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School closings debate

Lawrence's school board is involved in a comprehensive facility study.
The goal is to write a 20-year facility master plan and put together a package of building improvements for a bond issue set to go before voters in 2003.
The preliminary cost is more than $50 million.
The board also has tentatively agreed Centennial, East Heights and Riverside schools should be closed.

Below, you'll find daily stories and video reports of the plans since the board began studying them in the summer of 2002.

Board member revisits Centennial decision
Tuesday, September 9, 2003
Discussion of major repairs to Lawrence school buildings prompted a board member Monday to urge reconsideration of the closure of Centennial School.

Incoming member moved to criticize school board
Monday, June 2, 2003
Rich Minder isn't waiting until he takes a seat on the Lawrence school board to brandish deep-felt opposition to centralizing the district's preschool programs at vacated East Heights School.

Three final farewells
Saturday, May 24, 2003
It's 11:10 a.m., and Linda Rogers flips the switch on the microphone to deliver the farewell address she has dreaded for weeks. Throughout the usually bustling building on North Iowa Street, seven teachers, 10 staffers and 117 students fall silent, listening to the Riverside School principal's authoritative voice for the last time.

6News video: Three schools close for good
Saturday, May 24, 2003
Today was the last time students would walk out of Centennial, Riverside, and East Heights.

Closings create special-ed worries
Friday, May 23, 2003
This is the last day of fifth grade for Ben Berlin, and the first day of his monumental transition in Lawrence public schools. Ben, a special-education student with Asperger Syndrome, will be required to move next year to Deerfield School, the district's largest elementary building, from Riverside School, the district's smallest. The school board is closing Riverside.

6News video: Former Centennial students vote for mascot at new school
Thursday, May 22, 2003
The new mascot helps bring the consolidated school's students together.

6News video: Riverside closes book on memories
Thursday, May 22, 2003
The school has stood in the same spot since it was founded in 1903.

6News video: Former student, teacher recall East Heights' memories
Wednesday, May 21, 2003
6News reports on a former East Heights student and teacher as they recall their time at the school.

6News video: Centennial parent, teachers remember schools history
Tuesday, May 20, 2003
6News reports on the thoughts of former Centennial teachers and a parent as Centennial Elementary prepares to close its doors.

Centennial Cardinals lament loss of coop
Sunday, May 18, 2003
In 1957, two years after Centennial School opened its doors for the first time, Louise and Clyde Woods planted an infant Scotch pine in the northeast corner of the school's lawn. The couple lived on Greever Terrace, just across the street from the school, where their only daughter, Nancy, walked to class each morning. Much attention had been paid to constructing the elementary school building, but the landscaping left little to be desired. So, Louise Woods, then-chairwoman of the PTA's hospitality committee bought the sapling and, after the school used it for a Christmas tree that December, placed it strategically.

With closure looming, slices of East Heights life resurface
Sunday, May 18, 2003
Vicki Scott came of age at East Heights School. Flipping through a stack of scrapbooks in the East Heights teachers' lounge, Scott fondly recalled her years grappling with complexities of reading, writing and arithmetic in the red-brick elementary school on Haskell Avenue. Scott, now a paraprofessional at East Heights, said lessons learned at East Heights went beyond the standard curriculum.

Closing doors on schools won't shut out memories
Sunday, May 18, 2003
The fates of Centennial, East Heights and Riverside schools are sealed. They'll close their doors Friday -- the finale of a series of hotly contested decisions by a Lawrence school board strapped for cash in tight budget times.

Riverside memories run deep
Sunday, May 18, 2003
The oldest school in the Lawrence school district is about to be history. Riverside School, the third descendant of a one-room schoolhouse born north of town in February 1855, is closing at the end of the academic year, the latest victim of the district's ever-shrinking budget. But the school's leaders, students and alumni promise that Riverside's spirit -- grown from rural roots, nurtured through close relationships and nourished by Karen Crowe's pumpkin pancakes -- will live on forever.

Principal parade
Sunday, May 18, 2003
Since Centennial, East Heights and Riverside schools opened decades ago, the principal scepters have changed hands dozens of times. Here's a partial list of the faces students would have seen when they got sent to the principal's office:

Last look
Sunday, May 18, 2003
There's still a chance for parents, teachers and students -- past and present -- to visit a few of the schools before they close forever.

