001and I will be acting as the chair for this public hearing. I would like to take a moment and introduce the Board of Education, Board President Tamara Doty, Board Vice President Josh Hurley, Board Members Dalton Wirth, Kayla Collins, Chad Rogers, and Allison Gonzalez. Also Jeff Coleman, the Board's Attorney, and the Superintendent Bob Murphy. As the Board President mentioned, the purpose of this meeting is for the Board of Education to hear the rationale behind the proposed closure of the Wilson Elementary Attendance Center, grades pre-K through 6, and any testimony as to the advisability of the proposed closing. Per state law, a Board of Education, by adoption of a resolution by a majority vote, may close a school building at any time if the Board determines the building should be closed to improve the school system of
002the district. However, prior to adopting any such resolution, a hearing must be called and held on the proposal. Notice of hearing must be published at least once each week for two consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the school district. Notice of this hearing was published in the Ellsworth County Independent Reporter on Thursday, January 29, 2026 and Thursday, February 5, 2026 as required by state statute. As outlined in the published notice, the proposal to close the Wilson Elementary Attendance Center grades pre-K through 6 is for the following reasons. Low enrollment resulting in a loss of revenue. At this time, Mr. Murphy will provide information on the reasoning behind the proposal. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Thanks for coming out tonight. I want to be... Very respectful of your time, so I'll just jump
003right in. I'd like to spend a little bit of time going over our student population, K-6, at Wilson Elementary School over the past few years. In 2022-2023, there were 87 K-6 students. In 2023-2024, there were 75 students K-6. In 2024-2025, there were 69 students. And at the beginning of this year, there were 66 students K-6. When we came back after Christmas break on January 12th, we had 58 students K-6. We're anticipating being close to the 50 number next year for our school enrollment at Wilson Elementary. If we do drop to that 50 mark for K-6 enrollment, that will mean that our K-6 population dropped by 37 students over the span. That is a 42% drop in K-6 students resulting in an estimated revenue loss over $200,000 in funding. After speaking with surrounding superintendents, they're transporting
00428 to 35 elementary school students out of the Wilson and Dorrance area to their elementary schools. That does not count the families that are taking their students out and not getting transportation from other school districts. So if we take those 35 students and we multiply them times the base aid of $5,618, we get a little under $200,000 of the loss. Last year, we did absorb two positions in Wilson, and we're still estimating to expend an estimated $250,000 to $300,000 pre-audit, our audit's next week, more than state aid and revenue based on the student population that we now have at Wilson Elementary School. It's always difficult to absorb positions, but without absorbing those two positions, our shortfall would have even been greater going into this year. Our ESA report, which is a yearly report that breaks
005down how much we spend the previous year in each building, in each building in our district in the state of Kansas, in Wilson Elementary School, we spent a little over $28,000 a student last year. The state average is $17,650 per student. Whenever you take a very big number and you divide it over very little enrollment, it inflates that number very, very quickly. At a recent community meeting as well in Wilson, we were able to survey about 145 community members. 70% of those surveys were for a land transfer under the understanding that Wilson Elementary School would need to be closed due to the low enrollment numbers first. So I wanted to share that information with you guys today before we start the public hearing side of it. So again, thank you for your time. Thank you
006for coming out tonight. Very, very tough decision for our board moving forward as well. So we look forward to hearing what the council members have to say. Thank you, Mr. Murphy. Now, if any member of the public would like to address the board regarding the closure of the Wilson Elementary Attendance Center, they may do so in the following manner. Upon your name being called, please state your name and address for the record. You will have five minutes to provide your statement to the board or allocate your time to another named individual to allow them additional time to address the board. While speaking, please focus your comment on what effects closing this building will have and please remain respectful. If you fail to abide by these guidelines, your turn will be ended. At this time, I
007believe that we have two individuals who have signed up to speak. If anyone else would like to speak after those two, we will allow an opportunity for the others to also add their name to the list. I will mess up names. I'm just promising you that right now. It's nothing personal. I swear sometimes I can't read people's handwriting and sometimes I'm just really bad at reading last names. My last name doesn't look like how it's pronounced. So my apologies up front. So we have Michelle Brokish. I have a helper. Very, very good. So five minutes, what you come up and we will get started. Thank you. I guess I'd like to start off by saying I think it's extremely telling and extremely sad that I'm, I believe, the only person who knows. It's a testament
008to where we've come as a district, and that goes both ways, and I think that's very sad. I fully understand this is a closure hearing, not a land transfer discussion, but I think that you go hand in hand, so please bear with me. So the discussion of the land transfer has been ongoing for... Three plus years, you know, if we're completely honest, even longer than that. So something that I'd like you to consider is that is a big deal. Like that is not a small change. That is a complete realignment to take effect for hopefully decades to come. So as we go through this process, whether we pursue a land transfer, whether it's best to stay here, I just ask that the... Time and effort be given to those discussions so we make the best
