To the editor:

After he became Lawrence schools superintendent, Randy Weseman flatly stated he should be judged on how well East Heights School did in three years. If East Heights didn’t improve, he said, he should be fired.

It was a gutsy call, and to his credit, over the past two years he has increased resources at East Heights and scores have begun to improve.

Why pull the plug now? With greater focus and stronger leadership, East Heights can continue to improve, just as is predicted by the research on small schools with at-risk populations.

No, the current board (and the superintendent?) want to close a school that sits in the heart of a neighborhood and combine two sets of challenging kids in larger classes almost a mile north! In a year or two, they’ll have an even nicer library than they have now, but will they be able to read at their grade levels?

Let’s hold Randy to his initial promise and give East Heights a real, fighting chance.

Will Lunn,

Lawrence