To the editor:
Apparently this school board is deaf to the voice of the people.
On April 1, 56 percent of voters rejected a school bond that proposed to close two elementary schools. At the same time, voters gave the highest number of votes to a man who ran a simple, frugal campaign based on not closing these schools. And voters rejected the re-election of both the sitting school board president and a school board member of 16 years, each of whom had vehemently supported closing those schools.
The school board claims it needs to save money but has not shown in any way how closing these schools saves enough money to make up the deficit. Because 80 percent of the cost of running any school is in salaries, I wonder if the teachers, janitors and secretaries at East Heights and Centennial are going to lose their jobs or are they going to go someplace else in the district, thus redistributing those costs, not saving them?
Further, the costs of closing these schools for the children, families, neighborhoods and, ultimately, the city and taxpayers, is huge. Those older neighborhoods without a nearby elementary school will not attract young families, thus costing the city in decay and property tax revenue.
C'mon, school board. You lost the election. Instead of closing schools find another way to make the budget work.
Pat Kehde,
Lawrence
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