KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Parents in Kansas City Public Schools district have marked their calendars for Dec. 14, which is when the district was set to vote on its Blueprint 2030 plan.
But on Monday, the district said it would push back the vote to Jan. 11, after hearing community feedback.
The district said it's coming up with a new plan to present to the board on that date, but the presentation has yet to be publicized.
Many parents say their feelings of uncertainty continue.
“There have been multiple times when my son has woken up in the morning and said how excited he is to go to school because he’s learning this year,” said Luke Bauer, a Longfellow Elementary school parent.
KSHB 41 met Bauer in the fall at a Blueprint 2030 plan at Longfellow Elementary.
“I just wonder where my son is going to go to school next year," Bauer said in October.
In December, his question is still unanswered, while his son’s school is on a potential chopping block.
But since then, his son’s continued loving going to school in their neighborhood.
“That’s really special and he’s also having a great school year,” Bauer said. “To think that one — that might not continue, and two — there’s been no communication about what that will look and sound like."
Bauer wants to see more transparency for parents.
“There’s no reason that there should be a vote to close schools at this point until they’ve had opportunities to engage families in those transition plans,” he said.
If KCPS' school closure plan is implemented, Longfellow parents are among the families that would need to switch to another school in as little as nine months.
“There’s been no opportunities to visit those schools, to meet those principals, to meet those teachers, meet the other kids and families that have a community there and talk about what it will feel like to blend some communities together?” Bauer said.
Many parents say slowing down on such an impactful decision makes sense, especially since it's not the only major decision facing the district right now.
“It seems silly that they are trying to figure out the leadership of the KCMO public schools at the time same time they are voting to potentially vote to close 10 schools," Bauer said.
KSHB 41 wanted the chance to ask the school district about Blueprint 2030 with our own questions.
Reporter Megan Abundis has asked to meet in person with the interim superintendent twice, but she's been denied due to a full schedule.
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