Parents, students march to save schools
Parents of local school children took to the streets Saturday in protest of closing any local schools. The Lawrence School Board is currently faced with cutting $5 million from the budget. Enlarge video
Photo Gallery
Save our Schools march
The Feb. 6 march was organized by Save Our Neighborhood Schools, an organization whose goal is to prevent the closing of Lawrence public schools.
On the street
Should the Lawrence School Board close one junior high or several elementary schools?
Several elementary schools. … I feel if you close the middle school, you will have too many children in one building.
The chant “Save Our Schools” rang through downtown Lawrence on Saturday afternoon as a crowd of protesters spanning two city blocks marched along Massachusetts Street.
The group of more than 1,200 intended for that message to be carried to Lawrence school administrators and Topeka legislators.
“You can just feel the emotion here,” said Kelly Jones, who has two daughters at Cordley School, 1837 Vt. “We all love our schools. They are doing a very good job of educating our children, and we don’t want to close something that is working.”
Lawrence School District faces a deficit of $4 million to $5 million. Among the alternatives proposed to bridge that gap is closing the district’s smaller elementary schools, which would shave off between $450,000 and $650,000 for each school.
But the cost of closing those schools are high, said Saturday’s marchers.
“Schools are the focal points of our neighborhoods. They are what keep our communities together,” Jones said.
Before closing schools, Lisa Wolf-Wendel said the district needs to look at slashing administrative costs by sharing principals, increasing the student-to-teacher ratio and joining a larger bargaining group when negotiating health insurance costs for employees.
“We all need to feel the pain,” said Wolf-Wendel, who has two children at Cordley. “It shouldn’t be a budget cut to half of the town.”
Before Saturday’s march, hundreds gathered at Liberty Hall for a rally. Inside, the atmosphere was a festive one with booths set up to sell Save our Schools T-shirts and yard signs. Children squatted on the floor making signs, and a bluegrass band played on stage.
Standing before the crowd, State Rep. Paul Davis, D-Lawrence, said the school board was facing a difficult task.
“Frankly, the situation we are in right now is not their fault,” Davis said. Instead, he pointed to state legislators who have refused to fund the school’s finance formula during the Kansas’ recent fiscal crisis.
“This debate is not just occurring here. It is occurring all over the state. We need to get the message out that we cannot tolerate any more budget cuts,” he said. “If we cut our budget any more, the children that are here and the quality of education that they get will be severely compromised.”
Just before the marchers took to the street, Jeremy Winfrey — a father of two daughters at New York School, 936 N.Y. — did his best to rally the group.
“We will fight for our schools. Let the school board hear you, let Topeka hear you,” he yelled into a cheering room.
After the march, Winfrey talked in a quieter tone about how the closure of New York School could affect his family.
“The student body at New York is small, but they don’t get lost in the shuffle,” he said.
School board member Rich Minder said Saturday’s turnout demonstrates the strong relationship between the schools and community.
“It seems pretty clear our community is coming to a consensus that as a way to deal with this short-term crisis, (closing schools) is not a sacrifice that people are willing to make,” he said.
Comments
LJWorld.com doesn’t necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Read our full policy. Also, read about banned accounts and harassing comments.
kummerow (anonymous) says…
For more information regarding Save Our Neighborhood Schools, visit their website at www.saveourneighborhoodschools.com.
merrill (anonymous) says…
East Lawrence is growing by way of new families moving into east Lawrence and/or current families having children. Retaining and maintaining existing assets such as schools has been considered fiscally responsible for at least two hundred years…. down right frugal if you will.
*East Lawrence is not a dying farm community. Instead it is a growing neighborhood community. Home to restored and new housing.
*East Lawrence is an attractive neighborhood. The residents CHOOSE the east side for a variety of reasons:
* East,and Old west Lawrence are the choice neighborhoods for restoring old beautiful homes.
*Eastern Lawrence is about old growth trees,character of housing, easy walking or biking to most destinations like downtwn KU and our public schools.
