Families at three Olympia elementary schools will learn Thursday whether their buildings stay open.

The Olympia School District (OSD) board is scheduled to vote Nov. 12 on Superintendent Patrick Murphy's proposal to close Madison, McKenny and LP Brown elementary schools, according to the district's long-term planning FAQ page. The regular board meeting begins at 6:30 p.m., with both in-person and Zoom options, according to the district's news feed.

Ahead of that vote, the district published a detailed FAQ covering enrollment, funding, school consolidation, staffing, facilities and the decision-making process. The page was last updated Nov. 9.

What the closures would mean

Under Murphy's proposal, McKenny students would move to Pioneer and Centennial elementary schools. Madison students would go to Roosevelt. LP Brown students would split between Hansen and Garfield, as The JOLT News Organization first reported.

The district projects the consolidation would save roughly $3.14 million annually, its middle estimate. Low and high estimates range from $2.24 million to $3.28 million, according to the FAQ. First-year savings may be lower because of transition costs.

The district has already cut $12.16 million in recent budget cycles, including a $3.5 million reduction and 29.5 full-time-equivalent positions in the 2026-27 budget, according to a Nov. 5 board work session document.

Enrollment and class sizes

OSD's October K-12 headcount fell from 10,014 students in 2019-20 to 9,448 in 2025-26, the FAQ states. BERK Consulting projects headcount declining to 8,483 by 2033-34. The steepest drops are in grades K-5, down 16.5%.

The district's 11 elementary schools average about 319 students, compared with roughly 447 in Tumwater and 524 in North Thurston, according to the FAQ.

After consolidation, the districtwide average class size for kindergarten through fifth grade would rise from 22.6 to about 22.8 students. The number of split-grade classrooms would drop by half, the district said.

All five receiving schools' projected enrollments would fall below their planning capacities without using portables, the FAQ states. Projected enrollment would use 74% to 89% of planning capacity.

Funding for high-poverty schools

The FAQ addresses a concern raised by families about Title I and Learning Assistance Program (LAP) funding. Categorical resources follow students to their new schools, the district said. The overall allocation does not depend on the number of buildings.

Hansen, currently at 44% free and reduced-price lunch (FRPL) enrollment, is projected to reach 52.7% after consolidation. Garfield would rise to 53.1%. Hansen would not qualify for LAP High-Poverty funding in 2027-28 because the state uses prior-year data. But the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) confirmed that LAP funding generated by former LP Brown students may be used at receiving schools, according to the FAQ.

What families said at hearings

The district held three required public hearings in October at each school proposed for closure. At the Oct. 19 Madison hearing, parent Hannah Middlebrook said the district's analysis "does not come close to justifying the sacrifice" of permanently displacing 740 children, The JOLT reported.

A district survey drew 59 responses over six weeks. Opposition to the closures was prominent among respondents, according to the Nov. 5 work session document. Respondents raised questions about school selection criteria, equity, projected savings, enrollment and transportation.

What's next

The board's Nov. 12 meeting is at Knox Administrative Center. The FAQ page links to a Nov. 6 superintendent's response to a proposal submitted by a community member named Fullerton, though the content of that document was not available for review. The district said it will update the FAQ as new information becomes available.