School board votes to close Scavo High School

The Des Moines Public Schools board voted Tuesday to transition Scavo away from running as a comprehensive school. Instead, Scavo will be run as a program. Board leaders said fewer students are attending Scarvo because of increased alternative programming throughout the district. "It has become really impossible to staff Scarvo at the level that we need to meet the state requirements, while at the same time school enrollment is dropping,” Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Thomas Ahart said. Scarvo’s transition will come as early as the 2020-2021 school year. After the transition, Scavo will offer the same services to students without closing due to Iowa demands.