KSHB 41 reporter Megan Abundis covers Kansas City, Missouri, including neighborhoods in the southern part of the city. Share your story idea with Megan.
On Friday, a petition circulating northeast Kansas City neighborhoods centered around the future of Kansas City Public School’s Whittier Elementary.
Mark Logan, a neighbor in the Lykins Neighborhood started the petition, urging KCPS board members to prevent a possible school closure site of Whittier Elementary.
“My goal is to help keep the school open, to encourage the school board to invest in Whittier and not close it,” said Mark Logan, who lives in the Lykins neighborhood.
The Kansas City School District's 10-Year Capital Funding Plan calls for Whittier students to be moved to the current Woodland Early Learning Center site if a bond approval were to occur.
KCPS spokesperson Shain Bergan said the school's possible move would come with a $68 million investment in the Woodland Early Learning Center that would serve as a community resource hub for families, money that would come from the passage of a potential 2025 Spring Bond.
“Whittier Elementary has a low building condition score of 4.7 out of 10, and would require $24.7 million worth of improvements to make it suitable for future long-term learning,” said Shain Bergan, a spokesperson for KCPS.
The KCPS Board is slated to vote Wednesday, Nov. 20 on whether to approve the district’s updated draft plan.
A vote that would also solidify what KCPS’s April $474 million bond funds would be used for, and what the district’s 10-Year Capital Funding Plan ultimately looks like.
Logan stated several concerns about if a school closure were to occur.
“Is this good for the kids? Why are we taking something that is working and shutting it down,” Logan said. “Whittier is an effective school, it may be that Whittier is successful because it is small and accessible. We’d like to see kids continue to walk to school
Logan said if a closure were to happen he also worries about the loss of investment in the neighborhood.
“What’s going to replace it?” he said. “From a neighborhood perspective, Lykins is one of the lowest income neighborhoods.”
He questioned the security of the site if it were to close.
At last check, the petition had about 100 signatures.
“Invest in the building, keep what’s working in our neighborhood,” he said.
Bergan said the move is expected to save the district over $57 million with the deferred maintenance costs.
KCPS has held several outreach efforts for community input on changing the draft plan.
The final plan will be presented to the KCPS School Board Wednesday night.
—
