something that has been deemed unreasonable from the state will speak volumes to our city.”