KSHB 41 reporter Claire Bradshaw covers eastern Jackson County, including Blue Springs and Lee's Summit. She learned of this story idea at the KSHB 41 Let's Talk event earlier this month in Lee's Summit. Share your story idea with Claire.
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Two Lee's Summit elementary schools will remain open after a year-long battle over proposed consolidation, with the district now planning to first use bond money for improvements at a different school.
At KSHB 41 News' latest Let's Talk event in Lee's Summit, a parent came to let the station know conversations weren't officially over regarding the April 2025 voter-approved bond.
The Lee's Summit R-7 School District's Citizens Advisory Committee recommended Tuesday that $28.7 million in bond funds be allocated to Pleasant Lea Elementary first, with additional funds potentially going to Lee's Summit Elementary and Westview Elementary afterward.
The recommendation effectively ends consolidation talks that began in fall 2024, when the district proposed combining Lee's Summit Elementary and Westview Elementary into one school at the Westview location due to declining enrollment.
"We were hoping the enrollment would increase. We would hope the space would regreen, we would hope students would return from the COVID dip and it just hasn't happened," Dr. Steve Shelton, associate superintendent of operations, said in a 2024 interview with KSHB 41 News.
Parents like Valerie Salazar fought the consolidation proposal throughout the process. Salazar walks her children to Lee's Summit Elementary daily through downtown Lee's Summit.
"This is our neighborhood. This is where we walk, this is where we play basketball at night. This is where we come to the playground to play. So this is more than just a school. It's really a place of community," Salazar said.
The district initially paused consolidation talks between December 2024 and January 2025, instead setting aside bond money for elementary school improvements after gathering more community input.
Over the summer, a Lee's Summit and Westview Elementary Process Action Team met to review options. In September, that group recommended the school board not consolidate the schools.
"A parent from Westview Elementary and our committee said, like, we're one community. We want what's best for our students. We want what's best for your students, and you want what's best for our students and vice versa," Salazar said.
The Pleasant Lea project is not scheduled to enter the design phase until 2027, with construction planned for 2028 and completion in 2029. The district must wait for other bond projects to be bid on before the total budget is finalized.
The LSR7 School District declined to do an interview for this story, but did provide this statement.
The $225 million bond issue represents a critical part of a larger $309 million investment in facility improvements across the next five years. We are deeply grateful to the parents, staff, and community members who contributed their time and expertise to this process—and to our voters for their continued support of LSR7 schools and students.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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