Time flies
Sunday, May 18, 2003
A timeline of significant events in the schools' histories.

Former Centennial student remembers happy, innocent time
Sunday, May 18, 2003
I have wonderful memories of my years (1959-1966) at Centennial Elementary School, and remember these years as a very happy, innocent time.

Pleas don't save two schools
Tuesday, May 13, 2003
Nancy Hiebert pounded her fist on the lectern Monday while raking the Lawrence school board with a wrathful gaze.

6News video: School board votes 6-0 to close schools
Tuesday, May 13, 2003
6News reports on Monday nights Lawrence School Board meeting.

School-closing foes to put up a fight
Monday, May 12, 2003
Defenders of two Lawrence elementary schools on the chopping block won't go down without a fight. They'll bring their collective anxiety to a boil at tonight's school board meeting, prior to final action on a measure to close East Heights and Centennial schools.

Baldwin schools face closings debate
Thursday, May 1, 2003
Stacy Cohen's recipe for dealing with budget problems in the Baldwin school district tastes like poison to fans of Marion Springs Elementary School.
Cohen, who takes a seat on the Baldwin school board in July, said Marion Springs should be closed because it was too expensive to maintain the small school, which has 67 students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

City divided by school closures
Thursday, April 17, 2003
Critics of the Lawrence school board's closure of East Heights and Centennial elementary schools say the move weakens public confidence in the board's willingness to honor the will of voters. There is belief among consolidation opponents that the board's action ignores a message voters sent April 1 when a $59 million school bond guaranteeing closure of both schools was soundly defeated at the polls.

List of proposed cuts in the Lawrence school budget for 2003-2004
Wednesday, April 16, 2003
The following are proposed cuts under consideration by the Lawrence school board related to the 2003-2004 budget.

Board to close two schools
Tuesday, April 15, 2003
Lawrence school board members decided Monday to eliminate the opportunity for future generations of children to attend two beloved elementary schools.

Proposal to close LAHS draws ire
Monday, April 14, 2003
Rich Minder isn't on the Lawrence school board yet, but he's pushing an alternative to closing East Heights School: Eliminate the Lawrence Alternative High School.

Vote to close schools nears
Sunday, April 13, 2003
A majority of Lawrence school board members is prepared to vote Monday to close East Heights and Centennial schools.

School closings move forward
Thursday, April 3, 2003
The Lawrence school district's boundary committee Wednesday shrugged off the election results and plowed into details of closing East Heights and Centennial schools. At the direction of the school board, committee members sketched new boundaries for five elementary schools that would receive students if the two buildings were closed in May.

Board prepares for closures
Tuesday, April 1, 2003
Lawrence school board President Scott Morgan stamped out a sizzling rumor Monday on the eve of the $59 million school bond and school board election.

School board candidate survey
Sunday, March 30, 2003

Chat with Lawrence school board candidate Cindy Yulich
Thursday, March 27, 2003
Welcome to our online chat with <strong>Lawrence school board candidate Cindy Yulich</strong>.The chat took place on Thursday, March 27, at 10:30 AM and is <strong>now closed</strong>, but you can read the full transcript on this page.

Chat with Lawrence school board candidate Sue Morgan
Wednesday, March 26, 2003
Welcome to our online chat with Lawrence school board candidate Sue Morgan.The chat took place on Wednesday, March 26, at 4:00 PM and is now closed, but you can read the full transcript on this page.

Chat with Lawrence school board incumbent Mary Loveland
Tuesday, March 25, 2003
Welcome to our online chat with Lawrence school board incumbent Mary Loveland. The chat took place on Tuesday, March 25, at 6:00 PM and is now closed, but you can read the full transcript on this page.

Chat with Lawrence school board candidate Leonard Ortiz
Tuesday, March 25, 2003
Welcome to our online chat with Lawrence school board candidate Leonard Ortiz. The chat took place on Tuesday, March 25, at 9:30 AM and is now closed, but you can read the full transcript on this page.

Chat with Lawrence school board candidate Rich Minder
Tuesday, March 25, 2003
Welcome to our online chat with Lawrence school board candidate Rich Minder. The chat took place on Tuesday, March 25, at 4:00 PM and is now closed, but you can read the full transcript on this page.

Chat with school board candidate Scott Morgan
Monday, March 24, 2003
Welcome to our online chat with school board candidate Scott Morgan. The chat took place on Monday, March 24, at 10:00 AM and is now closed, but you can read the full transcript on this page.

