Beginning in May 2024, the Marysville School District has reviewed and studied options for closing two or more schools to begin adjusting the size and number of schools in the district and to address the financial impacts of operating schools that are not at capacity due to declining enrollment over the past 15 years.
This review and study included a deeper look at each school’s age and condition, capacity, location, and demographics. In addition, eight community meetings were held to gather feedback on the review results and study that helped create options for school closures. Following this, a committee comprised of community members and school and district employees was formed to finalize the options for submission to the Board of Directors.
The Board of Directors participated in multiple work study sessions to discuss the options and get their questions answered before taking action on the proposed options.
At the regular session meeting of the board of directors last night, January 22, 2025, the board took action on the school closure options. It directed the interim superintendent, Dr. Dave Burgess, to take the following steps for the closure and reconfiguration of schools. This proposed action will adjust school size and configuration to address declining enrollment over the past fifteen years and meet the district’s targeted savings of $2M for the 2025 – 2026 school year and beyond:
- Reconfigure elementary schools to a K – 6 grade structure.
- Close the Liberty Elementary School building.
- Close the Marysville Middle School entity and repurpose the building for Liberty Elementary School students, staff, and programs. Disperse students to other middle schools.
- Reconfigure Cedarcrest Middle School and Totem Middle School to a 7/8 grade structure.
- Maintain 10th Street Middle Schools as a grade 6 – 8 campus.
- Relocate Legacy High School to a different campus, maintaining its program and status as a school within a school.
In addition, Dr. Burgess was directed to provide bi-weekly updates on the status of the school closure and reconfiguration process and progress and their financial and other impacts on students, families, staff, and the district overall.
“Now that a decision has been made, much more work begins,” said Dr. Burgess. “We can now begin to look at the many details associated with these significant changes in the district. I am confident that we will meet our guiding principles in this work to minimize disruption to students’ education, know the short and long-term impacts, and support our Marysville and Tulalip families during the transition,” he added.
The Board of Directors collectively shared the difficulty of this decision, strives for the least harm to students, and looks to the future to provide additional opportunities to improve academic outcomes and support for students. They recognize that creating a K—6 grade structure is a significant shift, but they also recognize the need to improve opportunities and academic outcomes for not only 6th-grade students but all students while being fiscally responsible.
The district plans to begin the next phase of the school closure work immediately. Between now and March, the board of directors will schedule a community hearing to collect public comment on the closure.
Source: Marysville School District
Author: Lynnwood Times Staff
