Community reacts after the Kenosha Unified School District decides to close 6 schools in board meeting

 

KENOSHA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Sparks flew at the Kenosha Unified School District board meeting Tuesday where a late-night decision has now closed six schools and forced another school to cut about a third of its staff.

CBS 58 went to Lincoln Middle School and watched as school let out for the day, noting you couldn't get far without hearing the buzz. The decision to close six schools is upsetting families, especially those connected to Lincoln Middle School.

"It's bad in my opinion," said Ramone Cooper, a parent.

For Ramone Cooper, Lincoln Middle School is home. He grew up nearby, and now he's got kids who go to school there.

"I really don't want to see Lincoln close because it's been here for a long time and my sister goes here," said Cassidy Cooper, 8th grade student at Lincoln Middle School.

Cassidy Cooper is safe. She graduates this spring, but the change affects her younger sister.

"And her mom has work and so sometimes she can't be dropped off, so if she can't get a bus, I'm like, kind of concerned on how she's gonna get to her new school," said Cassidy Cooper.

We're told displaced students from Lincoln Middle School could end up at Lance Middle School. GPS shows that's 2.3 miles away, or a 47-minute walk.

"And then you're displacing them to a probably 98% White school, very different backgrounds. The things that they're faced with daily are very different and is Lance gonna be prepared for that, and what is gonna be put in place to be sure that those kids don't fall behind?" said Tanya McLean, Leaders of Kenosha.

Tanya McLean served on Kenosha's Rightsizing Committee. For months, they considered the district's debt which is expected to grow to $15 million in 2024.

"Our recommendations were supposed to go to the board to consider, but that never happened," said McLean.

Instead, the administration revealed this list of schools that will now close. That includes EBSOLA Creative Arts, Jefferson, McKinley, Stocker and Vernon Elementary schools and Lincoln Middle School. Reuther Central High School won the fight to stay open, but the board did order Reuther to eliminate 10 staff positions. Mostly, the changes affect Black and Brown students and students from low-income families.

"I think we have around 36 staff members somewhere in there, so having to cut 10 is going to make Reuther look different, but being able to stay in that location is a huge win for our students. However, I'm sad for the fact that other schools are closing like Lincoln. A lot of our students come to Reuther from Lincoln," said Melissa Werner, Reuther Central High School counselor.

The board said closing schools is a hard decision, but it's better to act now than to kick the can down the road.

"And then after that happened like, I was sad because, well, I wanted to at least make it to 7th grade, but now it's gonna be my first and last year here, which I think is really dumb," said Jazelle Guzman, 6th grader at Lincoln Middle School.

The changes go into effect at the start of the 2024-2025 school year.