If Wichita schools close, these are the options affected families will have next year

Plans to close six Wichita schools won’t be finalized until the school board gives its approval on March 4, but the district will soon share its plan of action on what affected families can expect.

Superintendent Kelly Bielefeld said Tuesday that information about new school assignments will be communicated on Feb. 19 to the families of the 2,213 students who would be displaced.

If parents are unhappy with their students’ new neighborhood school placement, they will have a few options.

The district has extended its deadline for magnet school applications through March 22. Only students who already attend magnets will be given priority in the lottery process, although even they will not be guaranteed placement at another Wichita magnet school.

Families can also request a special transfer to another school within the district.

An unspecified number of students who attend schools other than those that would be closed under the proposal stand to be impacted by the redrawing of school boundaries. If closures are finalized, those students would be given the choice between finishing out their schooling where they are or switching to their new neighborhood school.

Here’s how the district would distribute displaced students to other schools:

Hadley middle school students would be distributed among Hamilton, Marshall, Pleasant Valley and Wilbur.

Jardine STEM & Career Explorations Magnet middle school serves roughly 190 students who live around the school and more than 300 other students from around the city. The neighborhood students would be reassigned to Mead and other magnet students would be allowed to apply with priority to any of the district’s other magnet schools, including Brooks STEM magnet.

Clark elementary students would be distributed among Caldwell, Beech and Allen elementaries.

Cleaveland College & Career Readiness Magnet elementary is a traditional magnet, meaning its student body comes from all around the district and there is no designated building for reassignment. If closures are finalized, however, Cleaveland students will receive priority in applying to other magnet schools.

Park elementary students would be distributed among Irving, Washington, Harry Street and Linwood elementaries.

Payne elementary students would be distributed among Lawrence, Stanley and Woodman elementaries.