School cuts likely at top
Friday, March 7, 2003
A bull's-eye was firmly affixed Thursday to administrative spending in the Lawrence school district. The public school system's budget committee made clear that if deep cuts must occur in 2003-2004, the central office is a prime target.

Books & Mortar: DLR architects discuss their work on Lawrence schools
Friday, March 7, 2003
(Updated Friday at 4:34 p.m.) 6News reporter Sharita Hutton interviews the three architects who were responsible for most of the recent work on Lawrence area schools. Her full report will run Friday on Sunflower Broadband's cable Channel 6 at 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.

6News video: The Lawrence school district needs to cut $4.5 million dollars
Friday, March 7, 2003
The school board will decide what should or should not be cut on Monday, March 10th.

District details savings of closing schools
Thursday, March 6, 2003
Laura Denneler is skeptical of claims that the Lawrence school district can save $1.4 million annually by closing three elementary buildings. The mother of two children at Centennial School, which is slated to close along with East Heights and Riverside schools, isn't alone. The district's projected savings from consolidation has been repeatedly challenged by school board candidates rallying against the closing of the schools and the proposed $59 million bond for school construction.

6News video: School board member sends strong message
Tuesday, February 25, 2003
6News reports on Monday nights school board meeting.

Board member: Bond failure won't stop school closures
Tuesday, February 25, 2003
Rejection of the Lawrence school board's $59 million bond issue in April won't block elementary school consolidation, the school board's vice president said Monday.

Consolidation fuels school board race
Thursday, February 20, 2003
There's no place for candidates in the race for Lawrence school board to hide on the issue of elementary consolidation. Like a heat-seeking missile, voters are honing in on the 13 contenders' positions on the plan to close East Heights, Centennial and Riverside schools. This Mason-Dixon line of school politics will drive many voters' decisions in Tuesday's primary election.

School programs again face cuts
Tuesday, February 18, 2003
Layoffs, bigger classes at secondary schools and elimination of elementary school band are among the budget-cutting ideas expected to be presented today as Lawrence schools look for ways to reduce spending.

Bond opponents question district's Web site content
Tuesday, February 18, 2003
Opponents of the Lawrence school board's $59 million bond issue don't think the district is playing fair.

6News video: Morgan shares thoughts in online chat
Wednesday, February 12, 2003
6News reports on the online chat with School Board President Scott Morgan that was hosted by World Online.

School board candidates debate closings
Sunday, February 9, 2003
Lawrence school board candidates chiseled battle lines deeper into the political landscape Saturday at the first major forum of the primary campaign.

Pro-bond group sees answer in details
Thursday, January 30, 2003
The uphill battle to convince Lawrence voters to approve a $59 million school bond could be won if people took time to scrutinize the details, leaders of a pro-bond group said Wednesday.
"This is not just a matter of bricks and mortar," said Chuck Warner, co-chairman with Judy Wright of Vote Yes for Lawrence Kids.

6News video: The bond issue brings out opposition
Thursday, January 30, 2003
Several different groups are speaking out about school consolidation and bond-issue.

Campaign urges residents to ‘Vote Yes for Kids'
Thursday, January 30, 2003
A group of Lawrence volunteers Wednesday said they would lead a Vote Yes for Lawrence Kids campaign in support of a $59 million public school bond issue.

Anti-bond alliance marshals troops
Thursday, January 30, 2003
Lawrence school board candidates Wednesday began formation of a coalition opposed to consolidation of elementary schools and the district's $59 million bond issue. "We will have to work together as a team -- get elected together as a block -- to be effective," said candidate Michael Pomes, an activist in the Park Hill Neighborhood Assn.

Bond issue approval might lead to early closing of schools
Tuesday, January 28, 2003
(Updated Monday at 3:41 p.m.) The Lawrence school district may temporarily close New York and Cordley elementary schools. But that would occur only if the board's proposed $59 million bond issue is approved by voters April 1.

Board approves closing Riverside
Tuesday, January 14, 2003
The 30-day clock is ticking on families worried that closing Riverside School might cause problems at Deerfield and Pinckney schools.

6News video: School board makes decision on Riverside
Tuesday, January 14, 2003
6News reports on Monday night's school board meeting.