* East Lawrence has Weavers, Browns Shoe Fit,Dillons, downtown hardware store,D&D tire shop,Liberty Hall,City Library,Senior Service Center, used goods such as the antique mall/Fun and Games,Bay Leaf,Kring's, Waxman Candle,Foot Print,Mass Street Music, a Cottins Hardware,Chiropractor on 23rd, very nice parks and the new hike and bike trail These are but a few of the wonderful attractions to East Lawrence.
* East Lawrence is not dying and is home to many many many college graduates and “common” laborers aka diversity.
* Eastern Lawrence received many thumbs up by urban consultant Placemakers for our:
1. Home designs
2. layout of neighborhood streets
3. proximity to neighborhood schools
4. sidewalks - a walkable neighborhood community
5. proximity to dowtown
Closing schools is wasteful thinking. Let’s work this out sensibly.
greenworld (anonymous) says…
Stupid protesters anyway. Protest something important like the war or something. Lord knows that a kids education comes last and isnt very important on the things to do list. I bet an adult organized this and the kids were forced into doing it. Its definately something that they can look back 20 yrs from now and say "I marched down Mass St" What a joke.
merrill (anonymous) says…
Our paid for school buildings are worth millions upon millions upon millions of tax dollars.
It is more apparent than ever that school districts are needing to find additional sources of funding. Teachers deserve salary increases and decent health insurance. Our legislature is not a reliable source although by law it is a state responsibility.
Neighborhood schools are good for Lawrence. No Lawrence neighborhood wants to be without an elementary school within the neighborhood. Lawrence has spoken out on this issue numerous times.
There are families that which cannot afford two cars or bus transportation. Therefore walking and/or bicycling become the modes of choice.
Two revenue sources are available. The online state wide sales tax dedicated to public schools only is a reasonable source.
A local source to help fund USD 497 medical insurance, salaries, and perhaps school fees. This could become available as a dedicated City of Lawrence USD 497 user fee:
http://www2.ljworld.com/polls/2003/ma...
Of course these mechanisms will only be supplemental.
All USD 497 schools benefit. Perhaps experienced USD 497 teachers will stop fleeing to Blue Valley as well.
cheeseburger (anonymous) says…
Your right to peacably assemble is noted.
Now, why don't you sit down with the budget or a board member and help them figure out how to reasonably cut $5 mil. from the budget without closing any schools? That's where your time would seemingly be better spent. And please notice the word 'reasonably' above - getting rid of ALL administration is not a reasonable solution. It's not you vs. us - none of us want schools closed. But how in the world do you make up for $5 mil. in shortfalls on the local level when the legislature has disobeyed the law and put us in this situation? Sadly, school closures will likely be a part of the board's solution. Be sure to thank the legislators who are responsible for this mess the next time you see them - or at the ballot box next election!
texburgh (anonymous) says…
As usual, we can all ignore the moocher - a poster who fundamentally thinks all towns should go the way of Flint, Michigan or any number of Appalachian coal mining towns. If we would just stop funding those things that make the quality of life attractive, we would be better off.
Truth is that companies locate in towns and states that provide a top quality education (it's #1 on almost every list), where there are great recreational and cultural opportunities (Quality of life), where there are safe neighborhoods. Way down the list are tax breaks - all things being equal, we'll take a tax break.
As the Kansas legislature continues to degrade the quality of life in this state by starving schools, social services, public safety, roads, and every other thing that makes Kansas a great place to live, work and raise a family, the price this state will pay will be horrendous.
Kansas is in decline now and will be until we change the legislature. Start voting in your own economic self-interest.
merrill (anonymous) says…
When looking at cutting medical insurance costs it is the same as reducing coverage thereby making teachers among the under insured. The under insured are equally as vulnerable to filing bankruptcy due to cancer or other long term situation as anyone one without insurance.
