Jamestown board votes to retire Washington Elementary after 2024-25 school year; assets, staffing decisions deferred

The Jamestown Public School Board voted unanimously Monday to retire Washington Elementary School from active service after the 2024–25 school year and before the start of 2025–26.

The move, advanced in a motion by Board member Dan Tweeden and amended by Board member Aaron Roberts, directs the district to postpone any action on the building's assets pending additional short- and long-range planning and specifies that the operational change will not result in reductions in force. The amended motion passed in a roll-call vote with all members present voting yes.

Board members framed the vote as an operational response to long-term declining enrollment and building-utilization data presented earlier in the meeting. Superintendent Dr. Leck told the board these two problems'declining enrollment and a large backlog of capital needs'are related but distinct, and said the retirement decision addresses how the district will operate in the near term given fewer students.

Board members and administration said they plan boundary studies and transition work after the vote. Dan Tweeden and other members said the timing is intended to give staff, families and administrators enough time to plan for the 2025–26 school year. Superintendent Dr. Leck said the administration will send a survey to Washington families, prepare an FAQ and begin student- and staff-transition planning, including a district-level boundary study to show how neighborhoods will be redistributed across elementary buildings.

The board repeated that the decision to retire the building is not a final determination on the property itself. The motion explicitly deferred any decisions about disposal, sale or reuse of the facility until further study; the board instructed administration to pursue additional short- and long-range planning before acting on assets.

Board members emphasized they would avoid layoffs tied directly to the retirement. Aaron Roberts'whose amendment specified "without any reduction in force"'and Superintendent Dr. Leck said the district plans to cover staffing needs through attrition and reassignment, and through available positions as needed, while honoring continuing-contract protections for certificated staff.

Several board members acknowledged the emotional and community impact of closing a longtime neighborhood school. Melissa Gleason said the board will "do everything we can to honor that building and honor those who have worked in that building and who have gone through that building in the past." The board said it will keep the community informed as transition steps are developed.

What happens next: Superintendent Dr. Leck said the district will publish a boundary study and timeline, solicit specific questions from Washington families and staff, and present findings to the board in future reports. The board also reiterated that the decision to retire Washington is separate from any future referendum or building-replacement process.

Votes at the meeting included several other routine approvals; those are summarized separately.