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Community group pledges $25,000 to oppose shift from neighborhood elementary schools
Summary
During public participation at the Elkhorn Area School District board meeting, a group led by parent volunteer Brenda Johansson said it has collected more than $25,000 in pledges from 55 individuals and six businesses and asked the board to refrain from changing the district's neighborhood K-5 model while budget decisions are pending.
Brenda Johansson, a parent volunteer who worked on the district's referendum campaigns, told the Elkhorn Area School District board on April 14 that a group of local families and businesses has pledged more than $25,000 to try to keep the district's neighborhood K-5 school model intact.
Johansson said the group's online solicitations produced roughly $25,000 in pledges in 72 hours from 55 individuals and six local businesses, with pledges ranging from about $20 to $5,000. She said the group plans to route donations through an established 501(c)(3) nonprofit to support the effort and urged the board not to make changes to the neighborhood elementary model in the coming year.
The request arrived amid district discussion of budget reductions after the failed referendum. Johansson said a potential switch to consolidated or 'center' elementary schools would have long-lasting effects on students, staff and the wider community.
Board members and administrators acknowledged the community outreach and said the district will provide recommendations following the administration's budget retreat and a planned April 30 administrative meeting. District officials told the board they expect to be able to present initial plans and options after that meeting; the board and administration emphasized they intend to consider multiple scenarios before taking final action.
Board members noted the pledge effort as 'impactful' and said they would remain in communication with the organizers. Administrators cautioned that decisions still depend on broader budget analysis and possible state actions affecting school funding.
The public comment and the board's timeline discussion came during the meeting's community participation and later budget-discussion agenda items. No formal board action to change the elementary model was taken at the April 14 meeting.
Ending: The board scheduled further analysis at the April 30 budget retreat, and administrators said they plan to communicate initial recommendations to the community shortly afterward.
