Little Falls grapples with possible school closure amid budget shortfall
The Little Falls community is urging school administrators to reconsider closing one of the district's three elementary schools.
It's the latest example of how budget shortfalls are plaguing school districts across the state.
The main entrance to Dr. SG Knight Elementary School has turned into a campaign showing how deeply personal this is. The principal says it pulls at the heartstrings.
The countdown until summer isn't an exciting one here. Jessie Martin has a 7 year old at Knight. If the school closes, the other options are at least 15 miles away.
"My son loses relationships, loses friendships and might not get to see his friends on a daily basis," Martin said. "Hopefully you're not late. Hopefully you're not late to work. It means getting up earlier if you do have work. It's longer days for them."
According to administrators at Little Falls Community Schools, it's been long days and nights grappling with what Superintendent Greg Johnson warns could be a $1 million shortfall in the next few years, and that's after the district's already cut $3 million last year.
The issue isn't COVID money drying up, it's falling enrollment. There are 1,000 fewer students in the district now than there were 30 years ago, with the same amount of schools.
"We can't sustain with the amount of students we have, inflationary concerns and state mandates that dictate our budget," Johnson said.
He says he knows closing Knight will be painful, but it's not final. Other ideas the district is considering include merging the middle and high school and even transitioning to a four-day week, which Johnson thinks could even boost enrollment.
"With more students coming in, we can generate more revenue with families," he said.
Another option to raise revenue is through raising taxes, which will need to be put on the November ballot.
The district conducted a survey of parents and community members and will share those results at a board meeting on Monday night.
Johnson says the final decision could be made within weeks.