KSManimal (anonymous) says…
OK, now how about a march on the real culprits - 25 miles west of here, under the big green dome.
kugrad (anonymous) says…
cheeseburger,
While your comments are appropriate (and I wish the reporters had asked the organizers for some specific details on options they would propose), unless your legislator is Anthony Brown, and perhaps Tom Sloan, it doesn't do much good to write except to thank them for their support of public education. Sloan is generally supportive, but Brown will give lip-service only. He just wants to advance his career, as a legislator, by cowtowing to the extreme conservatives from the western and central parts of the state.
The people you need to contact are your relatives and friends out west. Ask THEM to contact their legislators, because that is where the anti-public education legislators are elected. In particular, Speaker Michael "mike" O'Neal of Hutchinson seems intent on ruining public education.
That being said, the real power of a government comes from the consent of the governed. If the community concensus is against closing schools, then other options should be considered. Closing schools are not the only option. Now, I hear you on the 'reasonableness' issue, but really, is closing schools reasonable? Many people would feel otherwise. Similarly, many people would oppose all the other reasonable options. So eventually the board will have to make some sort of unpopular decision that feels unreasonable to someone.
Those who organize and talk with the board, which the group in the article certainly has done, deserve to be heard and those who remain silent deserve to have their decisions made for them.
commuter (anonymous) says…
KSManimal - I am partially to blame for the district not getting all of the money it wants wants, here is how. Because of the incertainty of the economy and unemployment, I have reduced the amount of money I spend, paying down more debt, and saving more, since I am doing this, the state collects less sales tax from me. Since the state has less sales tax from me, it has to make cuts in all of their costs.
Now of the 1,200 people rallying yesterday, how many of them are willing to except that they are also a part of the problem??? Zero I bet. It is always the fault of someonelese.
multiagelearner (anonymous) says…
Why make it west vs. east? It is simple full schools and empty schools. Growing development, new apartment buildings, and slash and burn housing. The city has allowed all this west development without a thought of how it would affect neighborhood schools. If you want to protest something, I agree make it a worthy one. Protest your planning commission when they keep approving 250-500 unit apartment buildings all at the corner of Clinton Parkway and Inverness. Oh but wait, now am I going be told that west side people don't want those apartment buildings to ruin our property values? Just because someone finds a house they like on the west side of 23rd doesn't make them evil. This is not a matter of east and west it is a matter of 5 millon dollars being cut.
merrill (anonymous) says…
There are local organizations in Lawrence that do support neighborhood schools. It would be good if many parents would consider becoming active in and supporting these
organizations:
League of Women Voters
http://lawrenceleague.wordpress.com/a...
Save Our Neighborhood Schools probably should consider staying active forever:
http://www.saveourneighborhoodschools...
Lawrence Association of Neighborhoods
http://lawrenceneighborhoods.org/
GrassRoots Action
http://grassrootsaction.wordpress.com/
And a majority of downtown merchants so I'm told...
cowboy (anonymous) says…
Looked over the staffing comparison from 2005 to 2010. There are close to 80 additional employees , about 50 in teaching positions and about 30 in spec ed , social workers , non direct. with the enrollments static or decreasing , maybe they ought to look at 2005 as a model to get back to. If those positions average 45,000 a year that 3.6 million right there. What happened between 2005 and now ?
oneeye_wilbur (anonymous) says…
merrill, talks about how the school buildings are worth millions and millions of dollars, only because of ill conceived over bloated bond issues to build them,Merrill forgets that it takes millions of millions of TAX dollars to fund this perpetuated Educational system, not only in Lawrence but everywhere else.
A community cannot have the second largest employer be a non contributor to the property tax base and the community continue to survive.
Wal Mart, south Iowa, pays a bit over $380,000 a year and 1/2 of that goes to USD 497 and all the $190,000 will cover is the superintendent's salary and another flunkie at the cost of about $30,000-$35,000.
