NEWTON — A drop in enrollment forced USD 373 board members to close the Walton Rural Life Center school last week, according to Harvey County Now.
Since 2015, district enrollment has dropped by 441 students, with 277 of that decrease being at the grade school level. The fewest number of students attend Walton’s elementary school.
At an April 24 public hearing in Walton, the majority of local citizens spoke against closing their school.
“The right way to do this is to step back and let us raise some money,” Dean Davis told board members. “My father fought for this school, and now I’m here to fight for this school.”
The school will close after the school year. Educators will have the option to transfer to another school in the district, the paper reported. Students in the boundaries of other district elementary schools will be enrolled in those schools.