Panel weighs 'unthinkable' school cuts
Thursday, December 12, 2002
Some schools could close. Some popular after-school programs could be eliminated. Courses could be tossed. Those are options being weighed by a panel of 20 school district volunteers whose job it is to find millions of dollars in possible budget cuts to balance the 2003-2004 budget.

Riverside students divided as board plans for closing
Tuesday, December 3, 2002
Riverside School will become a house divided. The Lawrence school board voted 6-1 on Monday to give preliminary approval to the split of Riverside’s students between Deerfield and Pinckney schools.

6News video: School board closer to deciding fate of Riverside students
Tuesday, December 3, 2002
6News reports on Monday night's school board meeting.

Bond foes put up fight
Sunday, December 1, 2002
Arly Allen is mapping a strategy to defeat the Lawrence school district's proposed $59 million bond issue.

6News video: One school's closing is certain
Friday, November 22, 2002
Riverside's fate is sealed, even if an upcoming school bond issue passes.

Board proceeds on Riverside closing
Friday, November 22, 2002
The Lawrence school board probably will vote Dec. 2 to close Riverside School at the end of the school year.

6News video: School board sets April 1st date for bond vote
Wednesday, November 20, 2002
6News reports on Monday night's Lawrence School Board meeting.

Board forwards bond proposal
Tuesday, November 19, 2002
A nearly unanimous Lawrence school board agreed Monday to seek voter approval in April of a record $59 million bond issue for school construction and renovation.

6News video: More people support consolidation of schools
Friday, November 15, 2002
After weeks of public meetings, several long-time opponents of consolidation are starting to change their minds.

Consolidation critic changes perspective
Friday, November 15, 2002
One of Lawrence’s most relentless critics of elementary school consolidation Thursday reversed course by endorsing closure of East Heights School. Vicki Scott, an East Heights parent and a special-education paraprofessional at the school, used the last of six public forums on the district’s facilities planning study to disclose her change of heart.

Schools can't look to city for salvation
Thursday, November 14, 2002
The Lawrence City Commission won't play the role of white knight to save three elementary schools slated for closure.

6News video: Members of community look to city for help in school closings debate
Thursday, November 14, 2002
6News reports on a meeting held Wednesday night attended by Lawrence's city commission and school board.

6News video: Concerns increase as possible bond vote nears
Wednesday, November 13, 2002
6News reports on Tuesday night's school board meeting.

6News video: Study session aimed at preparing for possible bond vote
Tuesday, November 12, 2002
6News reports on Monday night's school board study session.

Questions abound about district plans
Sunday, November 10, 2002
Stephen Roberts makes use of every opportunity to quiz the Lawrence school board on its plans for upgrading school buildings and consolidating elementary schools.

Thorny city issues thwart consensus
Sunday, November 10, 2002
It came to a head with the debate about American Eagle Outfitters. Then came a making-up period - ECO2, the Tax Abatement Task Force, the Bert Nash Community Summit, The World Company’s “Lawrence is Growing: Finding Common Ground” project.

6News video: School bond issue may become a public vote
Friday, November 8, 2002
Some members of the community have spoken out in support for school closings.

Forum draws consolidation foes
Friday, November 8, 2002
East Heights School teacher Adela Solis said Thursday that her students’ anxiety about possible closure of their school was escalating to unhealthy levels.

School closure advocate speaks
Wednesday, November 6, 2002
Noelle Fox came to South Junior High School to speak on behalf of a "silent majority" in Lawrence who support closing elementary schools.

6News video: Turnout at facilities meeting not affected by election day
Wednesday, November 6, 2002
6News reports on Tuesday night's public facilities meeting held at South Junior High.

Parents argue to save schools
Tuesday, November 5, 2002
Cordley and Centennial school parents took advantage of a light school board agenda Monday evening to argue for the preservation of their respective schools.

6News video: Local students talk about school closings
Friday, November 1, 2002
Students at Centennial and Riverside elementary schools are concerned about the prospect of their schools closing.

Facilities planning called 'flawed'
Wednesday, October 30, 2002
A former Lawrence school board president said the district's process of planning school closures and a bond issue for school construction was flawed.

District creates vision for LAHS
Sunday, October 27, 2002
Mike Holladay says his two years at Lawrence Alternative High School have kept him from being a troubling statistic. "I was so far behind at Free State High School that I was going to drop out," he said.

