Cudahy School District reconfiguration could close an elementary school

The future of J.E. Jones Elementary School in the Cudahy School District is up in the air under two options for reconfiguring district schools recommended by the Community Facility Advisory Committee.

Both options would result in closing the elementary school. The committee's recommendations came in a report presented at the board's April 8 committee of the whole meeting.

The committee also suggested a community survey be done to test scenarios for closing schools and to "test tax tolerance" to gauge "the community's willingness to support funding priorities for maintenance and repair of remaining buildings."

The committee's work was completed March 19. Members analyzed six scenarios for school reconfiguration before coming up with the two recommended options.

Committee has two options for reducing number of schools

Each of the committee's top two options would close J.E. Jones Elementary School.

Under one scenario, the district would reduce its number of schools to four, leaving the district with three elementary schools housing 4-year-old kindergarten through sixth grade and one seventh- through 12th-grade middle and high school building. The current middle school building would be repurposed for district administration and the recreation department.

The other scenario calls for reducing the number of district schools to five, leaving the district with three 4K through fifth-grade elementary schools; one sixth- through eighth-grade middle school, which would also house district administration and the recreation department; and one ninth- through 12th-grade high school.

Here's what to know about those options, as well as the district's financial and facilities situation.

What are the estimated savings and pros and cons of the five-school option?

The report said reducing the number of district schools to five would save an estimated $504,300 in operations costs.

This option would include:

• more efficiencies by moving sixth-graders back to Cudahy Middle School.

• the ability to maintain programming access for current high school students.

• more room in the remaining elementary schools, since they would no longer house sixth-graders.

But this option would also raise questions:

• whether the solution does enough for the high school.

• over the underutilization of the remaining elementary schools.

What are the estimated savings and pros and cons of the four-school option?

Reducing the number of district schools to four would result in an estimated operational savings of $933,200.

This option would include:

• reduced costs and continuity in programming at the combined middle and high school.

• an option to repurpose the middle school in the future.

But this option would also include:

• concerns about having middle school students in the same building as high school students

• building costs to upgrade the high school to accommodate middle school students.

• limited future elementary growth.

Why is the Cudahy School District considering reconfiguring schools?

The report said the district faces challenges with declining revenue and state aid, as well as high-cost maintenance and repairs that must be addressed.

In addition, the district has said it needs to address excess space districtwide "and make necessary renovations to modernize learning spaces, ensuring enhanced safety and alignment with the needs of today's learners and careers."

The committee's report noted that "many reductions and actions have already taken place" to address these challenges, but says "the ongoing solution will require a multi-pronged approach."

What actions has the district already taken?

In December 2021, the board voted to close Park View Elementary School at the end of the 2021-22 school year. In December 2022, the board decided to merge Cudahy Middle and High schools. However, the board voted just a year later to pause the middle and high school merger plan.

To assess its facility needs, the district worked with Performance Services Inc., which completed a facility study and assessments earlier this year to present alternative school configurations.

On Feb. 28, PSI presented configurations that would: move or accommodate students in buildings without incurring additional transportation costs; implement changes with minimal or no new construction expenses or completed construction by the 2025-26 school year; and ensure educational programming compatibility within the chosen school configurations.

At the same time, the Cudahy School Board approved forming the Community Facility Advisory Committee to provide recommendations to address its excess facility space and districtwide facility repairs and maintenance. On March 15, the board agreed to develop a survey to gather community input on the committee recommendations.

What will be asked about in the survey?

The survey will test a few school configuration options. These options include:

• Maintaining all six schools, an option not included in the April 8 report. The option is more expensive from a staff standpoint and would require "higher annual building maintenance investments."

• A five-school configuration option that would reconfigure the high school to serve students in grades seven through 12. Portions of the current middle school would be converted into a community recreation center, and unused areas could be rented.

• Five school configuration that would close J.E. Jones Elementary School, which has the most expensive building maintenance costs.

• A four-school configuration that would close Cudahy Middle School and J.E. Jones Elementary School, which would be the most efficient and have the lowest annual operating costs.

Superintendent Tina Owen-Moore said the community survey would also gauge residents' support for: renewing an operational referendum that expires in 2025, referring to a five-year, $11.75 million operational referendum that voters approved in April 2020; and a possible capital referendum to fund building maintenance needs and future facilities planning priorities.

What's the timing on the survey?

The survey is expected to be sent out the first week of May, with respondents having two weeks and three weekends to complete it. Results are scheduled to be presented at the board's June 24 meeting, according to Owen-Moore.

Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or alec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AlecJohnson12.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Cudahy School District plans to reconfigure schools