What is it, that this community of so called educated residents don't get? There is NO more money.
grammaddy (anonymous) says…
Thanks Merrill for pointing out the value of the east side! Closing New York would leave us with only 2 elementary schools, Kennedy and Prairie Park. While these two schools are fairly close to each other, they are pretty far from most of the East side.
kugrad (anonymous) says…
Healthcare moocher, do you really think everyone who supports neighborhood schools and all the people who marched yesterday can be fairly described as "lefties?" Are all the people who voted for public transit "lefties?" Are the people who decided to pay for an expensive monument to war veterans in front of the North Lawrence depot "lefties?" Are bicycle riders "lefties?"
I think you have revealed your true interest in this issue, you are anti-public education, probably feeling that the public schools and all their employees are just "lefties."
I'll leave you to go back to carefully observing the T-routes all around town, and the "lefties" that ride the T, so that you can speak authoritatively and factually about trends in T usage.
oneeye_wilbur (anonymous) says…
How many people participated? a hundred, two hundred, tens of hundreds? Why didn't they get a school bus and ride around town and block intersections.
How many of the parents who protested work for a public entity that pays no property taxes toward the schools. How many work for the district?
Lawrence is a retirement community, why are more schools needed?
pz5g1 (anonymous) says…
grammaddy: Pinckney, Broken Arrow, and Woodlawn are all eastside schools. Pinckney and Woodlawn are both within reasonable distance to east side neighborhoods. Sunset, Hillcrest, and Schwegler are considered eastside schools though I would consider them central Lawrence schools.
normal_entire_route (anonymous) says…
nice job moocher, always a good tactic to resort to name calling.
I'm sure they'll see some connection between totally autonomous and separate budgeting authorities now...sure they will.
Liberty275 (anonymous) says…
First, destroy the teacher's union. It should never be up to the taxpayer to fund the corruption of any union.
Second. leave the schools open and cap teacher and admin salaries at $28,000/yr and principals at $35,000/yr. Increase class sizes and fire obsolete teachers. Cut back on benefits so they are in line with blue collar jobs. Offer bonuses to truly exceptional teachers.
Fund schools on the basis of the number of students and their test scores.
Issue vouchers to pay for private schools if public schools can't compete.
If you don't live to teach, get out of the classroom. Period. We don't want you there.
Stop pushing political agendas in public schools. Both sides.
That's my sign for the parade.
lucy1 (anonymous) says…
How important is this issue? Only an Estimated 1200 people turn out. Enrollment in New York and Cordley is 450 students. Couldn’t the parents, siblings, grandparents, neighbors, friends, or anyone show up in support of these schools? Wow, just a little more than two people per student to the rally.
shutter the schools!
Even the residents of the neighborhood don’t’ care enough to save their school or their supposed property value. When or if the residents with children return to the neighborhoods, maybe reopen the schools. Although the Oread neighborhood has been trying to gain families for 20 years, with little success, one can hope.
jkilgore (anonymous) says…
It is difficult to imagine the callousness of some posters on this board who call the march of children and those marching for the rights of children as stupid. The name-calling hatred of those who call themselves conservatives appears to come from a well that never goes dry. There is one thing that I've learned about hate over the years: it may hurt those you hate, but it will destroy you.
Who among us can argue that a closing needed schools is a fortunate act? Our forefathers worked hard so that generations that they would never see would inherit a great nation. One of the pillars of that nation is a good public education. We should regard future generations in the same way, if nothing else, but out of respect and admiration to those past generations.
Even if you disagree with spending money on educating our nation's youth, calling them names is simply reprehensible. Any reasonable adult would be ashamed of himself.
oneeye_wilbur (anonymous) says…
Lawrence does not need more schools. This is becoming a retirement community. We need those grade schools to become feeding sites for the elderly. rec centers with art studios and the auditoriums to be used for travelogues and elder hostel programs.
jkilgore, the parents are the ones taking the children marching. Where are those parents when it comes time to take the kids to school. Where? They put them in a car and drop them off. So, you see, the school bus can do the same. The parents don't want to live where the schools are. OR they bought where they could afford. Now there is a novel idea. Maybe some on the west side of town should downsize and move to the east side, and chew some reality and share it with their kids.
