To the editor:

Wow! If we all believe the conspiracy theory described in Arly Allen’s letter of March 25, the entire east side of Lawrence is sinking into some kind of dead sea of economic despair that has supposedly caused families like mine to pull our kids out of school and hide them in the basement. Oh yeah, and all the east side schools and downtown Lawrence will be hit by an economic death ray from the planet Demographia.

With logic this warped it’s hard to figure out how to respond. If as Mr. Allen says, no home construction is possible southeast of the city, then what are the structures I see going up south of K-10 southeast of town. The old South Junior High and the new one are located where they are to support the educational needs of the families in south and east Lawrence. Is Mr. Allen kicking them out of Lawrence? Central, New York and Cordley have been schools serving the east side of Lawrence for almost 100 years.

Fear not, fellow citizens, we east-siders are bearing children. Life will go on after the bond issue passes. Voting “yes” on the bond issues will invest much needed money into schools like Central Junior High and make it more useful as an educational facility. Let’s be clear, this bond is about upgrading the existing schools. If we do that they will be good schools for years to come. Upgrading existing schools will revitalize neighborhoods not destroy them.

Kevin Kennedy,

Lawrence