Superintendent pauses closure vote, says district will expand feasibility report and handle demographer work in-house

Superintendent Dr. Walters addressed board members on April 23 to clarify that a previous request to the board was not a vote to close schools but a request to begin the state-required public-commentary period. "The vote we requested was not a vote to close schools. It was a vote to begin a state required public commentary period," Walters said.

Walters said district staff are finalizing several reports requested by the board—financial-impact analysis, transportation considerations, capital-investment needs and alignment with instructional practices—to give a fuller picture of how proposed facility recommendations could affect students and families.

On demographer procurement, Walters said the district issued a request for proposals and received two responses. One proposal, at a cost of $207,031 from a nonlocal firm, was acknowledged as unable to deliver the full scope. The superintendent said the district chose a fiscally responsible approach that will add substantial work to central-office staff but allow the district to meet scope and cost objectives; that work is already underway. Walters said the updated feasibility report and a final set of recommendations, including proposed phasing, will be publicly presented in late May.

No action to open the public-hearing process on potential school closures was taken at the meeting; the district will return with the additional analyses before seeking the state-required public-comment period.