Discussion of possible school closings as an issue in the Lawrence school board campaign is overblown, a candidate said Monday night.
"The issue of school closings isn't coming from the board or from the administration," said Leni Salkind, incumbent school board candidate. "This isn't on the table for discussion."
Salkind said the issue of closings had been fueled by the media.
"These things take on a life of their own," she said.
She made the comments at a forum sponsored by the Centennial Neighborhood Assn. About two dozen residents quizzed school board and city commission candidates about the ways in which they would protect the neighborhood and its schools.
The city commission candidates, with the exception of Adam Mansfield, said they support rental property registration and the new cap on unrelated residents living together as tools to help single families keep and find affordable homes in older neighborhoods.
The school board candidates, meanwhile, said they would try to find ways to keep Centennial and Cordley schools open despite tight finances for the school district and a population base moving to the west side of Lawrence.
"Every time this issue comes up, Centennial and Cordley are the schools mentioned for closing, and that's wrong," said school board candidate Dale Vestal, president of Centennial's site council. "We're looking at this from a financial standpoint instead of the students and what they're achieving."
Incumbent school board candidate Austin Turney said: "Probably, long-term, one of the best ideas would be to make one of the two schools into a magnet school. That would be a break from precedent."
School board candidate Kurt Thurmaier was not present at the forum, but other candidates echoed his call for more local government help in financing schools.
"Ultimately, the state, which is responsible by law and constitution to provide education, will provide the means to do it," Turney said, adding that the city and county governments could give support for health and athletics programs in the school.
"If we do this, it will show the Legislature we're straining wherever we can," he said.
Candidate Linda Robinson did not attend but disagreed through a written statement.
"We must go to the city with a handshake not a handout attitude," she said.
Three candidates in each race will be elected in the April 3 election.
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