RACINE — The Racine Unified School District Board of Education voted unanimously Monday to move ahead with plans to demolish the former Roosevelt Elementary building, located at 915 Romayne Ave.
The school closed at the end of the 2024-25 school year because of low student enrollment. When closure was initially recommended, enrollment was at less than half of the building's capacity, according to RUSD.
For Keyon Youngblood, who lives in the neighborhood, Roosevelt holds childhood memories.
"They had a lot of field trips. A lot of fun activities to do," Youngblood said.
The news that the school will be demolished surprised him.
"It's really sad to say that it's really going down," Youngblood said.
School Board President Jane Barbian said at Monday's meeting, "I know we are all sad to say goodbye to Roosevelt. They just don't have enough students in that area anymore."
For neighbors like Amy Valukas, she's still getting used to the school being closed.
"I could have my windows open, and I could hear them laughing and giggling. It's literally now just quiet," Valukas said.
Watch: Neighbors react as RUSD board votes to demolish Roosevelt Elementary School
The school days provided a rhythm to the neighborhood.
"Those kids kind of brought light and life to the neighborhood," Valukas said.
The demolition will be another change for residents.
"I've always been able to see over to the school, and if there's nothing there, it'll be kind of much, much different for me," Valukas said.
Demolition is a part of the district's long-range facilities master plan. The work is expected to cost $1,869,200 and is funded through the 2020 referendum.
RUSD plans to maintain ownership of the property for future development. The district also intends to keep areas like the playground, basketball hoops and parking lot in place for the community to use.
"We would love that," Valukas said.
According to a proposed timeline, demolition could start later this winter and wrap up in the spring.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist 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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