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TO SHIFT CLOSER TO THE NEIGHBORHOODS. NEW TONIGHT DES MOINES PUBLIC SCHOOLS ANNOUNCED A DECADE LONG MASTER PLAN TO REPURPOSE AND PERMANENTLY SHUT DOWN SEVERAL SCHOOL BUILDINGS. SUPERINTENDENT DOCTOR IAN ROBERTS SAID IN HIS STATE OF THE SCHOOLS ADDRESS THEY’RE FACING DECLINING ENROLLMENT AND STRAINED BUDGETS. ����vlog BEAU BOWMAN BREAKS DOWN THE TIMELINE AND SHOWS US WHAT THE DISTRICT HOPES. THIS MAKES ROOM FOR. WE WANT TO BOLDLY REIMAGINE EDUCATION IN AND OUT OF OUR CLASSROOMS. DURING HIS STATE OF THE SCHOOLS ADDRESS ON TUESDAY, DMPS SUPERINTENDENT IAN ROBERTS ANNOUNCED A TEN YEAR PLAN THAT WOULD PERMANENTLY SHUT DOWN TWO MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND FOUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. HARDING MIDDLE SCHOOL BY 2032, AND CALHOUN, AND FOUR YEARS LATER, WALNUT STREET ELEMENTARY BY 2030. THEN CATTELL, STOWE AND HOWE BY 33. ����vlog SPOKE WITH SOME PARENTS OFF CAMERA WHO SAID THEY BELIEVE THIS IS THE RIGHT PATH FORWARD FOR THE DISTRICT, CONSIDERING THE CHALLENGES THEY’RE FACING. OTHERS SAY THEY ARE CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT THIS COULD MEAN FOR CLASS SIZES. IF THEY’RE ALREADY SWAMPED WITH LIKE CLASSROOMS, LIKE TEACHERS NOT BEING ABLE TO HELP ALL THE STUDENTS. SO NOW THEY’RE GOING TO THROW MORE STUDENTS IN THE CLASSROOM. HOW DO THEY EXPECT THEM TO SUCCEED? THERE’S QUITE A BIT OF KIDS THAT GO HERE. SO YEAH, I THINK IT’S GOING TO HURT A LOT OF PARENTS IN THE IN THE FUTURE BECAUSE THEY’RE GOING TO HAVE TO GO ELSEWHERE AND FIGURE OUT WHAT’S BEST FOR THEM AND THEIR KIDS. THE DISTRICT SAYS THIS PLAN WAS CREATED TO COMBAT DECLINING ENROLLMENT. IT’S DECLINED. ABOUT 2000 STUDENTS OVER THE LAST EIGHT YEARS. SOME OF THOSE SCHOOL BUILDINGS WILL BE REPURPOSED, AND THE DISTRICT’S HOPE IS TO USE THEM TO OFFER MORE SPECIALTY SCHOOLS AND PROGRAMING LIKE STEM TRADE SKILLS AND THE ARTS. THE TEN YEAR PLAN ALSO INCLUDES ADDING PRESCHOOLS, MCKEE CHILDHOOD CENTER IS ALSO SCHEDULED TO BE SHUT DOWN BY 2032. ONE MAN, WHO LIVES RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET SAYS A LOT OF PARENTS RELY ON THE BUILDING. THERE’S A LOT OF KIDS THAT GO TO THE SCHOOL, SO COMBINING SCHOOLS, I THINK IT MIGHT BE A LITTLE HARDER FOR PARENTS IN DES MOINES.