Madison Elementary closure hearing Monday is the last of three; district analysis shows the smallest school and the biggest savings

The Olympia School Board will hear public comment on the proposed closure of Madison Elementary School at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19, at the school, 1225 Legion Way SE, and on Zoom. It is the last of three closure hearings, after McKenny on Oct. 12 and LP Brown on Oct. 15. The board is scheduled to vote on all three closures Nov. 12.

How to speak. Speakers must sign up for their own spot online, or in person at the hearing until 7 p.m. Each gets three minutes, or two if more than 50 sign up. The district asks people to speak at only one of the three hearings. Written comments can be mailed to Olympia School District, Attn: School Board, 111 Bethel Street NE, Olympia, WA 98506.

The proposal. Under the plan, Madison students would move to Roosevelt Elementary, about a mile away, according to the district's Policy 6883 analysis. Both schools feed Reeves Middle School, so middle-school assignments would not change.

From the district's report and FAQ:

• Enrollment: 160 students as of September, the smallest of the 11 neighborhood elementary schools listed in the FAQ. Roosevelt would grow to about 478 students in 2027-28, per district projections.
• Savings: about $1.12 million a year, the largest of the three closures. All three together would save about $3.1 million a year.
• Building: Madison got the lowest facility rating in a 2023 district study. Modernizing it would cost at least $35.8 million, the district estimates.
• Getting to school: About 19% of Madison students ride the bus, one of the lowest shares in the district. About 35 students who now live in Madison's walk zone would become eligible for busing, and current bus riders' trips would grow by an average of about 4 minutes 43 seconds.
• Programs: Students who use the YMCA's Y-Care program are now bused to the Olympia Regional Learning Academy. At Roosevelt, they could attend Y-Care without a bus ride, the report says.

Students served. Madison has higher shares of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch (44.6%) and who are learning English (10.2%) than Roosevelt does. Staff and support funding would follow students, the report says.

No school will close unless the board approves it, the report says.