It is now official: the 2026-27 school year will be the final year of operations for Logan Avenue Elementary School following a final vote by the USD 253 Board of Education Wednesday evening.
The vote was 6-1, with Barb Fowler again serving as the lone no vote, as she did in the original vote back in April, before a citizens’ petition was validated, triggering a review by the Kansas State Department of Education’s general counsel, Scott Gordon. That review would ultimately determine whether the district had made a reasonable decision, triggering another public hearing, held last week, and the final vote Wednesday evening.
In his comments both before the vote and following the meeting, Board Member Jeremy Dorsey, who voted in favor, stated the decision was not a good one, but it was a necessary one.
Fowler, who again was the lone no vote on the matter, stated she felt as though the families and students of Logan were being forced to pay the price for the district.
Board member Leslie Seeley reiterated a statement from previous meetings, saying this decision was not made because Logan was any less successful than other district buildings.
As KVOE News has reported many times over the course of this process, the decision to close Logan Avenue Elementary came as a result of the district’s cost containment efforts, which were brought on due to declining enrollment in recent years. Lower enrollment at Logan specifically was also stated as the reason why this school in particular was chosen.
During her comments before Wednesday’s vote, Board Vice-President Lillian Lingenfelter stated the issue is actually two-fold: enrollment and the state legislature’s inaction in fully funding special education.
Many shared this feeling, including Board President Jami Reever, who noted the district has had to use $2.7 million of its budget to properly fund special education before calling on legislators to step up and do their part.
As for the future of Logan Avenue after the current school year ends, an exact use is unknown, though many potential uses have been expressed; one certainty is that the building will remain within the district and will not be sold. This was encouraging for Board Member Grant Riles, who says he is holding out hope it could be put back into service in the future.
It has also been mentioned in recent meetings that this may not be the last time the district has to look at potentially closing a school in the future due to enrollment projections. Riles stated he is optimistic they will not have to go back down this road anytime soon.
Board Member Art Gutierrez, however, did not share that same optimism.
Gutierrez also stated that, in his opinion, there are truly only two things that can help reverse this trend.
Lingenfelter also noted that this is not an issue facing Emporia alone, but one that is impacting the entire state, pointing to recent developments in Olathe which is set to close six school buildings soon, as a prime example.
The closure of Logan Avenue is expected to provide the district with just over $1 million in savings.
The vote on Logan was near the end of what was a lengthy agenda Wednesday that also included the finalization of the district’s 2026-27 budget. In total, the budget comes to $126 million, which is a $3 million decrease from the 25-26 budget, and carries a mill levy rate of 56.496, which is more than a mill lower than the prior rate of 57.676.
Because of the decrease in dollars, the district did not have to exceed the revenue neutral rate and thus canceled a previously scheduled public hearing on that matter ahead of the regular agenda Wednesday. Before the board unanimously approved the budget, Superintendent Dr. David McGehee noted the complexity of this year’s budget with the cost containment efforts ongoing at the same time and credited the cost containment team for their work in the development of the final document.
While the current budget is a far cry from where the district needs to be financially, McGehee says it is a good step in the right direction.
Additional details from Wednesday’s meeting can be found by visiting the Diligent Community page located under the Board of Education tab at USD253.org.
The USD 253 Board of Education will have a special strategic planning meeting on Wednesday, September 23 at 5:30 pm inside the Mary Herbert Education Center. The board’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, October 14th at 6 pm also inside the Mary Herbert Education Center.