Principals urge support for changes
Sunday, October 27, 2002
All 18 Lawrence elementary school principals � even three at schools earmarked for closure � signed a letter asking parents to support changes in district facilities.

Public weighs in on school plans
Thursday, October 24, 2002
Lawrence High School graduate Joe Patterson has supported public school bond issues in Lawrence for nearly half a century. But his string may end soon.

6News video: School closings draw public comment
Thursday, October 24, 2002
Several residents fear that no one on the school board is listening to them.

6News video report: School board discusses closings
Tuesday, October 22, 2002
6News reports on Monday nights school board meeting where discussion was held on the closing of either Cordley or Centennial elementary schools.

Board faces school closing dilemma
Saturday, October 19, 2002
Shut down Centennial or Cordley school? Build a new South Junior High School on its current site or at a new location? These and other questions about the future of Lawrence public school facilities will be the focus of Monday's school board meeting with consultants from DLR Group of Overland Park.

6News video report: School board to decide on school closing
Saturday, October 19, 2002
6News reports on the decision to be made by the Lawrence School Board to close either Cordley or Centennial Elementary schools.

Riverside council feels ignored
Saturday, October 12, 2002
Members of the site council at Riverside School, an elementary school earmarked for closure by the Lawrence school board, are feeling slighted.

Board endorses closing 3 schools
Friday, October 11, 2002
Three Lawrence elementary schools should be closed and two secondary schools built as part of a $50 million bond issue that reshapes the district's academic landscape, a majority of the school board said Thursday.
Board members met three hours with a half-dozen consultants to set priorities and map strategy for advancing the largest bond issue in district history.

Bond issue plans move forward
Thursday, October 10, 2002
The Lawrence school board today moves ahead with planning what could become a $50 million bond issue for school building improvements. "I feel very comfortable going to the community with something like that," Scott Morgan, board president, said in an interview Wednesday.

Centennial supporters object to closing
Tuesday, October 8, 2002
Supporters of Centennial School appealed Monday to the men and women who soon may close the school. "It is clear that when it comes to measurable education results, the community school of Centennial works well," Brent Lamb told the Lawrence school board.

Multimillion-dollar fixes posed for high schools
Wednesday, October 2, 2002
As much as $32 million could be spent to rebuild classrooms and sports facilities for high school students in the Lawrence district, according to proposals to be considered today by school board members.

6News video report: Board shifts focus to high schools
Wednesday, October 2, 2002
6News reports on the Lawrence School Board meeting that will be held to discuss the options available to update the two Lawrence high schools.

School closing plans panned
Thursday, September 26, 2002
Two dozen people insisted Wednesday that closure of public schools in Lawrence would be the death knell of blue-collar neighborhoods on the city's east side.
In voices strained by emotion and in words propelled by anxiety, they told representatives of the DLR Group facilities consulting firm that consolidating elementary schools and relocating junior high schools would be a dreadful mistake by the Lawrence school board.

Specter of school closings raised in consultant's report
Wednesday, September 18, 2002
School district consultants today will unveil 10 options for upgrading or reorganizing Lawrence school district buildings. Among the options are plans for at least $50 million in construction spending. Others would close six elementary schools.

Parents question plan to transfer students
Tuesday, April 22, 1986
Parents of Centennial School students who may be transferred to Broken Arrow School next year questioned school officials Monday about why their children are targeted to be moved and what other options school officials studied.

News brief
Wednesday, February 27, 1985
The Centennial Elementary School library was christened the George Loyd Memorial Library Monday night in a ceremony that opened the school's annual art and book fair.

Sixth-grader's sign request doesn't go
Tuesday, September 15, 1981
Eleven-year old Robert Jacobs made his debut before the Lawrence Traffic Safety Commission Monday night to request that a stop sign be placed at 20th and Vermont streets.

Centennial parents unhappy with plan
Wednesday, February 5, 1975
Centennial School parents told Lawrence school officials in no uncertain terms Tuesday they did not want to move their children to Cordley School next fall.

"The School of the Week"
Wednesday, January 7, 1970
During the 1954 Lawrence Centennial year, a contest was held to name a new elementary school that was under construction. A Lawrence resident won $25 for the fitting name - Centennial School.

Centennial School Principal Chosen
Saturday, April 20, 1963
John R. Lowther, currently principal at the elementary school at Riverton, was named principal of Centennial School today by Supt. Carl Knox.