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Wichita Board approves timeline for possible school closures after rejecting motion to reopen master plan
Summary
The Wichita Board of Education rejected a motion to reopen the district facilities master plan but voted 4–2 to approve the administration’s timeline for potential school closures. Public speakers urged the board to revisit class-size assumptions and to engage the community before moving forward.
The Wichita Board of Education on March 9 rejected a community-led motion to reopen the facilities master plan, then approved a timeline for possible school closures that the district says would guide next steps depending on whether a bond measure passes.
The motion to reopen the master plan, made by Amy Warren and seconded by Nock Vaughn, failed on a hand vote, 2–4. The board later approved a motion by Stan Reeser to adopt the timeline; that motion carried 4–2, with Warren and Vaughn dissenting. The chair emphasized the vote authorized a timeline for transparency and planning—not a final decision to close schools.
Why it matters: dozens of public commenters urged the board to pause closures and reopen planning. Amy Drought told the board: “Moving forward with closures is not leadership. It is a circumvention of the public trust you were elected to uphold,” and called on elected trustees to honor voters who rejected a previous bond. Trish Hellman urged reopening the facilities master plan and recommended planning around smaller class sizes—17 students per elementary classroom—as an alternative to closures.
Board discussion centered on trust in professional staff and enrollment data. Amy Jensen, a board member and former teacher, said staff recommendations are grounded in study of enrollment trends, building conditions and staffing realities and argued the board hired experts for that work. Other trustees defended the timeline as a transparent step that keeps options open whether the bond passes.
The votes: when members took a hand vote on the first motion to reopen, the clerk recorded Amy Warren and Nock Vaughn as voting aye; Diane Albert, Stan Reeser, Julie Hedrick and Amy Jensen voted nay. On the timeline approval, the board recorded the motion as carried 4–2 with Warren and Vaughn opposing. The transcript shows the board intends further engagement with community members over the coming months.
What’s next: district leaders said the timeline will guide outreach and planning, and the board signaled plans for public engagement around any future bond proposal. The superintendent and trustees said additional community sessions and staff reports will follow; no school closure is final until further steps are completed.
