Parents, staff stand united against Robberson closing, emphasize school as community asset
Correction: The name of Robberson teacher Beth Bales was misspelled in an earlier version of this story.
Parents and staff of Robberson Community School, an elementary school on Kearney Street, united Thursday evening in opposition to the district's recent recommendation to close the school at the end of the current year. Erupting in applause at times and tears at others, many emphasized the school's role in students' lives beyond academics.
At a "Let's Talk Live" event at the school, parents, teachers and community members alike were able to share their input on last month's official recommendation to close Robberson and Pershing elementary schools, with Springfield Public Schools officials citing a demographic report from November that revealed a slight decline in enrollment over the next decade and the finding that Robberson was one of the schools operating under capacity.
The recommendation included closing the building and adjusting the attendance boundary to reassign students in preschool through fifth grade to Boyd Elementary, which is also under capacity. Boyd, newly constructed in 2021 as part of the 2019 bond issue, is located less than 1.5 miles from Robberson. The school has the space to serve 343 students but only 148 students in grades K-5 reside in the attendance zone. According to the demographic report, that is expected to drop to 113 students.
Under board policy, a school can be closed, consolidated or reorganized for efficiency, the physical condition of a building, alternative use of school facilities or a change in educational focus.
More than just academics
Robberson is Springfield's oldest elementary school still in operation and the only community school in the city. Being a community school, Robberson operates on a modified year-round calendar with a shorter summer break and includes unique programming for both during the day and after school.
The uniqueness of the school's model, its staff and community were assets that parents and teachers both cited as necessary for students. Parent Elise Ferrer said the school is not just about academics, but rather includes connections to staff that are irreplaceable elsewhere.
"The north side is so tough for everybody," she said. "I just think that these kids need love, they need special attention. And I think the staff at Robberson is giving these kids attention that could possibly change their lives for the better for the future."
Jennifer Dixon, a fifth grade teacher who's taught at Robberson for 27 years, said the school is successful academically and that is largely due to its ability to take care of children's needs first. In the most recent Annual Performance Report, Robberson outscored Boyd and came in seventh among all district elementary schools.
As extreme behaviors have become a greater problem in classrooms nationwide, consolidating schools and classrooms will only compound the issue at a time when Dixon said alternative programs like Robberson's should be an example.
"Double the kiddos, double the discipline," she said.
Though the school board has yet to cast its vote on the closures, many felt like the decision had already been made. Winston Grimes Sr. is a father of four children who transferred into Robberson for its approach to schooling as a community school. He expressed his disappointment with the decision and wanted to see more consideration given to keeping the school open.
"Ultimately, before money, before the numbers matter, children matter," he said.
More: Time to close Pershing, Robberson elementary schools? Demographic report shows options
Superintendent Grenita Lathan said the recommendation was not made lightly and emphasized the need for tough decisions, mentioning this is only the first round of such hard decisions the district needs to make in the next few years in order to thrive. The annual cost of operating Robberson is $1.66 million, including $1.5 million in staff salary and benefits.
Concerns for staff
Parents highlighted the one-on-one attention students can receive at Robberson and the existing relationships that they have with the teachers.
Lathan said that all classroom teachers will be able to follow students to Boyd. Out of the nine collective bargaining agreements, school nurses and positions falling under specialized instructional support personnel also have clauses in the event of closure that gives them priority for positions at the school. SPS Chief of Human Resources Bret Range said support staff will first be considered for open positions at Boyd before elsewhere in the district.
Instructional coach Amanda Wise, formerly Demster, said support staff "pour into kids" they work with at Robberson. Not knowing what will happen with their jobs moving forward has made for difficult conversations with the students who ask if they will be coming to Boyd as well.
"Hard doesn't begin to describe it," she said.
Postings for open positions began Friday, Jan. 5. Yet Robberson staff will not know if closure is final until Tuesday, when the school board is scheduled to hold a public hearing and vote on the recommendation. Lathan said that all information will be ready to be sent out as quickly as possible and the district is committed to making the transition a smooth one.
Faith Fraser, a speech-language pathologist, questioned why the district leaders making the recommendation had not had conversations with stakeholders like staff and parents prior to making their decisions. Lathan said these conversations are planned for after a decision is made to figure out next best steps.
Fraser told the News-Leader staff first heard about the possibility of closing the building in October.
A part of the larger picture
Multiple community members also raised concerns about the negative effects closing the school will have on the neighborhood. With safety concerns and homeless people loitering and camping already an issue, many worried the closure of the school would only exacerbate the problem.
Lathan said that if the school is closed, the district would look into selling or repurposing the building. While the property remains in the district's possession, it would continue to provide security and maintenance.
While first grade teacher Beth Bales lives 20 minutes away from the school, she called Robberson and the surrounding community her people. Without the school, she said kids will not be able to receive the vital resources that Robberson provides to meet their basic needs.
"You're going to take away the only model of a community school in Springfield, and it is damage you will not be able to repair to the people in this community," Bales said. "These are not just parents to me."
She told the News-Leader the smaller class sizes, which on paper may look like under-utilization, are what allow teachers to give each student the additional attention that they need.
In order to make room for Robberson students at Boyd, Lathan said the Wonder Years Program housed at Boyd would be moved to other buildings that are under capacity, as well. If the two schools are consolidated, transportation will be provided to get students to Boyd. Boyd follows a regular school calendar, rather than the extended one at Robberson.
More: SPS wants to close Robberson, Pershing elementary schools. Board set to vote in January
Recommendations for Pershing Elementary School, currently serving K-8 students, include renovating the building to serve only middle school. The district recommends closing the elementary portion of the school and reassigning students to Wilder and Field elementary schools. The "Let's Talk Live" event to gather input on these recommendations will be held Monday, Jan. 8 at Pershing.
Public hearing and votes on proposed school closings for Robberson are scheduled for Jan. 9 and Jan. 16 for Pershing. If approved, Robberson could close at the end of the current school year with students moving to Boyd in August 2024.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Looming Robberson closure disappoints parents, worries community
