By KARI BLURTON
Hays Post
Washington Elementary Principal Allen Park received plenty of hugs Wednesday morning as he walked the room with a smile and answered questions from the crowd of concerned moms and their kids who attended the school’s first “Muffins for Moms,” sponsored by Messiah Lutheran.
It was one of the first gatherings following a Hays USD 489 board decision to close the building as an elementary school and relocate students and staff to other schools.
Superintendent Dean Katt said the move will increase efficiencies and save the district a projected $243,000. The section-one school (one classroom per grades K-5) will be re-purposed and next year house Early Childhood Connections.
Park has been Washington Principal for 25 years, and prior was a para and then a teacher for a total 31 years serving USD 489. He was named Transition Coordinator Monday and is charged with helping parents and students with the transfer to other schools within the district.
Standing next to a wall full of pictures of staff families, Park said “family — that has always been our philosophy at Washington.” That attitude continues this week as he has begun talks with parents about transitioning their children to other USD 489 schools.
“One problem that has already come up is parents wanting to follow a (Washington) teacher to the school they are going to go too, except we don’t know that yet … what school Washington staff is going to,” Park said.
Board member Lance Bickle attended the event and also visited with parents about their concerns on the move.
Bickle said worries about transportation to other schools was a top concern, adding he plans to look at options and will monitor the students transferred to other schools.
Sharon Leikam, part of Messiah Lutheran’s Mission Action Team, coordinated the event to correspond with the monthly “Dads and Donuts” — one of the programs Leikam hopes will follow the 117 students to their new schools.
Liekam said she invited all seven school board members to the event and was happy Bickle attended.
“(Bickle) told me he was impressed with what he saw and hopes to find a means to continue the Muffins and Moms and Dads and Donuts program in other schools,” she said.
Leikam said her small congregation has enough funds to cover muffins, donuts, juice and coffee for 117 kids and their parents (247 people attended Wednesday’s event) but not for bigger numbers in other schools. However, she said she was in talks with someone who is interested in funding the program in other schools.
Mostly Leikam said she is worried about the kids, many of whom are low-income, migrant families and English language learners. Many of the children walk to school and some have no transportation — the parents of some of the students sometimes walk miles to work, she added.
“The majority of parents with kids who live in that part of the area chose the location and the school on purpose because rent is less expensive and the school is close,” Leikam said.
“I just don’t think (the board) has thought it all through. … I hope it works out, for the children’s sake,” she said, adding she too plans to monitor the transition for the next few years to ”make sure the children don’t fall through the cracks.”
Leikam said she and the parents and staff are also concerned about the future of Washington’s longtime leader.
“(Park) is caring and compassionate… and has dedicated 25 years to this school … has bought coats for kids who needed them. … I just don’t think (the board members and administration) know the special atmosphere of this school,” she said.
Leikam is planning another Muffins event for the future and hopes all board members can attend to listen to the concerns of Washington parents.