Abby Cobb is a third-grader at the soon-to-be-closed Whitman Elementary School. She’s in the Gifted and Talented program and will be transferring to Moody Elementary starting in the fall.

She’s one of 400 students who will be adjusting to one of six new schools, after a decision by the board to close Whitman and Ames Elementary schools, due to declining enrollment.

Eight-year-old Abby and her mom Ange, an active PTO member, were skeptical about attending Moody.

They were advised to try to get into Runyon Elementary, but several unsatisfactory phone calls to the school, Ange Cobb said, forced her to give up.

That’s when a receptionist at Whitman suggested that Cobb set up an appointment with Moody Elementary Principal Doug Andrews.

“He spent an hour giving us a tour of the school,” Cobb said. “A lot of it didn’t apply to Abby, but he was making [us] comfortable with the decision we were making.”

The part she’s most comfortable with is her daughter’s new Gifted and Talented teacher who is a product of a GT program.

“She’s been there and wants to make sure there’s no spotlight on these kids, it’s not elitist, they’re not made fun of,” Cobb said. “She, as well as the school, make a concerted effort to integrate GT students into normal activities.”

Cobb went on to say she no longer has “no hang-ups” about Abby attending Moody in the fall.

But Christine Oury, a parent of two boys at Ames Elementary, has a few. Her boys, ages 10 and 6, are on a waiting list at Lenski Elementary, which is within walking distance from their house.

By default, they’ll both be attending Franklin in the fall.

Oury said they’ll either ride the bus or she’ll have to drive them to school.

“I’d like to know what we’re doing with transportation,” Oury said. “Where’s the bus stop, because they can’t walk anymore.”

In the next breath she added, “Change happens but that doesn’t make it right.”

Oury is part of a group of parents who fought to keep Ames open, and who believe the decision to close the school was politically motivated.

“Sure enrollment is low, but something is happening no one knows about,” she said.

Board members said the decision to close Ames and Whitman was based largely on the fact that both schools have a history of declining enrollment and have been the smallest schools in the district for some time.

Ames, while one of the district’s best-performing elementary schools, is at 49 percent capacity.

The school has had declining enrollment for the past 23 years.

Whitman is at 64 percent capacity, and has seen enrollment declines for 14 years, according to officials.

“Data shows that this pattern of enrollment decline is projected to continue despite achievement gains,” said district officials in a news release. “(The decline) will make it very difficult for the district to continue financially supporting these schools in the future.”

“If they really wanted to keep the school open, they could have,” Oury said. “I still don’t think it is right, but I want to make the best of it, and make it a great experience for my kids.”

Oury says her family received a welcome package from Franklin Elementary a few weeks ago, but hardly gushes over it the way Cobb did.

Her husband toured the school and met the teachers, and seemed to like them, Oury said.

The six receiving schools are eager to welcome these new families, yet are sensitive to the needs of these families to take time for closure at their current school, said Littleton Public Schools Director of Communications Diane Leiker to the school board at the April 9 meeting.

Leiker is one of six district officials making up the Transition Team, which has been meeting once a week since November to coordinate the closures and transition.

Outreach efforts by Moody and Franklin Elementary schools are part of the Transition Team’s goal to “assure schools can continue with the business of student learning, rather than on the transition process.”

Members of the Transition Team also noted that 23 teachers from Ames and Whitman were displaced due to closures.

All 23 of those teachers have been interviewed and placed in positions at district schools.

Ames and Whitman Elementary schools will host family nights in the spring to say goodbye.

The receiving schools also will host family nights in the fall to acquaint students with their new building.

“I still don’t think it is right, but I want to make the best of it, and make it a great experience for my kids.”

Christine Oury, mother of two former students atAmes Elementary, about the school’s closing

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