Beaverton School Board approves May closure of McKay Elementary, reassigns students to Raleigh Hills and Greenway

The Beaverton School Board voted unanimously March 10 to close McKay Elementary and consolidate its students into nearby schools, a change district leaders said is intended to align services and improve program continuity.

Board members approved a staff plan that assigns students living north/northeast of Highway 217 to Raleigh Hills Elementary and students living south of Highway 217 to Greenway Elementary. Staff told the board the split will send about 104 McKay students to Raleigh Hills and about 74 to Greenway; an additional cohort of roughly 25 students currently attending McKay on transfer will be offered an interim transfer process to select a preferred placement.

District staff said the consolidation will be effective in May and emphasized steps to reduce disruption for students and families. Interim Superintendent Mike Scoffield praised school and community leaders for cooperative planning and said staff will provide frequent updates as the transition proceeds. "I'll do that in the weekly memo. We'll we'll continue to do that," Scoffield said when a board member asked for regular progress reports.

Why it matters: Staff and union leaders told the board the McKay consolidation follows community discussion and staffing realities, and that the recommendation seeks to center student services as enrollment patterns change across the district. Several educators and parents had urged the board to pause or reconsider changes to specialized programs—especially the EGC (emotional growth center) at Jacob Whismer—citing recent student outcomes and investments in facilities. Board members acknowledged those concerns while voting to proceed with the closure.

What the board approved: The board approved the closure motion and the related boundary adjustment at the same meeting. Staff described the boundary change as a condensed process tailored to the small geographic area involved and said families would receive direct notification after the action. For students already on transfers, teaching and learning staff will run an interim transfer review so families can indicate their placement preference.

Staff commitments and next steps: District leaders said they have developed detailed transition checklists and will continue school-by-school coordination on staffing, transportation, and student supports. The board asked staff to provide regular written updates and to ensure services for vulnerable students are maintained during the move.

The vote: The motion to close McKay passed 7–0.

The board will continue to consider related facility and programming decisions as part of its long-range planning work.