If it were up to Cille King, the Lawrence school board would spend less time looking for ways to cut spending and more time trying to increase financing.

“I think a lot of people in the community would be willing to donate to keep programs going, and the school district is not encouraging that,” said King, pointing to possible funding from local businesses and the Lawrence Schools Foundation.

A 55-year-old apartment manager who is vying for one of four open seats in the April 1 election, King is opposed to board plans to close East Heights, Centennial and Riverside schools and place before voters a $59 million bond issue for school construction.

She doubts the measure will pass, but even if it does King said the bond issue wouldn’t save a significant amount of money.

How can it, she said, when the district is closing schools only to build elsewhere.

“I don’t think it’s right to be adding a lot of classrooms on to buildings when we already have more classrooms than we need,” she said.

And possibly more important than the dollar signs, King said, closing schools not only would hurt at-risk youth who function better in small settings but also would destroy neighborhoods where schools within walking distance serve as meeting places.

“The schools are vital to our communities, our neighborhoods,” she said.

She said a substitute proposal should replace South Junior High School, expand Lawrence Alternative High School and address safety, maintenance and classroom deficiencies at school buildings throughout the district.

Also a priority for her are replacing portable classrooms and expanding vocational programs.

Hoping to be part of a new majority on a board that has faced trying economic times, King said its current members had glossed over alternatives to the bond issue.

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“I went to all six of the bond issue forums, and I heard all the input, and 95 percent of the input was ‘Don’t close this school, there’s got to be other ways,'” she said. “In spite of all those public-spoken concerns, the board still essentially did the same thing that it was initially thinking about doing.”

King captured 2,653 votes in the 1999 school board election, but finished sixth among seven candidates.

A Lawrence resident since 1965, she worked previously in the state architect’s office and as a travel agent. She has college degrees in human development and architecture.

She earned 8.05% of the votes in the Feb. 25 primary election.

King has a son at Free State High School and a daughter at Central Junior High School, and like most of the candidates she wants to explore every alternative before cutting programs that affect both her children and others around the city.

But she did point out that Lawrence has about 158 students per administrator, while other districts have a ratio 10 times that.

“When you see something 10 times as great in another school district, it’s like, ‘Gee whiz, what’s going on?'” she said.

“I think we need to look at more funding sources, not try to cut programs. But if there’s any place to cut I think it’s the administration.”