Helena superintendent recommends closing Hawthorne Elementary School

The superintendent for Helena’s schools Tuesday night recommended closing Hawthorne Elementary as early as next school year.

In addition to closing Hawthorne, built in 1921 and one of the district’s oldest buildings, Helena Schools Superintendent Rex Weltz made several other recommendations to the Board of Trustees regarding aging school facilities, budget projections and changing student populations. 

“We’ll have recommendations to facilities and budget options that provide our students and staff with really healthy and safe facilities that they need and deserve,” Weltz said at the meeting. 

Weltz presented three options regarding Hawthorne to the board: closing the school by the end of this school year, closing it at the end of the 2025-2026 school year or keeping it open as an elementary school.

The recommendation came from the district’s master facility plan, which was completed last year and provides guidance on needed maintenance throughout the distritct and cost estimates. 

Weltz said the plan and the district’s $100 million deferred maintenance backlog were key factors in asking to close Hawthorne and making other recommendations. According to Weltz, Hawthorne needs about $4.6 million in deferred maintenance. 

School board trustee Linda Cleatus asked for more details on the budget impact of keeping Hawthorne open versus closing it.  

Weltz said he would provide that information to the board as it determines its next action, but he said Hawthorne is experiencing a decline in student enrollment and will likely only have enough incoming kindergarten-aged students for one class next school year. 

If Hawthorne closes, the district could sell the property. Weltz said the sale would help rebuild the music and P.E. programs after teaching positions were cut last year.   

The call to potentially close the elementary school prompted over two hours of public comments from teachers, parents and students. Some supported the closure while most advocated keeping Hawthorne open. 

Some parents expressed their confusion about why the subject of shutting Hawthorne is being discussed again after the issue was brought up several times last school year as officials deliberated how to best implement the master facility plan.

“ The math is not clear to me with all of this, and it is not clear to me after tonight’s meeting,” said Beagan Wilcox Volz, a parent to three Hawthorne students. “I can only conclude that something has changed since last year because here we are again, but parents like me are in the dark about what has changed. How much money would be raised from selling the property?”

Other people supported Weltz’s recommendation to close the school, including elementary music teacher Sarah Dramstad. 

“In my mind, the math here is really clear. Closing Hawthorne, restaffing music and PE benefits every single student in this district, including the students currently attending Hawthorne,” Dramstad said. “This year’s format of music and PE on alternating weeks has been horrible. Horrible for students, teachers, everyone.”

Weltz’s other recommendations included seeking a bond for a new Helena High School, renovations to Captial High School and a new Kessler Elementary. According to SMA Architecture and Design, cost estimates range from $200 million to $250 million for the high school construction and revocation work and about $70 million to $80 million for new elementary buildings. 

Weltz also suggested the board consider creating new boundaries for its schools by the end of the school year to accommodate Helena’s growth. 

While Weltz’s recommendations were discussed, the board of trustees took no action during the meeting and is expected to continue the conversation at a meeting on Tuesday, March 18. 

This story was updated March 13, 2025, to correct the spelling of Beagan Wilcox Volz’s name.