SUPERIOR, WI (Northern News Now) – After a special meeting that lasted more than two hours Monday evening, the Superior Board of Education voted to consolidate the district’s elementary schools.
The District currently has six elementary schools and will now move to five, closing Lake Superior Elementary after the 2023-24 school year.
According to district leaders, in the last five years, the district saw a decrease of about 300 students at the elementary level. This was due to several factors, including a larger 5th-grade class going to middle school and a smaller kindergarten entering the district.
Additionally, Superior School District is facing a roughly $4 million budget deficit going into the 2024-2025 school year.
Parents spent an hour voicing their concerns about the consolidation to the school board.
The vote was held after several School Consolidation Advisory Meetings that looked at district needs and evaluated the existing budget, which was impacted by decreased federal COVID funding, increased inflation expenses, and lack of additional revenue from the state.
New school boundaries set to begin in fall 2024 are being prepared by the School Board.
(from Northern News Now)
