WICHITA – The Wichita School Board Monday unanimously adopted school boundary changes which will take effect beginning with the 2012-13 school year.
As part of the boundary decision, they approved a resolution that closes Bryant, Emerson, Lincoln, Mueller and Northeast Magnet next year. The Northeast Magnet and Isely Traditional Magnet programs will move to the new high school and K-5 school under construction in Bel Aire and Mueller’s magnet program will move to Isley’s current school building.
“This isn’t the end of our work, but the beginning of the rest of our work as we continue to provide what is best for all of our students. At the end of all of this, we will be more robust,” said board member, Lanora Nolan.
The board also approved grandfathering and special transfer options for students directly impacted by boundary changes next school year. Parents of children in all grade levels will have to declare their intent to stay at their school or apply for special transfer by April 6. District staff will personally contact each of these parents immediately after spring break in order to review options and explain the process for confirming their 2012-13 school decision.
And, they approved that all Emerson students would be guaranteed enrollment at Lewis Open Magnet and would not have to apply through the magnet process. Parents also have the option to have their children attend their neighborhood school or apply to another magnet school.
Students who attend Bryant through the magnet program would be guaranteed enrollment at Minneha Core Knowledge Magnet and would not have to apply through the magnet process. Parents also have the option to have their children attend their neighborhood school or apply to another magnet.
All current Northeast Magnet, Isely and Mueller students would be grandfathered into their programs following their moves to new buildings. Current Gordon Parks Academy students would be grandfathered even though the school will now have a defined elementary neighborhood boundary and pure magnet middle boundary.
For all high schools, all current freshmen, sophomores and juniors would be grandfathered at their current school. Students would also have the option of attending the new school.
The board approved reserving 25% of the 9th grade lottery seats at Northeast Magnet for students who live in the Heights attendance boundary.
Current Coleman Middle School students within the new southeast quadrant K-8 boundary would be assigned to the new southeast K-8. For middle school students, all students would attend their new middle school assignment, but special transfers would be allowed with administrative approval. This would apply to any student impacted by change but not assigned to a new attendance center.
For non-magnet elementary school students, all students would attend their new elementary school assignment for next year, but special transfers would be allowed with administrative approval.
The current special transfers policy will not change. The BOE will decide if there should be a 3-year limit on all grandfathering and special transfer decisions.
As part of the boundary change process, the BOE held a public meeting regarding the school closings, which is required by state statute. At the end of the hearing, the BOE adopted a resolution to close five buildings, Bryant, Emerson, Lincoln, Mueller and Northeast Magnet. Click here to read the resolution approved by the BOE.
“No one said we would be asked to run 2012 schools on 1999 funding levels,” said BOE member Lynn Rogers. “I appreciate the passion of the parents who stand up for their schools and I am saddened that we had to close them, but we have to balance the budget.”
“It’s difficult, but this is what we have to do. We don’t have a choice,” said BOE member Barb Fuller.