Update: Revisions being made after KC community weighs in on Blueprint 2030

UPDATE:

On Dec. 12, KCPS said that the board will not be taking action on Blueprint 2030 this week.

Instead, revised recommendations will be presented at the Jan. 11 meeting.

The district said the revised recommendations are based on feedback from the community. It will also include a plan for ongoing dialogue with the community.

Stay with KCTV5 for updates.

Previous coverage is below.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Kansas City community members are voicing their concerns about Kansas City Public Schools’ Blueprint 2030.

The current 2030 plan is meant to deal with declining enrollment.

Last month, KCPS presented their Blueprint 2030 plan that consisted of closing eight metro elementary schools and two high schools.

KCPS said Blueprint 2030 is an academic vision for the district that gives students the experiences they deserve.

Many community members of those schools haven’t seen it that way, however. They have been very vocal with their concerns about the plan, frustrations regarding closing schools with historic value, and worries for the safety of children potentially having to go to school in unfamiliar neighborhoods.

Whittier Elementary is one of the schools on the closure list. Members of the Lykins neighborhood are speaking up about their frustration.

“Many of the families don’t have money to have a car to bring their kids to school,” said Gregg Lombardi, Executive Director of Lykins Neighborhood Association. “So, the proposal that the district is talking about would send the Whittier kids to four different schools, miles away. If the kids get sick during the school day and the parents don’t have a car to pick them up, that creates a crisis.”

People in the Lykins neighborhood hope their words will have an impact on the board and make them hold off on the plan.

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