TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – The Santa Fe Trail School District will close the Scranton Attendance Center at the end of the 2025-26 school year.
The district says declining enrollment over the past two decades has made operating all four of its buildings financially unsustainable. They consider the preschool’s closure as a way to rally its resources moving forward.
“[The closure] allows us to combat declining enrollment by becoming more efficient and creating better alignment of our grade levels and programs. Spreading students across four buildings creates compounding expenses in personnel, transportation, food service, technology, utilities, and insurance. Consolidating our footprint ensures we remain fiscally sound and allows us to redirect funds toward high-quality programs and direct classroom instruction.
..This is not an easy decision, but we must prepare for the long-term future. We have prioritized transparency through eight town halls, steering committee sessions, a website dedicated to the project, special and regular BOE meetings, and regular newsletters. Our goal is to shift from maintaining infrastructure to investing directly in our children’s education.”
The USD 434 Board of Education held a public hearing about the potential closure Wednesday night, ahead of its regular meeting. Residents showed up en masse, many voicing their opposition to the closure for various reasons.
Common concerns surrounded the school’s proximity to Scranton families and losing out on the investment taxpayers made to construct the school.
“Taxpayers are being asked to a loss on a building they have heavily invested in for probably far less than what it’s worth, and means a great deal to the community,” Libby Thompson said.
“Why do we want to close a school to put more money into a school that’s not in as good condition as this one is,” another resident asked.
The USD 434 Board did go on to vote unanimously to move forward with the closure.
The Scranton preschool class will be moved to the Overbrook Attendance Center, which serves as the district’s elementary school. The district is also considering several options to reconfigure the district, and has said it is exploring options to repurpose the Scranton Attendance Center.
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