LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Some Little Rock families will soon be moving to a new school.
On Thursday, the Little Rock School District Board of Education voted to temporarily move Little Rock West High School of Innovation students to Hall STEAM Magnet because of the construction of LRSD's new West High School.
Parents and community members filled the seats at the meeting, weighing in on Little Rock Superintendent Jermall Wright's proposal.
"I'm finding that the kids are not looking forward to having this place close down," One parent in attendance said. "They are not looking forward to going to Hall."
In Wright's proposal, he states that there could be safety concerns for students and staff at the Little Rock West location as the high school is built on the same campus. He also said this could create costly delays.
But there's another part to this proposal that could have an even more significant impact on the future of the LRSD.
"We know we need to decrease our high schools by one," Wright said.
This decision is based on lower enrollment numbers and a smaller budget.
"We know from a fiscal standpoint that we cannot afford and provide two small high schools in our district," Wright said.
The board voted to pass the superintendent's proposal, meaning next year, Little Rock West students will consolidate at Hall temporarily while the new building is under construction. This also means the board will make a future decision about which high school they will close.
"This could give us that opportunity to create that one small high school in our district that we can fiscally support," Wright said.
Wright added that the staff from both schools will have this academic year to begin making accommodations.