SJSD invited public to speak on the future of school boundaries and facilities  

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- Community members were invited to give input and be front and center as the St. Joseph School District reviews topics discussed at an Oct. 13 public hearing.

SJSD held a Town Hall meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 21, at Lafayette High School.  

District leaders went over what was discussed in the Oct. 13 public hearing — including an impact analysis that followed board policy.  

Leaders also revisited topics from the board’s recent work session, like a proposal to move Edison Elementary School to the north side as part of SJSD's Plan 2. 

Plan 2 pointed to a Lafayette and Central High School model.

Another major point of discussion was boundary adjustments — giving students a chance to attend schools closer to home, ideally within a mile of where they live. 

SJSD also discussed Plan 7, which supports a Central High School and Benton/Hyde model, and Plan E, which keeps all three high schools open and proposes the "least amount of cost and disruption to implement, while achieving necessary cuts.

As with previous hearings, community members had the opportunity to speak for up to three minutes after providing their name and address. 

The focus centered on facilities and the district’s ongoing reorganization plans. 

Lafayette High School teacher Jeff Leake, who spoke at the hearing, said this could be one of the biggest decisions the district has ever faced.  

“The two plans that they were debating were just two schools and they had a lot of disruption with staff movement and I wanted to investigate a different path which is plan E, keeping three schools,” Leake said.  

He said he’s a strong believer in smaller schools and that keeping a sense of community is what matters most to him.  

He said this plan would benefit students the most and cause the least amount of disruption, even though the other options have some positives, they also come with more challenges.  

Another community member — a parent with two high school graduates and a current Lafayette sophomore — spoke in support of Plan B.  

She said the best way to restore the district’s financial health is by choosing Option Two, which would affect about 427 staff members and 3,878 students — saving roughly $31.6 million in staffing costs. In comparison, the alternative plan would impact 535 staff and 4,257 students, saving only $2.3 million.  

“The financial benefits of option two are higher reserve recovery by 19.89% by 2030 versus 16% lower disruption, 118 fewer staff and 379 fewer students impacted,” community member said.    

Another Lafayette student said she’s worried about the impact these changes could have on students’ mental health.  

She said many students feel overwhelmed by these decisions because they directly impact their lives, especially as seniors looking ahead to new opportunities.  

“I do feel like Lafayette is a better decision because its more cost effective since you can hold way more people in Lafayette Versus Benton and Hyde and you have to change Hyde from an elementary school to fit into a high school,” Erica Spiker said.  

Spiker said she hopes the board makes a decision that leaves everyone as satisfied as possible.  

The board is set to make its final decision at the next meeting on Monday, Oct. 27 — that’s when the community will find out which plan they choose.