Olathe Public Schools staff recommended on Tuesday that the board approve a boundary change to repurpose Westview Elementary and move the school’s attendance-area students to Rolling Ridge Elementary, emphasizing proximity, capacity impacts and a two-year transportation transition plan.

The recommendation: Dr. Jim McMullen, the district leader presenting the boundary study, proposed “Option A,” which moves all Westview students into Rolling Ridge. The district said Option A keeps the roughly 115 attendance-area students together, minimizes bus impacts and avoids splitting small cohorts across multiple schools.

Nut graf — why it matters: Westview’s enrollment has fallen in recent years; staff said the building’s attendance-area population stands at about 115 students (145 total enrollment including transfers). The board previously voted in August to repurpose Westview for other programming beginning in the 2026 school year, and the boundary decision affects student assignments, transportation eligibility and classroom capacity at nearby elementary schools.

Highlights from the study: McMullen and planning manager Chris Grolup presented five options (A–E) that were developed with parent and staff input and five-year enrollment forecasts. Rolling Ridge is the closest school to Westview (about 0.87 miles), and under Option A Rolling Ridge would operate at approximately 87% capacity in the first year and decline thereafter in the five-year projection. The district said many of the students who currently attend Westview do so on transfers; staff expect some transfer students to return to their home schools when boundaries change.

Transportation and transition: Staff said a two-year transition will provide free bus transportation to all Westview families to ease the move; the district characterized that offering as cost neutral because it reallocates vehicles and reduces other assisted-transportation needs. Families who currently qualify for free bus service under federal rules (for example, free/reduced lunch) will not lose that eligibility, the district said.

Public input: The district surveyed parents and staff from the four affected schools (Westview, Rolling Ridge, Central and Ridgeview) and received 242 responses. Option A (Westview to Rolling Ridge) and Option D (Westview to Central with a portion of Central moving to Ridgeview) were the most-favored options in the parent survey. McMullen said themes in feedback included transportation concerns, requests to keep Westview students together and worry about overcrowding.

Board questions and staff responses: Board members asked about classroom staffing, the effect on special programs such as Title and ELL services, whether transfer students would be allowed to remain, and whether the Rolling Ridge facility requires physical modifications. Staff said Rolling Ridge has sufficient classroom space and that the district would add sections and teachers as needed. On transfers, staff said they would close the receiving school to new parent-initiated transfers if capacity becomes tight; the district expects some transfers to lapse and students to return to home schools.

Recommendation and next step: Staff recommended the board consider action on the Option A boundary change at the November meeting to allow time for a planned transition and additional communication with families and staff.

Ending: If the board approves the recommendation in November, the change would be implemented for the 2026-27 school year with a two-year transportation transition and additional communications for affected families and staff.