Administrators in the Springfield (Missouri) district have recommended closing the Pershing K-8 and Robberson Community schools.
KSMU Radio reports that Executive Director of Operations Travis Shaw has asked the board to close Robberson at the end of the 2023-24 school year and re-assign students to Boyd Elementary. He also recommends closing Pershing K-5 at the end of the 2025-26 school year and re-assigning students to Wilder and Field.
During a public hearing, several parents and a teacher asked the board to keep their schools open.
The recommendation to close the schools comes after a study by Davis Demographics determined that Robberson and Boyd elementary schools are both underused because of low enrollment. Enrollment is expected to continue to decline over the next 10 years.
Pershing, which is scheduled to be renovated, would become a 6-8 school only, if the board decides to close its K-5 classrooms. The elementary grades now have 151 students, which the district said is "a very small elementary school."
The district says the closures will improve organizational and fiscal efficiency.
