Olathe administration signals plan to repurpose Westview Elementary to house new K–8 alternative program; board to consider action in July

Olathe district staff presented data showing Westview Elementary’s long-term enrollment decline and said the administration will ask the board in July to repurpose the building for the district’s planned K–8 alternative program.

The presentation showed Westview opened in 1965, peaked at 456 students in 1971 and has had enrollment near or under 180 students since 2017. District slides estimated Westview’s enrollment at roughly 150 students with about 30 of those on transfers; district staff said about 125 students live in the Westview attendance area. By comparison, the district’s average elementary enrollment across 36 schools is about 350 students.

Chief administrative staff said repurposing Westview aims to provide a facility for the alternative program and to consolidate elementary attendance patterns so neighboring schools maintain best-practice class sizes (two to three sections per grade). The board packet said repurposing would be considered for the 2026–27 school year, with a July board action to repurpose and November hearings on new attendance boundaries if the board approves the move.

Administrators said Westview staff were briefed before the meeting and that the building would continue to operate as a K–5 school for the remainder of the current and next school year. The district said it will meet with Westview staff and human resources about staffing options; all affected employees will have priority for openings and the district will work with staff on transitions.

Staff said the district will communicate with the Westview community following the meeting and will conduct boundary meetings in the fall if the repurposing is approved. The board and administrators described the discussions as difficult but necessary given declining enrollment across the district and the need for space to house the alternative program.