GIPS Future Of Seedling Mile Elementary
Message from GIPS Superintendent Matt Fisher: Education, in many ways, is marked by change. When I was a student in public schools many things looked different than when my kids attended school, which, in turn, looks different than how we care for our students today.
Unfortunately, seasons of change can often mean the end of something that brought rich meaning to countless people for many years.
And that brings us to the future of Seedling Mile Elementary.
After months of careful consideration and conversation, Grand Island Public Schools district administration will be making the recommendation to the Board of Education that the district not operate Seedling Mile as an Elementary School for the 2025-26 school year.
A decision has not been made yet. The larger conversation regarding Seedling Mile Elementary started in the middle of November during the Board’s Annual Retreat and will culminate in a Board of Education discussion during the next Board meeting on December 12th, 2024.
That the board is having to consider this difficult decision will likely be disheartening for many in our community. With that being said, I would like to share a few insights into how we kept our students and staff as the focus of our decision not to operate Seedling Mile Elementary going forward.
Why is the district considering not operating Seedling Mile Elementary?
GIPS believes operating a one-unit school limits the high-quality learning experiences we could provide for our students.
Operating a one-unit school brings notable operational and financial inefficiencies.
Long Term plan (3-10 years), GIPS projected need for additional buildings in different locations in the community.
How is Seedling Mile operationally inefficient?
From a financial perspective, it is considerably more expensive to operate a small, one-unit Elementary school compared to the other 13 Elementary schools in GIPS. Here is a financial snapshot:
Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) Cost Per Pupil:
Nebraska Per Pupil Cost average: $15,082 (per 2023 NDE dashboard)
GIPS Cost Per Pupil:
GIPS District: $15,027 (per 2023 NDE dashboard)
Seedling Mile: $17,753 (per 2023 NDE dashboard w/ Kindergarten)
Projected Cost Per Pupil:
Seedling Mile: $22,680 (projected for FY 24-25 actual grades offered)
Seedling Mile: $21,288 (projected for FY 24-25 as if Kindergarten)
Seedling Mile: $28,253 (projected for FY 25-26)
Additionally, the operations side of running a one-unit school brings its limitations.
We are currently utilizing 12 “shared” staff members from across the district to meet the equivalent of 4 full-time roles in the building. This would cover our traveling specialists for P.E., Music, SECA, Media, and other roles.
Programming inconsistencies due to limitations of being a single-unit school also mean limited in-class support from specialists and support staff especially for important intervention opportunities such as WIN time.
Ultimately, this decision was made out of a commitment to being able to better ensure high-quality learning experiences and resources for students.
What’s next?
Starting in the 2025-26 school year, Seedling Mile Elementary could be absorbed into the Dodge Elementary attendance area. Meaning, students who live in the Seedling Mile area would now have Dodge Elementary as their home school. Families would also be given an early special transfer request window.
If the decision were made to not operate Seedling Mile staff would be granted priority for their preferential placement as positions open in the district. The Principal at Seedling, Mrs. Wemhoff would have the opportunity to serve in a GIPS Administrator capacity where needed. We are optimistic we would be able to find teaching and employment opportunities for all the Seedling Mile staff that wish to stay within GIPS.
If the Board of Education decides that GIPS will not operate Seedling Mile Elementary as a school for the 2025-26 school year, GIPS will continue to retain the facility for the immediate future.
We believe there might be an opportunity to repurpose the Seedling Mile building for other uses that may be meaningful to students, the district, and the community. But that discovery process takes time.
I invite you to take some time to read through the additional information we have on our district website gips.org/seedlingmileFAQ. There you will find more “Frequently Asked Questions” and prompts on where to go for asking questions or seeking support.
Moving forward, our commitment is to make this a great year and to finish strong to help preserve the lasting legacy of Seedling Mile Elementary. We will continue partnering with our families to support our dedicated staff at Seedling Mile as they inspire and educate our students each day.
While this decision process may bring change, new opportunities, and yes, heartache, we stand forever grateful for the incredible lasting impact Seedling Mile Elementary has provided, and we stand together looking ahead to continue the meaningful work of educating our community’s most important investment, our children.