The Special Appointed Board recently approved a plan that calls for the closing of only four facilities and the reopening of one school instead of the eight originally slated to be closed for the upcoming school year.
Superintendent Diana Bourisaw said she took public comments into consideration before submitting her final recommendation to the board.
“By improving our overall facility usage, we’ll have the opportunity to enhance our academic offerings while keeping our students in environments conducive to learning,” Bourisaw said in a written statement.
The new realignment of the district is the second part of consolidations that began last year. In January, the district announced a proposal that would close eight schools due to declining student enrollment and financial cutbacks. In February and March, the district held several community forums on the issue.
Shenandoah Elementary School will remain open, as will Simmons, Mark Twain and Meramec.
Students from Mitchell will be reassigned to Hamilton and Ford. Wilkinson Early Childhood Center will relocate to Roe and Gundlach will relocate to Ford, Lexington and Laclede. Lyon will consolidate to Blow to create a K-8 program.
In addition, several schools will be reconfigured to preschool through grades 5 or 6.
The changes will take effect for the 2008-2009 school year.