You see, Lawrence is an elitist community. The east side would have more families if the neighborhood groups would allow some of the crapped out old housing to be torn down. New homes sell.
Lawrence is only one padlock and a few miles of chain link fencing from being a true insane asylum. But as soon as the retirees arrive, they will put these bond issues to come up on the back burner. The retirees will vote with their pocketbooks and the families can move elsewhere, since the families don't want to give up anything. Would those kids in the photo give up their playstations and cell phones and have the parents donate that money to the district?
Where is the sacrifice of the parents? And how come none of these stories deal with the following year of budget woes. This one is supposedly $4million, what about the next $4 million?
huh?
calley1 (anonymous) says…
I cannot believe some of the stuff I am reading on this story. I was in that march yesterday and I have a two year old daughter. I am worried for her future since I plan on staying in east Lawrence for a long while.
What I can say about the parents of kids in this area of town is that they are not pushing this issue on their children. What a ludicris statement to make. These children love their schools and would like to stay where they are instead of being shipped off across town because some state legislatures keep sucking money out of education. I have family who attend these schools and their parents are not using this as some political agenda. I was there and the kids were having fun supporting their teachers. They have developed relationships with the staff of these schools and other students. I remember when I was a student at Cordley when they closed East Heights and Centinneal (Spelling?) and I felt very emotional about the fact of what was happening. I guaruntee you these children feel the same way. You people make me sick. I am sure that most of the people condeming this protest do not have children or simply do not care where they go to school.
This budget shortage is not because of the parents of the children that attend these schools and I cannot believe any of you would elude to this. This is because of the people who are elected to lead our state and the infrastructure of our school system. Yes, we should cut salaries from the staff, but not from teachers. The state could get so much revenue if they just cut the salaries of superintendents and principles.
Again stop blaming these parents. This should not be an issue of left or right. Lawrence is not becoming a reitrement community. Last I checked more families move here every year. We do not need more schools we just need the ones we have.
beaujackson (anonymous) says…
Oread neighborhood "trying to gain families"?
Oread was "family eliminated" by the 1965 city comm. decision to zone it Mulit-family, & is now 99% student rental slum housing.
The same has happened to Cordely, Schwegler, Centennial, University Pl. , Barker neighborhoods etc.
Central Lawrence is mostly KU Student rental housing, rather than families (with children).
Thanks to a series of stupid city commissioners.
No families - no students - no schools.
Got it?
calley1 (anonymous) says…
I do not know about the Oread neighborhood. But I can tell that the barker and east lawrence areas are full of families. I know this because I live there.
Moderate (George Lippencott) says…
see:
http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/loyal...
kugrad (anonymous) says…
.Liberty275, while I don't always agree with the LEA (teachers union), it is funded by dues. I believe there to be a very small amount of taxapayer dollars that provide any type of support.
I'd also like you to get very very specific and provide examples of how the local union is "corrupt." Please also provide specific examples of the local union obstructing progress in our local schools. I know union-bashing is currently popular, but I sincerely doubt you can provide even one accurate, documented, example of union corruption. Yes, I know that a previous president was an embezzler, but that was a person, not the union. That was paid for by the union, not the taxpayers. Specific accounting and transparency steps make a similar situtation impossible now, so please stick to examples that affect the public. After all, you are suggesting, as your number one priority, that people "Destroy" the teachers union. Surely after such a brash comment you have a huge body of evidence to support such a dire response?
I can tell how well-versed you are (not) in educational research when you suggest capping teacher salaries at $28,000. In other words, you are taking the most crucial player in a child's education and removing all incentive to work in Lawrence, ensuring that highly-qualified veteran teachers work elsewhere. That will make this a great place to live. Of course, it may be difficult to operate all the schools without a principal, which is exactly what would happen if the salary for a 60+ hour a week job was only $35,000.
You want to provide vouchers, a purely political movement brought to you historically by the same people who want to teach creationism in schools, yet you want people to "stop pushing political agendas in the schools, both sides," I wonder specifically what agendas are being pushed now? Vouchers is a political agenda.
