Lee’s Summit teachers, parents and students are raising concerns about the potential consolidation of schools

LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. (KCTV) – Tuesday evening, the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District held a PTA meeting to discuss the consolidation of Lee’s Summit Elementary and Westview Elementary. The district says this is the best option to avoid school closures, but many in the community are not happy about it.

“This plan was presented as ‘the plan’ and quite quickly as we know,” said a teacher at Lee’s Summit Elementary. “My question is: why aren’t alternative plans being offered for the community to talk about?”

Before the meeting, KCTV spoke with Superintendent David Buck, who said the district had three options due to declining enrollment: Do nothing, which Buck said could lead to larger class sizes and decreased services. The second option would be to close a school, which Buck said would break up families in the district.

He says the last and best option would be to pass a bond proposal, which would allow the district to renovate Westview Elementary to accommodate both school populations. If the bond proposal passes, it will go before voters next year.

“Why are we in such a hurry?” one parent asked during Tuesday’s meeting. “Why don’t we get the dignity of a good plan here at Westview? Why aren’t we given the dignity of a good plan at Lee’s Summit Elementary?”

READ MORE: ‘This is hard’: Lee’s Summit superintendent says possible consolidation could save schools from closure

The sense of rush to the plan was one of the main concerns expressed at Tuesday’s meeting.

“Why were we only told last week that this has been a plan for five years?” asked Anya, a student at Lee’s Summit Elementary. “Why weren’t we told?”

Superintendent Buck apologized and said the district should have engaged the community sooner.

“I’m sorry I didn’t,” Buck said. “I had hopes, but they just didn’t materialize.”

The district has posted frequently asked questions and answers on its website website last week.

The district says the $225 bond proposal has been given to the Citizen’s Advisory Committee, which will make its final recommendation at its meeting next week. The bond proposal then goes to the Board of Education; the district is asking for action at the Dec. 19 meeting. If passed, it would go before voters in April 2025.

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