009decisions going forward. I would ask that while it affects the entire district and I fully recognize that it affects the Wilson and Norris communities the most because we would be the ones transferring out and realigning elsewhere. So I ask that the communities be listened to. And I can honestly tell you there is not a clear cut direction from the community right now. There are a lot more questions than there are answers. Unfortunately, Mr. Murphy's right. There was a strong consensus at that meeting. You know what, just close. And I hate that. I hate that it's come to that. I don't want to see our building close. I do ask, and this is a big ask, and I will fully admit that. But I do ask that if that is the direction you decide to go,
010that rather than close at the end of the 25-26 school year, I would ask that you close at the end of the 26-27 school year. That is not me asking you to kick the can down the road. That is not me asking for a last-ditch effort to try something. That is me saying that if we do a land transfer, it's going to take time. And I don't know what direction that goes. But as a parent of an elementary student and watching other parents with elementary students, if there isn't a clear direction at the end of this year or even in August where that land might transfer to, it makes it very difficult to decide where to send your child. Because I also have high school and junior high students that we had to make this
011decision for when the high school closed. And it is hard to know where to go because you don't want to do it again. And I don't know, maybe saying a 112 district, maybe Wilson and Doris saying 112 is the right direction. I don't know. I know that those are discussions that need to happen. But I do ask for consideration that if you're going to close the building, that you give one more year just so these discussions can happen and happen responsibly. Thank you. Hi everybody, thank you for having me out tonight. My name is Denise Schmidt. I live at 2056 Street in Claflin. In terms of looking at the numbers, and I know these are always difficult decisions, and all of the numbers I pulled came from the accountability reports, which is required in the
012state of Kansas pursuant to KSA 72-5178. In looking at the numbers that were pulled for Wilson Elementary, The cost to educate a student there for the 24-25 accountability report that's pulled from KSDE Data Central was $30,448 per student. The statewide average is $15,426 for that particular year, as opposed to Central Plains Elementary, which comes under the state average of $14,188. and Central Plains Junior Senior High School that comes in at $17,436 for that particular year. Although I do understand Mrs. Brokaw's position that these are difficult discussions and they're going to take time, I do not feel the state and this district has the time to delay this decision another year. If you're not aware, in two years the state funding formula that had to go through a legal challenge in what's called the Ghana case
013because the state of Kansas was not funding schools as it was supposed to do and had to go to a legal decision. That funding formula ends and none of us, I'm a school administrator, as administrators or board members or citizens of the state know what will happen with that funding and it is critical times. Moreover, there is other issues that are coming. The state, the legislature has not funded special education as it's mandated by law to 92% of excess cost. With not funding that it leaves every district having to pull money out of their general fund in order to cover those funds Just because and this isn't just a special ed problem. It is a general education problem as well That money that can be used to provide teachers and support staff and curriculum and
014Transportation all comes out of that general fund in order to cover those special education costs and so districts are in a critical time Districts across the state are looking at decreased enrollment, low enrollment, coupled with rising cost as everything else is. And I do not think that this district can continue to, as you say, kick that decision down the road a couple more years. It is a difficult decision, but it does need to be done now. The last thing I will say is this. I know that this district seems to have a giant schism in it, and as we can see, there are no Wilson patrons here to die besides Mrs. Brokish. I will say that I know these are difficult decisions, but let's remember that a school does not define your community. The people
015in your community define your community. If you want to look at the very best example of that, we should look at the community of Bushden. When the teachers in Bushden and the staff members and the students left in May of 2019, they had no idea they would be coming back in August of 2019. And that community didn't hold up. They took initiative, they were resilient as Kansas people are, and they have developed a strong thriving community even with a school closing. So I know these are difficult decisions, but I would say the Wilson Endurance communities can do the same. And that's all I have. Thank you. Would anyone else like to address the board? You know that's not a good sign. I appreciate that. Okay, we would like to thank everyone for their time and
016attention this evening. And I will turn it back over to the board. If there are no further questions, this hearing is concluded. Do I have a motion to adjourn the hearing? Motion by Allison. Motion by Josh. All those in favor say aye. Any opposed, same sign. Motion passes 6-0. At this time, we would recommend that the board take the information and serve tonight under consideration. Any thoughts on a special board meeting? I move the special board meeting, the possible actions of potential closure in Hillbill Elementary School, Wednesday, 25th at 6 p.m. Potentially that week is going to be sub-state basketball week. And I know that's the best time of year. We don't know what those dates are going to be that week or what that's going to look like. So we're still going to need
017to see if we can get you guys on. I'm taking a day to work through you guys regardless of basketball games and the places you guys want to hold it as well. If that's the week you guys are shooting for, which would be that last week of February. Potentially any day that week we could be playing. um Is there a second? So now there is a motion for amendment. Is there a second on that motion? None. Is there anything that dies? None. So, if there is no second, then it dies. So now, if there is an error, discussion on the original motion, hearing none, we'll vote. All those in favor? Does anybody have any questions on what the motion is? Do we repeat the motion? Okay. Hearing none, all those in favor say aye. Aye.
018Any opposed, same sign. Aye. The motion passes 5-0. At this point, we will adjourn the meeting for the entertainers to adjourn the motion by all. Second by John. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Thank you, everyone, for coming out tonight.