Horizon Middle School and Sunrise Middle School, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
KEARNEY — A possible solution to an imbalance in the class sizes at Horizon and Sunrise Middle School was discussed by the Kearney Public Schools Board of Education during their meeting on Monday, Aug. 12.
In the July school board meeting, it had been noted more development has been occurring on the west side of the Kearney community, and this has led to a higher number of students entering the elementary schools that eventually go to Horizon Middle School.
Middle school enrollment in Kearney has generally been divided down 2nd Ave., with students on the west side attending Horizon Middle School and those on the east side going to Sunrise Middle School.
Future classes that are in elementary school now will push class sizes at Horizon well over 20 students in some cases in the coming years. It was noted that Sunrise Middle School is actually the larger building, with five more classrooms than Horizon.
According to projections, in the 2026-27 year, there would be 706 students at Horizon and 550 at Sunrise. This trend continues throughout the school years up to 2029-30, with generally 700 students enrolled at Horizon and 500 at Sunrise.
During the August meeting, Superintendent Jason Mundorf appeared to discuss possible changes to the elementary schools and which one’s feed into Horizon and Sunrise in an effort to balance sixth, seventh and eighth grade enrollment.
Elementary feeders that were discussed included Buffalo Hills, Kenwood, and Emerson Elementary Schools.
Mundorf noted that the key objective among all of these discussions has been balance, seeking to balance out the number of students in both middle schools.
The issue is three larger bubbles of students, numbering around 500, and two groups of 400. If left unaddressed, there will be around 156 more students at Horizon than Sunrise.
Mundorf noted that KPS and the board in the past had attempted to address this future concern and added more classrooms to Sunrise, thinking that more development would occur in eastern Kearney. However, recent development trends have been on the west side of town.
Several of the changes that have been discussed by the board include new construction of a wing on Horizon, which is nearly landlocked and would carry a potential cost in the millions and require a bond.
There were discussions about changing from the “team” model, which has been highly popular among the middle school staffs and going to a junior high model, which would be more closely aligned with how Kearney High Schools operates.
There were also discussions around putting the 6th and 7th grades in one middle school facility, and the 8th grade in another building. This could allow for more age focused collaboration and minimal staff changes. However, there would be concerns about parking and drop off and there would still be a disparity in class sizes.
Mundorf noted that as discussions have continued, the idea of sending Emerson students to Horizon and Buffalo Hills to Sunrise, seems to have been gaining momentum among the board members.
It was noted with this solution, there is an issue when it comes to Glenwood Elementary students, who will be moved to Buffalo Hills and then would feed into Horizon. This change would now feed those former Glenwood students into Sunrise, which was different from what they were told when the initial move was made.
If nothing changes, class sizes could grow to 30 students at Horizon and staffing will need to be addressed. Mundorf said that if there was an easy solution to this issue, the board and staff would have found it by now. He said that he wished disruptions were not necessary, but something will have to change soon.
The board members took time to share their thoughts and why they were leaning toward a change that had been mentioned.
John Icenogle, board president, first said that this discussion was to help give public notice that a decision has to be made and that any potential changes have been in discussion for some time.
He said this will likely not be a unanimous decision by the board as many different ideas for potential solutions have been discussed and members have favored different changes.
Icenogle noted that he is in favor of moving the 6th and 7th grades to one building and the 8th grade to another. He noted this would create a negative impact on middle school sports and noted athletics importance to the Kearney community.
He said this would be cost effective and help bring the classes together and be the best for a long-term solution to the issue.
Icenogle said the change for the Glenwood students, when they had been told differently when they were moved to Buffalo Hills, was a tough issue to tackle when it comes to switching where Emerson and Buffalo Hills feed into.
Amanda Smallcomb said she feels the 6th and 7th grade building and 8th grade building solution could result in 900 students in one building and instead favors the shift of Emerson and Buffalo Hills.
She noted the shift will help address the current issue of the three larger class bubbles and said they need to anticipate more growth with Kearney receiving the final Good Life District from the state of Nebraska, the impacts this will have on the community are not fully known at the moment.
Amy Barth said that new construction was quickly taken off the table, as the district currently has the space for these larger student numbers, it just has to be handled carefully.
Barth also opined that going to a junior high schedule instead of the teams model will be too disruptive to how things currently work at the middle schools.
When it comes to the 6th and 7th building and 8th grade building solution, she feels that this would be a large and permanent change to their middle schools. Barth said that if the district can handle this larger bubble, they can reassess in the future.
Barth said that she felt like the Emerson and Buffalo Hills solution had the edge when it comes to addressing the current issue.
Niki Deeds said that at first, she favored the 6th and 7th building and 8th grade building solution, but after crunching more of the numbers, she had to reassess. She also noted the sports and activities issue would be difficult to overcome.
Deeds said she is now favoring the Emerson and Buffalo Hills solution and also noted that retaining the team concept was also important to her.
Paul Hazard said that speaking plainly and directly to people and parents in the district is something he prides himself on.
He noted that Emerson and Buffalo Hills solution would impact the former Glenwood students and families differently from what they were first told when they were moved to Buffalo Hills. He said he struggles to support this solution because of this issue.
Hazard said that he would have preferred this solution involving Kenwood Elementary, citing fewer traffic issues with the location.
Hazard said he would likely vote no to the Emerson and Buffalo Hills solution, but noted that not matter what is decided, he hopes the community comes together to help support it and make it work for the future.
He said that current status quo will not work, and a change needs to be made and soon.
The board noted that they are looking for community feedback on this issue as they work toward a solution.
