To the editor:

I am sick that our school district is eliminating the Lawrence Alternative High School. If this area of budget continues to be cut, the teens in Lawrence who need help will fall through the cracks and/or retaliate.

It is a paradox that our school district doesn’t have enough money to provide adequately for the students, nor pay teachers and paraprofessionals well enough to stay, yet that same district is being lauded as one of “the five best educational areas in the country for businesses looking to relocate or expand, according to a new study.” (Journal-World, May 13). Those business men and women will be sorely disappointed once they see that the children in this district are not treated as individuals and are not provided with an excellent education. The number of children and teens who have special needs continues to climb, yet the school district continues to reduce the services for these kids.

This problem is bigger than USD 497. The fact that our property owners in the district are unwilling to pave the way for higher and better education is even more unbelievable. Lawrence is a community that doesn’t pay a living wage to all who work in it. Yet real estate is sky-high and affluence is abundant. We want to live like the rich, however, don’t want to give our children the same level of education.

Wake up, Lawrence, and take care of the future, your kids.

Cindy Vinyard,

Lawrence