Shawnee Heights USD 450, five other school districts say they will close early

At least six school districts plan on closing early this May because of budget concerns.

Concordia Unified School District 333, Twin Valley USD 240, Smoky Valley USD 400, Haven USD 312, Skyline USD 438 and Shawnee Heights USD 450 have all shortened their calendars, according to superintendents, school board minutes and public announcements on the districts’ websites.

“We felt like we could afford to do that just to get through the current year,” USD 450 superintendent Martin Stessman said, adding that he doesn’t want the change to be permanent.

Stessman said it helped that Shawnee Heights students didn’t miss school this year due to snow, making it easier to drop two days.

Shawnee Heights made its decision as early as February, after Gov. Sam Brownback announced he would trim K-12 funding midyear.

Brownback’s allotment plan was then replaced by the Legislature’s K-12 block grant bill, which cut about $50 million in operating and maintenance aid from the budgets of most school districts. The cuts took effect for the current fiscal year.

Since then, more districts have announced changes to their calendars, citing cuts to state aid.

Administrators at Topeka USD 501, Auburn-Washburn USD 437, Silver Lake USD 372 and Seaman USD 345 say they don’t plan on closing schools early this year because of budget cuts.

Most Kansas school districts exceed state requirements for the length of their school years, making it possible for them to trim back without running afoul of these rules.