Western Hills, Mabelvale and McDermott closing - anyone heard where kids are being reassigned?

I know the board voted 4-2 back in October, but I keep hearing from friends that nobody has actually told the families much. A friend of mine out in southwest Little Rock has a second grader at McDermott and she says all she's gotten so far is a general email. No new school, no bus info, nothing. The closures are supposed to happen at the end of this school year, so that's not much time.

I get the enrollment problem. Going from around 23,700 in 2013 to under 19,000 is a big drop and the buildings don't fill themselves. But the two board members from southwest Little Rock both voted no, and that says something to me. That part of town is getting hit the hardest.

Has anyone with kids at one of these three schools gotten an actual reassignment letter? Or know when the district plans to send them? I'm also wondering how long the bus rides will be, because some of those kids are already on the bus a good while.

Not a parent at any of them myself, but I coach youth sports and a few of those kids play on teams I see every season, so I'm wondering what happens to all of them. Any info helps, even if it's just "we haven't heard anything either."

Not a parent either, but this has been bugging me too. Four months since the vote and families are still getting a general email? That's not great with the end of the year coming up fast.

I'd call the front office at each school and email the two southwest board members who voted no. They've got every reason to push the district for details, and they're probably hearing from a lot of parents already.

Also wondering what happens to the buildings once they close. Mabelvale and Western Hills are big lots with a lot of space, so somebody's going to want to do something with them 🤔

Calling the front office is good advice if anyone actually picks up. Most of those secretaries are probably fielding the same 40 calls and know about as much as the parents do.

The buildings thing is what I'm wondering about too, but from the sports side. A lot of the youth leagues I know use school gyms and fields for practice, and nobody's said what happens to that once the doors lock. Mabelvale and Western Hills kids already have fewer options than the rest of town.. so great, take the gym away too.

Four months for a "general email" is kinda wild. Sure, 4-2 vote, but you'd think they had a plan for the part after the vote.

Fair point on the secretaries, Emily. I'm still going to try, but I'm not expecting much from the front office. Emailing the two board members who voted no is probably the better move, so I'll do that this week.

The gyms hadn't even crossed my mind. We're already fighting over practice slots every winter, and if the Mabelvale and Western Hills buildings go dark, those kids lose one more place to play. Randy, you're right that somebody will want those lots. I just hope the leagues get a say before it's decided.

If I hear anything real about reassignments I'll post it here.

Dani, did you ever hear back from either of the board members? I've been checking this thread since you posted because I keep wondering the same thing. A neighbor of mine out past Geyer Springs has a kid at Western Hills and said last week they still hadn't gotten anything with an actual school name on it. Just the general stuff, like you said.

The gym thing got me too. I do a lot of yard sale runs through that side of town on Saturdays, and you can tell how much those schools are the center of the neighborhood. The fall carnival, the PTA sales, kids walking to the ball field after school. Once a building goes dark that kind of stuff just dries up, and nobody ever puts it in the news story.

Also I'd bet money the leagues won't get asked unless somebody makes noise. If you and Emily and a couple of the other coaches wrote one letter together instead of five separate emails I think it'd land harder. Just a thought.

Please do post if you hear anything real. Even a "still nothing" helps, honestly.

Heather's idea about one letter instead of five is the right call. A pile of separate emails is easy to file away, but one letter signed by a bunch of coaches and leagues is harder to ignore. I'd also check when the next board meeting is and whether they take public comment. Showing up in person tends to get more attention than email.

One thing nobody's brought up is the people who work at these three schools. Cafeteria staff, aides, custodians, bus drivers. Teachers probably get moved around, but I haven't seen anything on what happens to the rest. A lot of those are decent local jobs in that part of town 🤷‍♂️

And yeah, still nothing with a school name on it this close to the end of the year is rough. Hope Dani hears back.

Good point on the support staff, Randy. Teachers at least have a contract and a placement process. Cafeteria workers, aides and custodians are the ones I never see mentioned in any of the coverage.

I'd also ask the district what these three closures actually save. We pay the millage whether the buildings are open or not, and an empty building still costs money for upkeep, insurance and mowing. If they plan to sell the Mabelvale and Western Hills properties, say so and give a timeline. Public comment at the next board meeting seems like the place to ask, especially if Dani and the coaches show up together.