Bellevue families rally against proposed plan to consolidate schools

BELLEVUE — Families of students from seven Bellevue elementary schools on a list for potential consolidation held a rally Monday outside the school district’s offices.

Parents at the demonstration questioned the district’s timing and transparency over the proposal to consolidate three schools, which the district says is needed to address declining enrollment. Organizers said they hoped district officials would see the rally while they met in the building and prepared for Thursday’s school board meeting.

The elementary schools that are being considered are Ardmore, Eastgate, Enatai, Phantom Lake, Sherwood Forest, Woodridge and Wilburton, the district said.

The district saw its lowest student count in a decade in October, with 18,409 students. It has been losing students since 2019, when 20,295 students were enrolled in schools. Enrollment is projected to decline for the next 10 years to a low of 16,000 students.