Now for the logic of cutting funding to schools with lower test scores. You have great faith in the validity of test scores! What tests do you recommend? Consider children who live in poverty. They have fewer background experiences, less exposure to literacy in the home, they may not arrive at school well-fed, properly dressed, and feeling secure. They may have slept in a car or shelter the previous night, or crash somewhere different each night. The school they attend may be their 5th school in 3 years. They may have untreated mental health issues and lack of basic medical care. We don't have to wonder if these things ever happen, we know they do. Now suppose they don't do well on whatever tests you choose to use. Does it really make sense to then provide the schools serving the most needy students with less money with which to operate? Schools that may need a higher student-teacher ratio to meet the widest possible range of student needs?
Your ideas are not realistic, feasible, or even logical. As such, they won't save a dime.
pinballqueen (anonymous) says…
I worked at New York right after the round of school closings, around 2003. Centennial and East Heights were closed and the buildings were utilized in other ways.
I was new to the East side and New York, but I still remember the kids who were sad and had a difficult time adjusting to starting school in a new neighborhood. Did they adjust? Yes, but thanks in a large part to Mrs Steele and her efforts as principal and her willingness to comfort those who were effected. Yes children can be resilient, but some adapt better than others. I know why they are fighting so hard for these schools. I also have worked at Cordley in the after school program, and both New York and Cordley have a very strong, supportive sense of community.
The issues are statewide. I work in Eudora now, and last month many schools across the state issued paychecks late. The state payments came late, so teachers and staff get paid late, and then their bills are paid late. So the issue is very real and on top of the fact that teachers are unpaid anyway, well it adds insult to injury. The reality is that many will loose their jobs in budget cuts, and many pay scales were frozen, so last year there were many who didn't get any kind of increase in wages. It is now very clear that none will be occurring for the next school too.
It is unfortunate that education is taking such a hit. I recently put my kid back into public school , after home schooling for three years, in a district that the teachers have to buy and stock their own construction paper and many other classroom supplies. Eudora simply has no money for paper. As a school, we are conserving and recycling, which helps. But simply, the reality is that there is no money for the schools, and some districts are getting hit harder than others. As a country we saw the plights of Haitians and sent millions of dollars in aide, while we do without here in our own neighborhoods. And I agree, more needs to be done at/under the green dome.
SFBayhawk (anonymous) says…
"how many of them are willing to except that they are also a part of the problem???"<<<Good argument for English schooling.
"Just because someone finds a house they like on the west side of 23rd " <<<< Speaking of directions, doesn't 23rd St traverse an east-west direction? Would that house on the west side have a large garage for the cars running into it?
oneeye_wilbur (anonymous) says…
NO need for more schools. Lawrence is becoming a retirement community. It's in the paper as such.
Moderate (George Lippencott) says…
pinballqueen (Anonymous) says…
Good post. Why is it that some people want to pick on the teachers when there is a fiscal problem?
volunteer (anonymous) says…
This is a decision for the heart and the head. One's heart is with the parents and students of East Lawrence who want to keep their neighborhood schools. Parents of a toddler in East Lawrence are understandably upset at the prospect of closing nearby schools.
However, the head reasons that we are in dire economic straits that may not improve for years to come. Millions of dollars must be shaved somewhere in the school budget.
Other districts have "stakeholder committees" with non-employees included that comb through the budget looking for items that can be cut with the least impact on the children.
Perhaps Lawrence would benefit by having such a committee. (Perhaps it already does)
I have not been satisfied by the silence on central office Administrative cuts coming from the..central office. Topeka's superintendent a year ago cut 750 grand from central office Administration and publicly and clearly named the positions that he was cutting and the positions he was combining to achieve that savings.
