Concern and confusion as funding challenges force Wauwatosa Schools to consider closing two elementary schools

WAUWATOSA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Wauwatosa parents are sharing concern after the school district cautioned it may be forced to shut down two elementary schools due to a struggling financial situation.

On Tuesday, Oct. 24, the Wauwatosa school district sent a message to families and staff that said Jefferson and Washington elementary schools could be closed.

The district stressed the conversations are preliminary, and no final decisions have been made.

But parents are worried about what's next.

Emily Bilot is a parent of a 2nd grader at Jefferson. She's also the PTA president. She said, "Knowing exactly where we go from here? I don't know yet. We're talking to as many people as possible.”

There are nine elementary schools in the district, but not enough money to operate them all the way they should be operated.

While the district is exploring all options, parents are worried about what could happen to their children and their community if the schools are shut down, “We are flatfooted by it. Very shocked and concerned,” shares Colin Thomas, a parent of 3rd & 5th graders at Jefferson Elementary.

In an unexpected message to staff and families, superintendent Dr. Demond Means said inadequate funding from the state means the district is in an "untenable position" to maintain the standard of education the community expects.

Washington and Jefferson were identified for potential closure because of the physical condition of the buildings.

Bilot said, "We felt pretty blindsided by it in the email we got yesterday."

The PTA sent a lengthy statement to families urging them to tell the board how important the school is. Bilot said, "If it's not something that anybody feels is important then we're going to lose them."

Bilot said she understands the dire financial situation, but added, “closing an elementary school should not be one of those possibilities, whether it's my elementary school or somebody else's."

Students walk to the neighborhood schools in Wauwatosa. There is no bus system.

Bilot said that sense of community is a big draw. "It's why people want to live in our neighborhoods. It's why people want to pay the prices they do for these homes."

It's also why many people who live elsewhere want their children to go to Wauwatosa schools.

Colin Thomas of Milwaukee is one of them. He told us, "We were very happy to get in here. It's a great school system, and we feel it’s a very safe school system."

If Jefferson and Washington were to close, hundreds of students would be reassigned to other schools.

Thomas said they wanted Jefferson Elementary specifically. But if it closes, he wonders, "Will [the children] have to go on the West tract and now all their friends go elsewhere? And that could really have an impact on their growth and their education."

The Wauwatosa school district has a task force working on the issue.

District officials will provide an update this December.

The task force will then present a recommendation to the Board of Education in spring of 2024.

A final decision will be made next August.