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Watch VideoNo plans to close Pike and Longfellow
Susan Davies
The D-11 school board decided on Wednesday night not close Pike and Longfellow Elementary Schools in Colorado Springs, despite administration recommendations to the contrary.
Administrators had argued that with declining enrollment, the two schools were small and underutilized. Parents and neighbors repeatedly protested the plan. On Wednesday, the board refused to close the two schools, but did direct administrators to prepare a comprehensive school closure and realignment proposal and bring it to the board for action no later than next November.
D-11 has been losing enrollment for the past decade and expects to drop by 500 more students next year. There are plans for marketing and advertising to stop the loss. The school board voted to offer financial incentives to schools that increase their enrollment with students outside the district.
