Lawrence school board members have made the big decision to move ninth-graders into the high schools and sixth-graders into middle schools, but many, many smaller decisions await.

Students, parents and probably many teachers have a lot of questions about how the move will work and how to make the transition a positive one for local students. Change is never easy, and communication will be a key to making this change as smooth as possible.

In recent discussions about reconfiguring elementary schools, local parents didn’t always think their questions and concerns were being heard by school board members and administrators. That creates an impression that school officials have already made up their minds about an issue and aren’t really interested in what patrons have to say. It’s important to avoid that perception as sixth- and ninth-graders approach this move.

The same is true of ongoing discussions by a community task force about the city’s elementary schools. Moving sixth-graders into middle schools obviously lowers the number of students in elementary schools and raises concerns that the entire shift is intended to strengthen the case for consolidating what will become K-5 schools. Board members and district officials need to let the elementary school task force do its work and listen carefully to its conclusions before moving into any discussion about consolidation.

Establishing a community task force would be one way to open the lines of communication about the sixth- and ninth-grade switch, but junior high and high school teachers and principals may be in the best position to ease the concerns of parents and students during that transition. They know their schools and students better than anyone, and if they can answer questions and articulate why this move will benefit students, they have the opportunity to make everyone more comfortable with the change.

School board discussions have made it pretty clear why moving ninth-graders to four-year high schools offers a better educational opportunity. They are starting a high school curriculum and it makes sense to have them in a high school setting. The advantages of moving sixth-graders is somewhat less clear. There will be room for them in the four current junior high buildings, but the school district needs to do a better job of explaining the educational benefits for the students.

The board has wisely given the district more than a year to work through this process before the actual switch occurs in the fall of 2011. Between now and then, school officials can do a lot to ensure a smooth transition by listening carefully and communicating well with parents and students.