To the editor:

I have followed the school closing issue with great interest. The circus of community members with their own agendas at the April 14 school board meeting was appalling: many people with misinformation and incorrect facts. Do you actually think your schools are the only schools with kids at risk? Don’t fool yourself; all schools have kids that are at risk.

No one is in favor of closing ANY school. How dare those of you attending that meeting be classless enough to boo and heckle those with opinions against yours. This is not a social issue; it is a fiscal issue, plain and simple. We are in a crisis situation and something MUST be done to provide adequate education for the district as a whole. The elected officials in Topeka, including those from Douglas County, have been nothing short of inept in funding our public schools over the past 15 years. We are paying the price now, and it is not going to get any better. Because of this incompetence, school boards across our state are making tough decisions, like this one, to help maintain the highest quality education for ALL students.

My hat is off to the school board for doing what is right for ALL students in Lawrence, not just the vocal few. These decisions are tough ones but ones that have to be made in order for us to provide quality education for the ENTIRE student base in Lawrence.

Lynn Harrod,

Lawrence