More than three hours of deliberation Monday night led the Shawnee Mission Board of Education to delay the timeline on potential school boundary changes, as well as East Antioch Elementary’s recommended closure.
The board heard three presentations during its Monday night meeting — an update on a boundary work group’s progress and two on East Antioch Elementary, expanding on why it was recommended for closure and consolidation with Santa Fe Trail Elementary.
The discussion that followed highlighted many questions the board still has, and the rush to make decisions in time for an upcoming bond measure in March. Ultimately, the board decided to pause the boundary work group and come back with a new list of bond projects, excluding changes to East Antioch and Santa Fe Trail.
“I feel good,” said Ian Fannin-Hughes, an East Antioch parent. “I feel like the board has taken the power that they have always had to ask the right questions and say, ‘We need more time to figure this out.’
“We were being forced on a timeline that was unreasonable and unacceptable,” Fannin-Hughes added. “They have set us on a good path to ask the right questions, get the right answers and find out what is right for the community.”
Board discussions
Following the presentations, the board asked many questions and explored several considerations — including student demographics and how middle school capacities play into potential elementary school boundary changes.
“I want to look at: What is the capacity of the middle schools? How many kids can we fit there? What does it mean to have a split feeder?” said Board Member Heather Ousley, referring to sending students from the same elementary school to different middle schools. (Currently, students stay in the same feeder pattern, meaning all students from elementaries in one feeder pattern go to the same middle and high schools.)
The board then explored a split feeder scenario that would increase enrollment at underutilized Highlands Elementary. If the district eventually looks at splitting feeder patterns, however, Board Member Jamie Borgman said she’d like students to be a part of the conversation.
After their discussions, exploration of different scenarios and unanswered questions, Superintendent Michael Schumacher said, “I think that [the board’s questions] speaks to the need for more time.”
Part of the rush, Schumacher said, was to make decisions in time for the upcoming bond issue that goes before voters in March 2027.
Instead of delaying the March bond by another year, since bond measures can only go to a public vote in March, the board decided to remove the consolidation of East Antioch and subsequent rebuild of Santa Fe Trail from the list.
The district will bring a new list of prospective bond-funded projects to the board in October.
Watch the meeting here. The boundary work group update starts at 34:56, with discussions following. The East Antioch presentations starts at 2:05:01. Discussions addressing both topics start at 2:34:33.
Boundary concerns
Ahead of the meeting, a concept map for potential school boundary changes was leaked, causing concern among parents in the Shawnee Mission East feeder area.
The concept map was not presented at Monday’s meeting. Rob Schwarz, CEO and principal planner of RSP & Associates, the consultants leading the project, emphasized the map was a draft and subject to change by the time initial recommendations would’ve been made available to the public for input later this month.
However, that reassurance did little to ease tension for some parents at the meeting.
“I felt distrustful of the whole process because it felt like everything was happening behind closed doors,” said Ryan Van Pelt, Prairie Elementary parent. “One map leaked, and it was the only map … and they’re (the consultants and district) saying that shouldn’t happen. It felt very closed-door, behind the scenes and not transparent.”
After the meeting, Van Pelt said he’s thankful for the board’s discussions.
“I feel much better,” he said. “I feel heard, which I appreciate. I especially appreciate the board for being open to hearing more voices and asking hard questions to RSP, to highlight areas where they had not looked into.”
What’s next?
All upcoming public input nights for the boundary work have been canceled, along with the East Antioch closure public hearing.
“We are going to develop a full, district-wide approach to boundaries, what low enrollment, high enrollment schools look like — that’s going to take longer than the time we have before we bring you a bond recommendation,” Schumacher said.
Schumacher said he’s unsure when a plan will be ready.
In the meantime, he added, the district needs to accept that capacity concerns will persist at Corinth Elementary and Indian Hills Middle, and that the East Antioch and Santa Fe Trail elementary buildings are at the end of their lives.
The district will bring an updated list of bond projects to the Oct. 12 meeting.
