Lawrence school officials are right that everything should be “on the table” as they seek to deal with growing cuts in state funding for K-12 schools.

However, the district should guard against pursuing drastic long-term solutions for what everyone hopes will be a relatively short-term funding problem. Closing elementary schools in the Lawrence district could well fall into that category.

“What else could you say that would lead people to believe that this is serious and everything is on the table?” asked Superintendent Rick Doll.

Raising the specter of school closings certainly is a way to get attention in Lawrence, but we wouldn’t want to think that school officials would use this issue as a way to raise awareness or sympathy for the difficult situation the district faces. It’s clear the budget picture is bleak; it’s not as clear that closing elementary schools in the district is a good way to address that budget problem.

School Board President Scott Morgan knows from experience that closing elementary schools is a highly controversial issue in Lawrence. He lost his bid for re-election to the board after supporting the closure of three elementary schools in 2003. This week he referred to school closings as “one of my least favorite things to bring up.”

Many community members share that sentiment. We understand the budget situation is dire, but looking at closing elementary schools should be close to a last resort for the Lawrence board.

Enrollment at district elementary schools was up by about 100 students this year, not including students enrolled in the Lawrence Virtual School. No individual school experienced a significant enrollment decline. It might be possible to close one of the smaller schools and absorb those students into other schools, but there would be tradeoffs. There likely would be savings in terms of staff and utility bills, but also an increase in busing costs.

The district could realize a short-term gain by selling the building, but buildings that housed two of the schools closed in 2003 still are used by the district for other purposes.

As school board members and school administrators undoubtedly realize, they must look at the long-range future of the district. Elementary enrollment is growing. Enrollment at individual schools is relatively stable. We could cram more students into fewer schools for a year or two, but what happens after that? It’s tough to mothball a school and then put it back into service. Will we be looking at building new schools to meet our needs?

Local patrons are aware and concerned about the budget challenges facing the Lawrence school district. We realize times are tough and probably won’t get better for a year or two. But tightening our belts in other areas in hopes that the funding situation will ease soon seems to make more sense at this point than seriously considering school closures.