Board faces school closing dilemma

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.

“I think what we want to do is narrow the discussion,” Supt. Randy Weseman said.

The meeting, at 7 p.m. at district headquarters, 110 McDonald Drive, is open to the public.

DLR Group, an engineering, architecture and facilities planning firm, was hired by the board to prepare a 20-year facilities master plan for the district. From that document, the board will select high-priority projects to be included in a bond issue, perhaps as large as $50 million, that will be submitted to voters in 2003.

In previous meetings, the board was unable to decide whether to close Cordley, 1837 Vt., or Centennial, 2145 La.

“We want the board to discuss Centennial and Cordley, the merits of building on either site, creating additions or remodeling,” Weseman said.

Another consideration will be what the two sites could be used for if not needed as an elementary school.

For example, board member Mary Loveland has said land at Centennial could be used for programs serving Lawrence High School students.

It’s that kind of thinking that upsets people like Sandy Brown, who has a second-grader at Centennial.

“I’m worried the board already has plans for the lot Centennial is built on,” she said. “I understand the school is close, but Cordley is not that much further away.”

The board has already tentatively agreed that Riverside and East Heights elementary schools will be closed.

Weseman said board members and DLR Group representatives also needed to discuss options for building a new South Junior High School, 2734 La.

A majority of the board believes the school should be demolished and replaced because academic deficiencies can’t be remedied with remodeling. Asbestos and the circular design of the building make renovation nearly as costly as building new.

DLR Group executives believe a new junior high school could be built for about $20 million.

“I think the board is pretty much at the point where they would build a new junior high on that site, but the logistics of that are complicated,” Weseman said.

He said additional discussion was necessary to decide what improvements at the district’s high schools should occur first. The board is interested in earmarking about $10 million for improvements to LHS and Free State High School.