MILWAUKEE — Parents in the Cudahy School District expressed frustration at Monday's school board meeting over the district's decision to close two elementary schools by the end of the upcoming school year.
The district will close both J.E. Jones Elementary and Kosciuszko Elementary schools, both located on the east side of Cudahy, consolidating into the two remaining elementary schools and middle school.
"I'm upset," said Jean Wisniewski, a J.E. Jones Elementary parent whose own education was guided by the same school.
Wisniewski, who lives just three blocks from Jones Elementary, said the closure will directly impact her family.
"I live literally three blocks up that way, so it'll impact me. Getting my child to school," Wisniewski said.
The decision was made in June after the board accepted the superintendent's advisory committee's recommendation for consolidation — a decision that was six months in the making.
Watch: Cudahy parents voice frustration over plans to close two elementary schools
Committee members found declining enrollment and aging buildings to be some of the biggest challenges the district is facing.
However, some parents like Wisniewski felt left in the dark about the process.
"A lot of these things, people didn't know about," Wisniewski said.
Parents expressed particular frustration since the district passed a capital improvement referendum in November 2024 for upgrades at all six schools.
"I feel scammed quite frankly," one parent said during the meeting.
Parents called out the district for a lack of transparency during Monday's board meeting.
"There were no formal updates to social media or email that next year everything will look much different in elementary schools and middle schools," one parent said.
The district defended its communication efforts, stating it held community engagement sessions to guide planning for the next 10 years.
"At every stage, Dr. Garvin communicated outcomes to her leadership team. Principals shared updates to staff. The board received reports and all information was posted publicly on the district website," said Kari Durr, president of the Cudahy School Board.
A press release provided to media highlighted the "Conversations for the Future" event that was designed to gather input for the future of the district. That information was provided to the Superintendent Advisory Committee.
On Monday, the superintendent laid out a plan for what's next like the different committees and timelines of the process, though Wisniewski remains concerned about the district's direction.
"That's where my concern is. Where are we going? Are we going to be just like any other small city?" Wisniewski said.
The closures would leave Cudahy with just two public elementary schools: Lincoln on the north side of town and Mitchell on the south side of town.
Students in kindergarten through fourth grade would attend one of those elementary schools. Fifth and sixth grade would move to the middle school.
No changes are planned for the 2025-26 school year.
Learn More: https://www.cudahysd.org/
This story was reported on-air by Mike Beiermeister and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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