Sumner Newscow report – By a 6-1 vote, the Wellington school board voted to close Washington Elementary and go with neighborhood elementary schools tonight during a special meeting at the school administration office. Bob White was the lone dissenting vote.

The vote came after a one-hour and four-minute debate that got heated at times. The debate was whether to restructure the USD 353 Elementary Schools into either grade-level learning attendance centers (where every age group goes to one building), or continue with the traditional neighborhood schools.

The board was clearly divided by a 4-3 vote leaning toward learning centers. Based on the testimony at the board, Andrea Kreifels, Mike Wilmoth, Jessica Seeliger, and Jim Yates were in favor of going with the grade-level buildings. But Pat Zeka and Brandon Earl were adamant about staying with neighborhood schools. White was against closing Washington Elementary and would not even consider the possibility with learning centers.

The vote came only after Wilmoth said he would not vote for learning centers if the board was so divided. He said that would send a bad message to the community. He and Kreifels both conceded their vote to go with neighborhood schools with Seeliger and Yates following suit.

The new resolution will send Washington students to Kennedy Elementary starting the 2027-28 school year. New boundaries will be made.

There was so much said at this meeting that Sumner Newscow will be having a follow-up article in the near future detailing the conversation at hand.