‘We don’t understand’: Emotional alums plead to keep KC’s Central High from closing

Emotions boiled over Monday during Kansas City Public Schools’ first community engagement session on a proposal to close 10 schools, with passionate alumni largely focusing concerns on one school in particular: Central High School.

“We don’t understand if we have the Central facility with an Olympic pool, football field, auditorium, science labs and all of that, why would we not keep that open, versus moving us to another school that is old and does not have those luxuries?” said Chester Brock, a 1977 Central grad. “Why wouldn’t we look at other ways to heal that school versus close that school?”

Central alumni during the meeting worked to get signatures on a petition to save the school.

Monday’s meeting, at Southeast Community Center, was the first since officials last week proposed the latest plans to overhaul the school system they say is struggling because of an overstock of aging, under-enrolled buildings. By consolidating schools, as part of the district’s strategic plan Blueprint 2030, officials aim to free up funds to expand programs and improve academic offerings.

The meeting quickly grew tense, as community members shouted over district officials and voiced concerns over the proposal. Many specifically opposed the plan to close Central, 3221 Indiana Ave., as early as next fall, and send the students to Southeast High School less than five miles away.

As residents spoke over one another, Interim Superintendent Jennifer Collier abandoned the night’s schedule, which would have included everyone working in small groups to answer questions about the proposal. Instead, she shifted plans and allowed community members to speak.

“I’ve worked with the district now for 22 years and I’ve lived through a couple of these (closures) before. So I do understand how many people are feeling about this. And I can tell you that we would like to explore any other options that are possible if they exist,” Collier said. “However we have to figure out how we’re going to best serve our children in this community. How we’re going to provide the best educational experiences for them. And to have better outcomes for them.”

Cora Lyons, with the Central Alumni Organization, called Central one of the last core neighborhood schools left in the community. She said families are worried about the gap the school could leave in its neighborhood, as well as how students would manage to get to a new school miles away, when many already struggle with attendance.

Many Central graduates on Monday questioned why their school was recommended for closure, when in the early ’90s the school was reconstructed with a one-acre field house, theater, swimming pool and more modern classrooms.

“We think it is the best facility,” Brock said. “And certainly for personal reasons, for emotional reasons, I’d love for it to be open because that’s where I went to school. But if it’s a business decision, let’s make sure we make the best decision there.”

During last week’s school board meeting, Michael Raisor, with MGT Consulting, the firm the district hired to evaluate its facilities, said Central was chosen because of its poor building quality, enrollment of less than 500 students, as well as $14 million in deferred maintenance costs.

“This is a building that had major work done to it in the ’90s, and for people like me, that seems like yesterday because I went to college in the ’90s. But that was 30 years ago,” Raisor said. “And with deferred maintenance and the declining population, the construction that was done at the time was probably not a build-to-last kind of construction. So the building has not kept up as well.”

Several residents told The Star that they support the district’s plans to improve academic offerings and extracurricular activities, modernize classrooms and offer students more opportunities outside of the classroom. Some said they look forward to the proposed improvements, hoping that their students will start to see the field trips, improved facilities and other resources that students in neighboring districts enjoy.

But many said they are worried about the lasting impacts on their neighborhood if landmark schools like Central were to close. Some residents brought up pains from over the decades, including mass school closures in 2010 and years of watching more students leave for suburban districts and charter schools.

Some said the discussions brought back memories from decades ago when Kansas City saw students bused to schools across town during desegregation.

“This might as well be Blueprint 1977,” said Paul Cosby, who said he saw his community near Central divided when his school closed in the ’70s and him and his classmates were bused to different schools across the city. “We’re not attached to a building, we’re attached to our community.”

At last week’s school board meeting, consultants recommended that two high schools and eight elementary schools be closed or converted for new district use. The district will continue holding about a dozen community engagement sessions to gather feedback on the proposal. The school board is expected to vote as early as December on a final plan.

Consultants said the schools recommended for closure were chosen based on location, enrollment, building condition and maintenance costs.

The proposed facility changes include:

▪ Central High School, as well as James, Longfellow and Troost elementary schools, could close as early as next fall. Central could possibly be transformed into a professional learning center for the district.

▪ In the 2024-25 school year, the district could close King, Wheatley and Whittier elementary schools. The current King elementary could become the site of a new Paseo Middle School. And the district could eventually build a new King elementary. A new South Middle School also is expected to open that school year.

▪ In the 2026-27 school year, the district could close Northeast High School, plus Faxon and Melcher elementary schools. Northeast would likely be renovated for future district use. Faxon also could be converted, possibly as a parent empowerment center.

The district would maintain 27 other buildings.

The proposal also includes plans for expanding district offerings and improving student achievement. At the elementary level, schools would add science labs, world language programs and instrumental music. Secondary schools would also see music and arts improvements, with leaders ensuring all high schools once again have marching bands. Foreign language programs would be expanded.

Students would have more career-readiness and project-based learning opportunities. The district also will implement more STEM — science, technology, engineering, art, math — programs into schools, modernize classrooms, add more field trips and improve technology.

That proposal will partly rely on the district getting a bond initiative passed. Kansas City voters have not passed a district bond proposal since 1967, unlike neighboring districts — many of which have bond elections every few years to pay for new schools and other projects.

Several community members on Wednesday said residents need to organize to ensure that such a bond proposal passes.

Plans to restructure the district have been in the works for years.

KCPS is operating more schools than districts with a similar number of students. And it spends a higher percentage of its budget on operational costs — such as transportation, food services and security — than neighboring districts do, leaders have said.

The district has been unable to offer the same programs, academic offerings and extracurriculars at all of its schools. Students in schools with low enrollment have missed out on having full-time music teachers, marching bands and football teams.

Officials hope that by restructuring, the district can offer every student the same opportunities, plus improve academic achievement and career readiness across the board.

Leaders have emphasized that community support is crucial for the district to succeed. They hope that will be easier to attain since it regained full state accreditation in January for the first time in two decades.

In recent years, the district improved academic performance and graduation rates to attain the goal. Leaders hope the long-term restructuring plan will help to continue improving academic achievement, plus attract and retain more families.

The next community engagement meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Central High School.