The Lawrence school board probably will vote Dec. 2 to close Riverside School at the end of the school year.

And, the school board president warned, more elementary school consolidations could occur before the 2003-âÂÂ04 school year begins if Gov. Bill Graves cuts deeply into public-education funding.

âÂÂEverythingâÂÂs on the table,â Scott Morgan said. âÂÂThat would include additional closings.âÂÂ

He said East Heights and Centennial schools Ãi¿½” both already earmarked for consolidation in connection with the boardâÂÂs proposed $59 million bond issue Ãi¿½” might be shut down as well. On Monday, the board voted 6-1 to seek voter approval of the bond issue in April. No formal action on consolidation has been taken by the board.

Supt. Randy Weseman was asked by the board in September to evaluate options for reducing district expenditures, including operation of elementary schools.

He will bring to the board Dec. 2 a recommendation to change school boundaries in a way that eliminates Riverside from the mix. The Riverside students could be divided among Pinckney, Woodlawn, Deerfield and Langston Hughes schools, he said.

At least one board member, Jack Davidson, said he would vote against RiversideâÂÂs closure. He is certain there are enough votes on the board to approve the change, though.

âÂÂIâÂÂm not going to support it,â he said. âÂÂTheyâÂÂve got the bit in their mouth and theyâÂÂre going to do it.âÂÂ

Stacey Fullerton, who has a first-grader at Riverside, said parents, teachers and students were fearful the board would try to close their school at the end of this academic year.

Frustration with that unwelcome development has been compounded by lack of a clear plan for dispersing the schoolâÂÂs students, Fullerton said.

âÂÂTheyâÂÂve closed us with no plan,â she said. âÂÂWe donâÂÂt know where our kids are going to school.âÂÂ

Deciding where to send RiversideâÂÂs 110 students will be a difficult decision for the board, Weseman said.

âÂÂI want the least movement of students as possible,â he said. âÂÂIf weâÂÂre going to do this, I want to make sure weâÂÂre not negatively impacting any of our educational situations.âÂÂ

Riverside, 601 N. Iowa, is the smallest of the districtâÂÂs 18 elementary schools.

Invitations will be sent to Riverside parents to attend the boardâÂÂs 7 p.m. Dec. 2 meeting at district headquarters, 110 McDonald Drive, to outline their preference for moving their children to other schools.

It appears that 41 Riverside students who live south of Interstate 70 will end up at Pinckney. There are 47 students at Riverside residing north of I-70 that could go either to Woodlawn, Deerfield or Langston Hughes.

Twenty-two of RiversideâÂÂs students are transfers from other elementary boundary areas of the district. These students will have to return to their home school area or apply for transfer to another school.

The districtâÂÂs application deadline for transfers will be extended to accommodate Riverside families, Weseman said.

The issue of additional school closures apparently hinges on whether Graves slices deeply into state funding for school districts. There is speculation education could be cut $100 per student. In August, Graves cut state funding by $27 per student. That prompted the Lawrence school board to order a hiring freeze, borrow from its contingency fund and ask Weseman to search for other budget savings.

If Graves goes for a $100 per-student cut, that would cost the Lawrence district approximately $1.9 million annually.