USD 253 Emporia leadership is looking at the recently validated petition against the closure of Logan Avenue Elementary School as a positive development in what has been a long and arduous process over the last several months.
Both Superintendent Dr. David McGehee and Board of Education President Art Gutierrez stated such during an interview with KVOE News Wednesday evening ahead of the board’s regular meeting with Gutierrez saying it is an exciting development that will allow greater information and communication with the general public.
McGehee called it a positive for the process for many of the same reasons as Gutierrez.
Board of Education members voted to close Logan Avenue during their April 22 meeting, with a local petition campaign starting shortly after. The petition was turned in last week and managed to secure the necessary number of valid signatures, five percent of local registered voters, as confirmed by Lyon County Clerk Amie Jones to KVOE News Wednesday.
With that completed, Kansas State Department of Education General Counsel Scott Gordon has begun the formal review process, which USD 253 leadership says has a 45-day timetable after which time findings and recommendations will be submitted for the district ahead of a second and final vote on the elementary school’s closure. The board’s decisions on the matter came as part of the district’s cost containment efforts, as 253 is working to locate at least $4 million in cost savings due to a notable budget shortfall caused by various factors, including a noticeable enrollment decline in recent years.
Despite both McGehee and Gutierrez calling the petition’s validation a positive development, neither believes the state’s review will alter the direction of the board, with McGehee noting that while the state will make recommendations, they are just that and not official mandates with the ultimate say resting with the board of education.
To that point, Gutierrez stated that while the review and subsequent discussions could alter some opinions on the matter, it will not change the facts that prompted the previous decision, namely the district’s “budget issue.”
Should the district reverse its decision following the review and recommendation, KVOE News asked if the board has been discussing alternative options to capture the better than $1 million in savings the Logan closure is projected to bring. McGehee says the district would likely refer back to the cost containment committee’s original list of recommendations if alternative options were needed.
McGehee and Gutierrez’s comments to KVOE News came just ahead of the board’s monthly meeting, where, among several items, board members reviewed preliminary state assessment data, which had several “key successes” including noticeable growth in mathematics for two grade levels, according to Assistant Superintendent for Teaching, Learning and Student Services Sheryl Leeds.
Leeds emphasized the growth in the sophomore class’s math scores was particularly tremendous.
When asked what she thinks has contributed to the growth and success, she pointed to a greater focus on “performance awareness” as the key.
In other business, Wednesday evening, board members approved an investment-grade audit and the creation of a project plan through Trane U.S. Inc. to identify “HVAC needs and additional utility reducing efficiencies using engineered designs.” Other items considered and approved included preschool program assurances, primary resources for elementary social studies, a first reading of a Flint Hills virtual program handbook addendum and the renewal of district property, casualty and workers’ compensation insurance for the 2026-27 school year.
The USD 253 Board of Education will next convene on Wednesday, July 8th, at 6 pm inside the Mary Herbert Education Center.