Why won't Rick Doll do the same?
grammaddy (anonymous) says…
pz5g1--How do you figure? None of those are East of Mass. And none of them are within walking distance of New York school.
oneeye_wilbur (anonymous) says…
Lawrence is becoming a retirement community. It needs some public schools closed to serve as feeding sites for the elderly, rec centers for the elderly and housing for the indigent, which soon will be the many parents and other taxpayers who have supported this educational follies in Lawrence for now over 30 years. Two ill conceived bond elections are coming back to haunt the community!
George_Braziller (anonymous) says…
Only 1200? Do a little math lucy. The percentage of people who showed up in support is pretty much the same as those who show up for a national election.
-------------------------------------
lucy1 (Anonymous) says…
How important is this issue? Only an Estimated 1200 people turn out. Enrollment in New York and Cordley is 450 students. Couldn’t the parents, siblings, grandparents, neighbors, friends, or anyone show up in support of these schools? Wow, just a little more than two people per student to the rally.
shutter the schools!
Even the residents of the neighborhood don’t’ care enough to save their school or their supposed property value. When or if the residents with children return to the neighborhoods, maybe reopen the schools. Although the Oread neighborhood has been trying to gain families for 20 years, with little success, one can hope.
.
none2 (anonymous) says…
grammaddy (Anonymous) says…
pz5g1—How do you figure? None of those are East of Mass. And none of them are within walking distance of New York school.
=====================
pz5g1 said EAST side -- not EAST Lawrence. Since this town sees to be split east & west, his statement was correct. Do you consider North Lawrence & the Pinckney neighborhoods to be part of the WEST side schools?
I also think it is rather selfish to expect every school to be in walking distance. For instance, do you think that all children in North Lawrence are in walking distance like from Woodlawn? There even used to be a school out by the airport. I don't remember anybody from east Lawrence protesting when that school had to close.
All levels of government are spending more than they have. Most tax payers also aren't making more money, yet taxes keep going up. We even know that property evaluations are going to be going up even though the insinuation that housing prices have rebounded in Lawrence is an out right LIE.
It is time for the school protesters to realize that if you aren't going to cough up the money to keep the schools open, then don't expect others to do so. Times are tough for all.
It is also a valid point that Lawrence has squandered public money on stupid priorities. Bringing up the fact that the school district's funds are separate doesn't change the fact that there is only so much public money available to spread around unless you want to tax everybody to death..
oneeye_wilbur (anonymous) says…
George, now wait a minute! The Oread Neighborhood has been trying to gain families? Just what is a family. There was a childless couple promoting that issue. The local senator living in the ONA boundaries is childless. If ONA wants "owner occupied" then ONA should revisit just what a home is or might be. Maybe the retired who are being promomoted to come to Lawrence might buy into some nice condos built in that area instead of Bob Billings or West 6th.
Face it, Oread hasn't had families in the true sense of a mommy and daddy and little beaver cleavers for over 3 decades. Do the research George, by George.
Shutter the schools, turn them into feeding sites for elderly , housing for the indigent which is coming sooner than later if Lawrence continues to perpetuate this bloateed school district , now with the failings of two ill conceived bond issues coming to fruition.
George_Braziller (anonymous) says…
What's your point? You just ramble with disjointed comments.
vhawk (Veronica Mohr) says…
Healthcare_Moocher: I am a lefty (just saying); however, I have been asking the same questions as you. Mostly, why do we continue to run empty buses and in addition to that...how much are we spending on these new hybrid buses!? Why is the city continuing to add all sorts of unnecessary costs that we cannot afford?? Innocent children are falling victim to the city's irresponsible choices, and they should be the absolute last to be affected by the city's deficit.
gl0ck0wn3r (anonymous) says…
lolz at the copypasta from Richard.
gl0ck0wn3r (anonymous) says…
Oh... terrible reporting by the way. For example, where did you get the 1,200 count? The police? The pictures sure don't seem to indicate 1,200 people. The march was organized by "Save Our Neighborhood Schools?" Who has organized that or is it pseudo-grass roots movement like the people who were behind raising our sales taxes for their empty buses? The website sure isn't helpful as they can't be bothered to say who they actually are except for one person listed on the donations page (of course):
Alee Phillips
1728 Mississippi
Lawrence, KS 66044
One has to actually look up the domain owner to find anyone behind the organization:
Registrant:
Bill Kummerow
1818 Indiana
Lawrence, Kansas 66044
United States
none2 (anonymous) says…
gl0ck0wn3r (Anonymous) says…
Oh… terrible reporting by the way. For example, where did you get the 1,200 count? The police? The pictures sure don't seem to indicate 1,200 people.
