Cossatot River votes to close its Umpire K-12 Campus

The Cossatot River School Board voted last Thursday night in favor of a recommendation to close its Umpire K-12 campus by the end of the 2023-2024 school year.

In a four-to-two vote, the board approved a recommendation by Superintendent Tyler Broyles to close the Umpire campus due to low enrollment and what he called an increasing financial burden on the Cossatot River School District as a whole.

According to a statement from Broyles he said it’s very much a tough decision to have to make. Broyles stated that they are just seeing enrollment not increase and now they are at a point where the district as a whole is having to subsidize the Umpire campus a great deal, close to half a million dollars last year. Sadly, it’s reached a point where they had to do what’s in the best interest of the district and recommend closure. 

The school board meeting included a group of residents from the Umpire community who expressed their hope to keep the campus open.
Following the vote Thursday night, the measure to close the Umpire campus will now go before the state board of education for a final vote. Broyles said that a meeting is expected to take place this fall.

If approved by state officials, the Umpire campus would cease to operate by the end of the current school year. Broyles said the district is making plans to incorporate the teachers employed at Umpire throughout the rest of the district. Staff overage would be addressed through attrition, i.e., not hiring new teachers once current educators leave or retire.