Seedling Mile Elementary, (Grand Island Public Schools, Courtesy)
GRAND ISLAND – Grand Island Public Schools Superintendent Matt Fisher gave a presentation to Board of Education members Dec. 12 about the possible closing of Seedling Mile Elementary School.
He said that the district leadership team does not recommend operating Seedling Mile Elementary School for the 2025-26 school year.
The Board of Education will have a special meeting at 5:15 p.m. Dec. 17 to make a decision about operation of Seedling Mile Elementary School for the 2025-26 school year.
The school is the only elementary school in the district with one classroom per grade and was founded in 1888. Fisher described the school as “inefficient” because of its size. The school has 10 full-time staff members and 12 part-time staff members who work there. The part-time staff members teach subjects such as music, P.E., and special education. The school’s principal, Kelli Wemhoff, also serves as the academic coach, gifted/talented instructor and takes on other roles, as well.
Seedling Mile Elementary School is more expensive to operate on a cost-per-pupil basis compared to the districtwide cost. The cost-per-pupil for Grand Island Public Schools is $15,027, and the cost-per-pupil for Seedling Mile is $17,753. That is from the 2022-2023 Nebraska Department of Education dashboard.
Fisher said that the city of Grand Island does not project substantial growth in the Seedling Mile attendance area. Instead, growth is occurring in the Prairie Commons area in southwest Grand Island and the Good Life District in northwest Grand Island.
Fisher said that Seedling Mile Elementary School has a “long and very positive history.” It was named a “Blue Ribbon School” in 2014.
He said of the school’s current enrollment of 82 students, 25 percent of students either optioned into or transferred into the school. If Seedling Mile is closed, its attendance area would become part of the closest school, Dodge Elementary School, which has an enrollment of 410 students this year. Of the 14 elementary schools in Grand Island Public Schools, four (Dodge, Engleman, Howard, and Shoemaker) have more than 400 students enrolled. Smaller elementary schools in the district are Gates (258 students), Knickrehm (243 students), Lincoln (284 students), and Stolley Park (246 students).
Projected annual costs per pupil for Seedling Mile Elementary School are $22,680 (2024-25 for actual grades offered) and $28,253 (2025-26).
If the school was closed, the projected annual General Fund savings would be $373,708. Nutrition Services Fund projected savings would be $38,803 annually.
Fisher said that any long-term updates for Seedling Mile would need to be added to a bond initiative.
He gave projected total enrollment for the school district, which shows a downward trend over a several-year period. The number of students and school year are: 9,349 students (2023-24), 9,319 students (2024-25 actual), 9,263 students projected (2025-26), and 9,156 students projected (2026-27).
If a decision is made to close Seedling Mile for the 2025-26 school year, several things would occur. First, staff members will be granted priority for their preferred placement as positions open in the district. The Seedling Mile attendance area will become part of the Dodge Elementary attendance area. Seedling Mile families will be given an early special transfer request window, and transportation for displaced Seedling Mile students will be a consideration.
Fisher said that Dodge Elementary School currently has three classrooms per grade and has the capacity to increase to four classrooms per grade.
He urged the Board of Education to act quickly with making a decision so that staff and families would have as much time as possible to make informed decisions.
School Board member Lisa Albers said she had empathy for the situation, because she recalled when the district had discussions about “shutting down” Stolley Park Elementary School, which is where her children attended elementary school.
She noted because 90 percent of Seedling Mile students qualified for free or reduced price meals, it would be important to offer transportation.
Board member Amanda Jurgens said, “This has not been an easy discussion for us.” She said that the description of Seedling Mile has been “nothing but glowing.”
