Wenatchee Schools Holding Two Public Hearings On School Closure

The Wenatchee School Board will hold two public hearings on the planned closure of Columbia Elementary School.  

District spokesperson Diana Haglund says the meetings are being held as required by state law and school board policy. 

“There is a 90-day period in which the district needs to hold listening sessions or public hearings for the public to come and share testimony with the school board so that they can hear that,” said Haglund. 

The meetings are being held in March and April before the school board makes a final decision on Columbia Elementary in May. 

The district announced plans to close the school last month because of a budget shortfall resulting from falling enrollment. 

The 90-day window for holding public hearings starts on Feb. 12 and ends May 14 with the school board’s final decision.   

“We’re only required to have one (meeting), but it’s important to us that we have two opportunities for people, in the event that they can’t make one,” Haglund said. “Hopefully they can make another.” 

The closure of Columbia Elementary will save the district $3 million. 

Right now, Wenatchee Schools has an overall goal of cutting its budget by $8.6 million for the next school year. 

The public hearings will be held at 6:00pm in the Wenatchee High School Commons on March 21 and April 18.  

Spanish translation support will be available for participants who give testimony and to the audience.  

The hearings will be live-streamed and recorded on the district’s YouTube channel. 

The school board’s May 14 meeting is scheduled to take place at 6:00pm.