Earlier this year, a diverse group of volunteers was asked to create a vision for elementary schools in Lawrence. The community owes this group its thanks for taking a fresh look at a broad range of issues that affect the quality of elementary education in Lawrence.

After working in subcommittees for nearly four months, members of this Lawrence Elementary School Facility Vision Task Force will convene on Monday to share what they have learned and start formulating the combined report they are scheduled to take to the Lawrence school board in February.

Like most discussions about schools these days, finding money-saving efficiencies is the task force’s underlying charge. However, rather than simply looking at a list of expenses and trying to find places to cut, the task force came at the job from the other direction, looking at facilities, operations and research about class and school sizes. Their goal was to try to suggest improvements and efficiencies based on what is best for local youngsters rather than simply looking at the bottom line.

A few interesting conclusions already have surfaced. One is that an elementary school “community” doesn’t necessarily have to be geographically based. The physical neighborhood around a school is one kind of community, but it’s equally valid to look at establishing a community by building stronger bonds among students, parents, teachers and administrators. Trying to attract students with special interests in art, foreign language or other academic areas might be another way to bring a “community” together.

One of the subcommittees also is drawing into question the assumption that smaller classes or smaller schools are the only, or even the best, way to try to boost student success. The research subcommittee has concluded that schools of between 300 and 500 students offer some economic efficiencies for the district without being so large that they detract from student achievement. Team teaching and increased parental involvement are just a couple of factors that can boost student achievement in schools of any size.

The subcommittees have reached what seems like a fairly obvious conclusion that existing schools should be “fully utilized” before new schools are built, as well as the idea that the district’s “greatest opportunity” to save money is to consolidate smaller schools.

This final conclusion, of course, is the one most likely to draw community focus and concern. “Consolidating” schools means that some schools may be closed, which is never a happy proposition for the community. However, if those consolidations can be presented as part of a package that enhances elementary education opportunities and facilities throughout the district, they may be easier to accept.

The final report the task force sends to the school board is unlikely to offer any magic strategies for doing more with less. What it will do, however, is provide valuable community input and perhaps some creative thinking about how the district can best serve its elementary students.

We thank the task force members for their hard work and wish them and the school board much success as they work through their finished report and the decisions to come.