Editor’s note: This story was updated at 4 p.m. Thursday to include comments from the Shawnee Mission School District.
The proposed closure of East Antioch Elementary School is making waves in the school’s attendance area. A group of parents, students and other concerned community members turned out Tuesday night to protest about it before a closed-door PTA council meeting with the district’s superintendent.
About 55 people turned out to participate in a rally, holding up signs along 71st Street in front of Shawnee Mission’s Center for Academic Achievement, just blocks from East Antioch itself. Many were kids who currently attend East Antioch.
For Pippa Coon, 9, being there to protest “makes me know we are a part of something, and we’re maybe going to save it.”
East Antioch alum Tricia McGhee was also there. She now sits on the school board for the Kansas City Public Schools but said she’s heard concerns from friends, including Shawnee Mission teachers and administrators.
“As someone that serves currently on a school board, I understand that declining enrollment is difficult, but school boards really need to consider which communities have been affected by closures in the past already or lack of resources,” McGhee said. “And what I’m hearing from the Shawnee Mission North community and their feeder schools is that they’re always last to receive district resources. And that’s been going on longer than this current board.”
She said she thinks that the Shawnee Mission district should do an assessment of previous feeder school closures to make sure one part of the district isn’t having a disproportionate number of closures.
Jake Potter, Shawnee Mission’s chief communications officer, said he had not heard any concerns about the North area not getting district resources as much or as often as the rest of the district.
Since 2000, four North area elementary schools have closed: Arrowhead, Roeland Park, West Antioch and South Park. Antioch Middle School also closed during that time.
In the same timeframe, three South area elementary schools closed, along with two in the West area and one in the East area. The East area also had Mission Valley Middle School close.
The most recent school to close was Dorothy Moody Elementary in 2012.
Potter noted that currently, there are eight feeder elementary schools that solely feed into Shawnee Mission North. The West and Northwest areas also have eight, but three of those elementary schools split their populations between those two high schools.
Several parents championed the sense of community they’ve found at East Antioch.
Several parents championed the sense of community they’ve found at East Antioch.
“It helps with academic achievement and helps the kids be more confident and have a better academic experience,” said Aude Negrete.
Lindsey Kalivoda has had a similar experience with her kids.
“We love the community this school creates. You can feel that from the moment you walk in the door,” she said. “It’s not just a building. It’s family.”
Check out more photos from the rally:
Keep reading: Parents launch ‘Save East Antioch’ campaign after Shawnee Mission proposes closing OP school by 2031
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