The Green Bay (Wis.) school board has voted to close Jefferson Elementary School because of low enrollment.
Fox 11 News reports that after weeks of public discussion, the board voted 4 to 3 to consolidate the Jefferson and Fort Howard elementary schools.
Students now attending Jefferson will be assigned next year to Fort Howard.
“It is a moral and ethical responsibility to do this right,” says Laura McCoy, a school board member. “I feel like we can do that.”
At 115 students, Jefferson has the lowest enrollment of the district's 26 elementary schools. Fort Howard has enough empty classrooms to take on all of the students. The projected combined enrollment is 298 students.
The district says it will save at least $336,784 and as much as $500,000 consolidating the schools.
The move will free up the Jefferson building to become a new west side hub for Head Start students.
Current and former Jefferson staff filled the board's meeting room for the vote. Their concerns about consolidation included transportation, the amount of student services, and a lack of transparency throughout the process.
“Jefferson staff members have felt some of the data being provided to them has been presented out of context to suit the district's effort in consolidating Jefferson with Fort Howard,” says Jennifer Woldt, a former Jefferson teacher.