===================================
Do pets discouraged from going to the Farmer's Market count?
oneeye_wilbur (anonymous) says…
Lawrence is becoming a retirement community. NO need for schools. Oread Neighborhood hasn't had families in it of substance for over 30 years. Knock down the houses and build condos for retirees. Can a retiree be a family?
What is a family in Lawrence other than dysfunctional. That seems to be all there is. single moms, divorced dads, partners, all wanting benefits. What happened to June Cleaver?
Where have all the strollers gone? Long time passing......
Close the schools, turn them into feeding centers for the elderly and indigent, and there will be many if the school district and the city and county continue their wasteful ways.
Liberty275 (anonymous) says…
"while I don't always agree with the LEA (teachers union), it is funded by dues"
Paid by sucking the money out of teacher's salaries, paid for by taxpayers.
"examples of how the local union is “corrupt"
Any time you have to pay money to some organization for permission to work, that in itself is corruption.
"you are taking the most crucial player in a child's education"
That would be the parent, not the teacher.
"ensuring that highly-qualified veteran teachers work elsewhere"
Lots of high quality veteran personnel work in Lawrence for $28,000.
Teachers aren't all that special. And like I said, if they don't want to teach, they should be off doing something else like flipping burgers or cleaning toilets. They have a choice.
"you want people to “stop pushing political agendas in the schools, both sides"
Read closer next time. Or quit being dishonest. Only you know where you screwed that one up.
"You have great faith in the validity of test scores! What tests do you recommend? "
The tests we are already using.
"Consider children who live in poverty"
No. I was raised in Appalachian poverty in the 60s. There is no poverty in kansas today approaching that. I went to school barefoot because we couldn't afford shoes, and learned.
No, I will not consider poverty. It isn't a suitable excuse.
"They may have untreated mental health issues and lack of basic medical care"
SCHIP
"Does it really make sense to then provide the schools serving the most needy students with less money with which to operate?"
Yes, or close. Take your pick. I prefer the school stay open, the students, parents, teachers and admin pull themselves up by their bootstraps and make it better. If not, no more of my money. Fire the lot, close the school.
You'd be surprised what people can do when their livelihood depends on it. They may even be able to teach needy kids.
grammaddy (anonymous) says…
None 2- yes I do, considering most of the kids at Pinckney live in Old WEST Lawrence. And North Lawrence is a problem all it's own. I'm surprised there.s not more in North Lawrence. And just because you don't remember anyone from East Lawrence protesting the closing of a school, doesn't mean it didn't happen. Yes I do believe ALL children should be within walking distance of their school, elementary anyway. Especially since riding the school bus is so expensive and the little thing called climate change. If we close a school, within 5 years we'll be trying to build a new one. I've seen it happen here before.
xeniahawk (anonymous) says…
Seems like our bureaucratic heavy administration laden system is imploding yet they continue to trot out bond issues and the masses keep voting them in without any accountability. Didn't this band of bureaucrats just find enough money to build two brand new football stadiums and redo the astroturf at Free State baseball stadium????? Seems like there is plenty of money to go around but when the state starts tightening down, then the talk turns to laying off teachers, closing down schools and eliminating bus service, yet we have the millions for new sports facilities. Maybe, just a thought, we could eliminate all of the administrators at McDonald Drive that make more than the governor of Kansas in annual salary. We could then easily find the money since no one is holding them accountable anyway!!! While we are at it, let's get a whole new school board that has more sense and has the courage to stand up to these mealy mouthed administrators who double talk their way into justifying their own jobs without any care for the children of our district.