Twelve state schools serving students with disabilities will close next year as part of a plan approved Tuesday afternoon by the Missouri State Board of Education.
There was little discussion Tuesday about the plan to consolidate the Missouri Schools for the Severely Disabled, or MSSD. Board members delved into the plan more thoroughly during a May meeting and a retreat last month.
“The State Board of Education believes this is the first step in providing more opportunities and strengthening education for all students enrolled in Missouri Schools for the Severely Disabled,” Board President Mary Schrag said in a news release. “This decision is not taken lightly but will result in a more efficient program that enriches quality resources provided to students and their families.”
The following schools will be required to close by the end of June 2026: Briarwood in Harrisonville, Citadel in Potosi, College View in Joplin, Crowley Ridge in Dexter, Delmar Cobble in Columbia, Dogwood Hills in Eldon, Gateway/Hubert Wheeler in St. Louis, Lakeview Woods in Lee’s Summit, Lillian Schaper in Bowling Green, Ozark Hills in Salem, Prairie View in Marshall and Rolling Meadow in Higginsville.
Six of the schools were already under “temporary emergency closure” because of staffing issues, impacting 61 students. The other six buildings set to close have a combined enrollment of 64 students and were at risk of emergency closure, Mark Wheatley, the department’s assistant commissioner of special education, told the board.
The change comes as MSSD struggles with declining enrollment, with 36% fewer students over the past 16 years, and $50 million in deferred maintenance between 34 school buildings.
A consultant hired by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education called the current program “unsustainable.”
Over the past two years, a committee has worked with consultants to give the program a direction. Their recommendation is to consolidate the schools, closing 24 existing buildings and constructing two new ones to condense the program to 12 locations.
Missouri is the only state that operates separate day schools for special education, though the practice was once commonplace nationwide.
Despite a nationwide push to better integrate students with learning disabilities, some parents say Missouri’s model works for their students. When consultants polled parents about their satisfaction, 85% said they felt that MSSD met their child’s needs better than previous schools.
This story was originally published by the Missouri Independent.
