Olathe families are trying to collect 6,100 signatures to trigger a state review of the six impending school closures in the Olathe Public Schools district.
Families across the schools organized under Olathe Families United, formed in September to fight the Olathe district’s then recommended, and now approved, school closures using K.S.A. 72-1431. According to the statute, the group has 45 days after the vote to gather 6,100 signatures — 5% of the district’s registered voter base — to force a review by the Kansas State Board of Education.
Oct. 1 has started the clock.
Schools set to close at the end of the 2026-27 school year include:
- Black Bob Elementary,
- Heritage Elementary,
- Scarborough Elementary,
- Tomahawk Elementary,
- Walnut Grove Elementary,
- and Indian Trail Middle.
“I don’t feel like all the information was given,” said Walnut Grove parent Gera Netcher, co-founder of Olathe Families United. “They put up the information that they felt was necessary, although that information … it’s just not enough. We want to see the data behind the numbers.”
The OPS Board of Education unanimously approved the recommended closures on Thursday, Oct. 1.
“As the district prepares for the 2027-28 school year, student and staff transition teams will be established at impacted schools,” the district said in a Thursday press release after the vote. “Teams will include principals from the closing and receiving schools, along with staff members and parents. Their focus will be supporting students, staff and families through the transition and helping create welcoming environments as school communities come together.”
More about K.S.A. 72-1431
If Olathe Families United collects the 6,100 signatures in 45 days — a November 14 deadline — the state board of education will then have another 45 days to review the closures.
“When the schools were announced, we all just started digging in and trying to do as much research as possible,” Netcher said.
She added that alongside co-founder, fellow Walnut Grove parent Tony Hanna, they talked with families from other schools and decided to form Olathe Families United. From there, the team — which now has more than 120 volunteers — collaborated and decided pursuing K.S.A. 72-1431 was their next step.
After the 45-day review period, the state releases an advisory determination — providing guidance on whether the district’s decision is reasonable “under the totality of circumstances.” The state board’s advisory determination could also include recommendations to modify or rescind the measure closing schools.
If and once the Olathe district has the state board’s advisory determination — even one that decides the district’s initial measure was reasonable — the district will reconsider the measure to close the six schools. The process must follow usual procedures, with a public hearing prior to board reconsideration.
According to the Kansas Department of Education, the statute has been used three times this year — for the closures of Logan Avenue Elementary in Emporia, Wilson Elementary in Wilson and Greeley Elementary in Garnett.
In each of those instances, the state board found the closures to be reasonable.
Looking back
Olathe Public Schools projections show enrollment across the district dropping to just under 26,000 students over the next 15 years — a decrease of about 4,000 students from its peak in 2019.
The district announced in February its three-phase plan to address declining enrollment:
- a 110-person task force met to recommend how many schools should close,
- over the summer, a 20-person steering committee met to determine which schools specifically should close, which was approved by the board Thursday,
- and lastly, which has yet to happen, a boundary committee is set to meet over the next two months and eventually bring recommendations in December.
Meeting notes from both the task force and the steering committee can be found on the district’s Boundary and School Closures webpage, toward the bottom and under the Presentations, Resources and Communication section.
Olathe announced the recommended list of closures at its September meeting, held a public hearing on Sept. 22 and voted on the recommendations Oct. 1.
Looking ahead
Now that the board has approved the six closures, the district will form a new committee to discuss boundary adjustments to figure out where the students will go. Recommendations are expected in December with board action in January 2027.
While those meetings start this month, Olathe Families United is preparing and starting to gather signatures. Trainings for petition circulators started last week. People looking for more information on the petition can visit the organization’s website here or follow the Facebook page here.
Olathe Families United also plans to meet regularly starting next week from 4:30 to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Indian Creek Library 16100 W. 135th St., Olathe. The organization hasn’t officially started collecting signatures just yet, according to its website.
To watch Thursday’s board meeting, visit the district’s YouTube page here. District leadership gave a presentation starting at 11:08. Watch the vote and hear board comments on the closures starting at 2:18:15.
