‘This is something I wish I didn’t have to be a part of’: Hannibal School Board votes to close Eugene Field Elementary

HANNIBAL, Mo. — Hannibal School District Superintendent Susan Johnson said it wasn’t an easy decision, but it was the right one.

Hannibal School Board members had two options: draw new boundaries to provide equal enrollment at five existing elementary schools or close Eugene Field and provide new redistricting boundaries for the four remaining elementary schools.

The Hannibal School Board voted 4-3 at Tuesday’s meeting to close Eugene Field Elementary School. Ron Greenwell, Jeff Evans, Scott Hawes and Blane Mundle voted in favor of the closure. Stacey Graves, Tysa Coleman and J’Nelle Lee voted no.

Eugene Field students will be relocated to Oakwood and Stowell Elementary beginning with the 2025-26 school year.

“This was difficult,” Johnson said. “Sometimes when you’re put in a leadership role, you have to make hard decisions that help the bigger portion of the district. This was a hard one, but our job is to do what we need to do to make the district the best it can be as a whole — not just now but in the future.”

Johnson, a former principal at Eugene Field, issued a recommendation during the meeting in favor of closing Eugene Field. Johnson said while she has built and maintained numerous strong relationships with the people at Eugene Field, and that it holds a special place in her heart, she had to put those feelings aside and see what would benefit the district.

“This is something I wish I didn’t have to be a part of,” Johnson said. “The staff and the students at Eugene Field are special. The building that holds them is the issue, and they will continue to be special no matter where they go, but right now is a hard time to think about that.”

After the vote, audience members voiced their opinions during the public comments portion of the meeting. Soshia Tymcheck encouraged the district to maintain Eugene Field and examine opportunities to fill the vacant building in the future.

“I’m a simple person, but I see vacancy as an opportunity, an opportunity to be brought back up to code and possibly be used in the future,” Tymchek said. “There are many indicators showing that Hannibal is on the verge of major growth. I would love to know that the district was a good steward of its assets and took advantage of this opportunity so that when the time is right, that building will be a viable option to reopen its doors.”

LaQuicia Ward, who said she changed schools during a redistricting process as a child, implored the board to do everything in their power to make sure families transition seamlessly.

“I know that each individual on this board is making a decision and voted the best way they saw fit. The decision has been made, and that’s fine,” Ward said. “Now comes the hard work. What are you going to do? What are you going to do as a community to ensure that our children are integrated into these communities correctly?”

Johnson outlined the district’s early plans to accomplish that.

“Now we have to work on the next transition plan and make that a successful experience for everybody,” she said. “We want to get a committee made up of various people from the Eugene Field area, and we want to find out how we can best support them in this process. We need to ask them what they need. That will be the first step.”

Ward provided suggestions for additional steps the district can take.

“What I challenge you as a school board is to stand behind your decision,” Ward said. “Make sure that you are ensuring that the kids have proper counseling, that family housing is available because it is also your responsibility to see your decision through and ensure that the community is kept safe, the community is kept integrated.”

Johnson said a primary motivator for this decision was that it would minimize the potential cuts that would have to be made.

“It’s like your home budget. You try to figure out how to do that with the least amount of disruption possible,” Johnson said. “That’s really one of the biggest reasons why option two was in my mind. I knew if that weren’t done, the cuts would be deeper. Not that there aren’t still going to be things that need to be done, but I certainly don’t anticipate them being as extensive as they could have been.”