USD 253 Board of Education members have passed a resolution that, barring any major protest efforts over the next month plus, will see Logan Avenue Elementary School closed at the end of the 2026-27 academic year.
During their regular meeting, board members voted 6-1 to approve the resolution closing the school as recommended by the USD 253 Cost Containment Committee following a six-month cost containment effort in response to declining enrollment and its impact on finances. Voting against the resolution was Barb Fowler, who has stated over the past several months that she was not in favor of the move. Ahead of the vote Wednsday, Fowler stated: “If we do take this route, we are going to have to be very proactive and careful of the steps we take forward.”
While speaking with KVOE News following the meeting, Fowler clarified her statement, saying the district needs to ensure the savings that will come from this action will not be “gobbled up elsewhere” and the district does not find itself in a similar position down the road.
Fowler also stated at the end of her interview, “Our elementary schools are the heartbeat of our neighborhoods, and today is a really tough time for Southeast Emporia.”
Voting in favor of the resolution were Board President Art Gutierrez, Vice-President Leslie Seeley, Jeremy Dorsey, Grant Riles, Jami Reever and Lillian Lingenfelter. Ahead of the vote, Seeley stated that the decision was not, and has not, been a reflection of the work happening in Logan and not a decision any of the board members wanted to make.
Dorsey would publicly apologize for his vote in advance after commending the staff and atmosphere at Logan Avenue, saying he had never seen anything like it before. That said, he stated that if the district did not close the school, the alternative would be additional cuts in programming and staff, saying that is not something he could vote for, given the rash of layoffs and business closures that have already impacted residents in recent months.
Lingenfelter, who, along with Seeley and Reever, sat in on all of the cost containment meetings for the board, also commended the staff and leadership at Logan and regretted the decision she had to make. Ahead of casting her vote, Lingenfelter felt it important to note that declining enrollment and its related impacts are not plaguing Emporia alone, but more than 180 school districts across the state.
Lingenfelter would also point to state funding for special education, noting the district is providing an estimated $5 million for SPED due to the state not meeting its full funding obligation, as has been well documented in recent years. With that in mind, Lingenfelter stated Wednesday that “There may be a conversation to be had there.”
With the resolution now approved, a 45-day protest period is now underway, where if 10 percent of the local voters sign and certify a petition against the decision, the matter will then go to the state for further consideration, according to McGehee.
Assuming the closure moves forward as presented, McGehee says current plans will be for students who live north of South Avenue to be relocated to William Allen White Elementary School and students south of South Avenue to be relocated to Riverside Elementary. McGehee also says transportation will be provided for students not within walking distance of these schools or who may not have alternate transportation, which has been a major concern expressed by families and staff in recent months.
Over the next year, McGehee says the district will be focused on providing transitional assistance to families whose students will make a move at the end of 2026-27 and he personally would like to see the district take time to celebrate the history at Logan over the next year.
As for plans for the Logan Avenue Building following its closure as a school, McGehee stated there have been ideas stated to continue using the facility, possibly as the home of the Flint Hills Learning Center or potentially relocating district offices to the facility from Mary Herbert, but no plans are currently in motion for either suggestion.
Additional details from Wednesday’s board meeting can be found under the boarddocs tab on the district’s website USD253.org. The USD 253 Board of Education will reconvene for its next regular meeting on Wednesday, May 13th at 6 pm inside the Mary Herbert Education Center.
