ASCD1 board approves Beitel closure, consolidation with Spring Creek for elementary school education

Superintendent John Goldhardt first recommended the board consider closing Beitel in September 2023 due to a projected decline in student enrollment, the age of the building and the cost to maintain it, as well as its proximity to Spring Creek.

“Spring Creek is less than 1 mile from Beitel and are both essentially in the same neighborhood. Beitel is currently at 71% utilization and Spring Creek is at 51%, meaning neither school is at capacity,” Board Chair Beth Bear wrote in an April 16 email to the Boomerang. “All Beitel students can move to Spring Creek and there is room for those students at Spring Creek.”

Since the original recommendation was first deliberated last fall, the board has had several meetings, discussions and public comments regarding the topic. On April 3, Goldhardt presented a proposal to consolidate the two schools, which several public commenters said should happen as soon as possible during a following April 10 meeting.

Both the board and community members acknowledged the difficulty of closing a school, but some have voiced dissatisfaction with the district’s processes and proposals, with some claiming the process has been confusing and lacking transparency, while others questioned if the motives behind closing the school have been purely budgetary-based and a result of mismanaging funds and the overall budget for district.

Goldhardt and Bear addressed both concerns during Wednesday’s meeting.

“First of all, there has not been a mismanagement of funds. We have had clean audits to support this, audits that (are) a very, very meticulous process,” Goldhardt said. “Those audits are public, and the reports in those audits, which are done by separate parties that have nothing to do with the school district, show no mismanagement.”

Goldhardt pointed to external challenges facing the budget, including lower enrollment numbers equating to less funding, rising health insurance costs, and state funding not keeping up with realistic equations. For example, he added that the state formula still calculates teacher salaries at $39,000 per year. He acknowledged that while there are savings involved with closing Beitel, the benefit to the students was ultimately the deciding factor.

“The term ‘better together’ comes to my mind. Are there cost savings? Yes. But what’s more important to me is what’s in the best interest of our little ones,” he said. “Convenience for adults sometimes becomes a prevailing worry, but the needs of our kids should always be first.”

Many of these benefits revolve around the amenities Spring Creek would offer both Beitel students and staff, according to Bear.

“Being a newer building, the Spring Creek building also offers amenities not available at Beitel including a separate cafeteria and gym, a parking lot, a large grass area and playground, a bus lane, and office space for staff,” she wrote in the email.

Goldhardt also addressed several frequently-asked questions during Wednesday’s meeting, stating that while relocation of some teachers would occur, positions will not be terminated as a result of this consolidation. Additionally, he added that Spring Creek would retain its name, Beitel personnel would be compensated for their time to make the relocation, and moving companies would be hired to help.

He also emphasized that the board would meet with both sets of staff next week to discuss further information and details, and that a unification task force comprising both parents and teachers should be established to ensure as smooth a transition as possible.

Moving forward, Bear added that ACSD1 is one community that should work toward future goals and discussions together, and that the spirit of Beitel is sure to remain even outside of the building.

“I will ask for our community to discuss these upcoming topics with the board, being mindful that we are one community and must work together, rather than be adversarial,” she said.

“As much as it pains me to no longer think of that building and school as we’ve known it for 73 years, I have hope that the culture of Beitel will live on through consolidation with Spring Creek. It is the people that make Beitel great, and that will continue and only be strengthened by combining with the great team at Spring Creek.”