Leavenworth board votes to close David Brewer Elementary at end of 2026–27 school year

The Leavenworth Unified School District 453 Board of Education voted June 8 to close David Brewer Elementary School at the end of the 2026–2027 school year, adopting Resolution 25/26-022 under KSA 72-1431.

Supporters of keeping David Brewer urged the board to share the analysis behind the recommendation before voting. "We were shown the conclusion. We were not shown the work," said Chelsea, a parent who spoke at the public hearing, urging the board to publish the comparative analysis used to select David Brewer for closure. Several other parents and staff testified about the student disruption closures can cause, and one speaker asked the board to commission an independent performance audit before making another closure decision.

Board President Karen Overby moved to adopt the resolution; a second was recorded and the chair called for those in favor. A board member voiced "three," after which the chair declared the motion passed. The board then read and adopted Resolution 25/26-022 into the record, which states the district found closing David Brewer "would improve the school system" and formally directs the building to close at the end of the next school year.

During discussion before the vote, legal counsel advised the board that statutory notice requirements had been met. "KSA 72-1138 outlines the process for that," counsel said when explaining the district's posting and notice responsibilities for special meetings and hearings.

Parents and staff who addressed the board stressed several concrete concerns: the absence of a publicly available analysis comparing alternatives, potential increases in student bus time and absenteeism, likely impacts on classroom sizes and staffing, and the emotional cost of uprooting students and their trusted staff. One commenter, Adam Shirts, asked the board to consider moving David Brewer students and their staff together into another building if the district proceeds, to preserve established relationships.

Several board members acknowledged the pain and uncertainty the decision causes. President Overby said she understood the community's frustration and asked administration to follow up on legal timelines and next steps related to the resolution. Administration acknowledged commitments to provide additional statutory and procedural details following the meeting.

The vote creates a formal resolution on the record; district officials said logistics and specific student placement plans will be developed and shared in subsequent meetings. The resolution text read aloud at the meeting cited KSA 72-1431 as the legal authority for closing a building by majority vote and was labeled Resolution 25/26-022.

What happens next: administration and board members said they will provide follow-up information on statutory timelines and any opportunities for future board action related to the closure. Several public commenters asked the board to publish the underlying data and to consider an audit; the board did not commit to an independent audit at the June 8 meeting.

Vote at a glance: The chair called for the vote and recorded vocal support; a recorded voice in the chamber said "three" in response to "all those in favor," and the chair declared the motion passed. The resolution number adopted was 25/26-022.