WESTMINSTER : School Reopening Tentatively OKd

The Westminster School District Board of Trustees has tentatively decided to reopen Neomia Willmore Elementary School, eliminating the need to bus children living nearby to distant schools.

However, the decision, reached at a board meeting last week, could eventually mean closing one or more other campuses to maintain appropriate enrollment levels throughout the district, spokeswoman Audrey Brown said.

A staff report showing that more than 560 elementary school students live within half a mile of the campus prompted the board’s decision to reopen Willmore.

“We’re really trying to emphasize neighborhood schools where parents and students are within walking distance,” Brown said. “We’re also hoping that this will encourage more parents to become involved in the classroom and school events.

“So far, from talking to parents in the area, the Willmore reopening is a very popular idea.”

Because of a high proportion of low-income and limited English-speaking students, the school is likely to receive substantial federal and state money for bilingual and child-care programs, Brown said.

Reopening the school at 7122 Maple St. would eliminate the need to bus children to several farther campuses, saving the district about $40,000 a year. The cost of refurbishing the campus--which has been leased to a court reporting school since it was closed in 1986--is expected to be about $1 million, Brown said.

When the school would be reopened is yet to be determined.

The board will make a formal decision on Willmore on June 3. Schools that could be considered for closing include Virginia K. Boos Elementary School, James W. Franklin Elementary School and C. Fred Schroeder Elementary School. However, the board will not consider those options until late fall, Brown said.