To the editor:

Lawrence public schools face a $4 million deficit next year. Teachers will lose their jobs, class sizes will increase, and the school board is considering closing some elementary schools. The loss of teachers and the class-size increase may be unavoidable, but we must try not to close a school. The damage will reverberate in education and in commerce.

Superintendent Doll has said that small schools are “less efficient,” that they are more expensive to run per pupil. Cost, however, is only one side of efficiency. The other side is outcome, and there is a growing body of research that reveals how schools with student populations of approximately 300 or less show greater increases in academic achievement than larger schools.

Additionally, most of the schools being considered are east of Iowa Street. How will this affect the heart of Lawrence? Property values will decrease in neighborhoods where a school is closed. Some estimate as much as a 10 percent decrease. Fewer families and professionals committed to preserving old Lawrence will live in these neighborhoods, as more single-family homes become rental investments.

And how will this impact our downtown? The people living in these neighborhoods are the “regulars.” They’re the ones who routinely walk downtown to conduct business or pleasure.

Closing any school will leave no Lawrencian untouched. Every person and organization must contribute to this discussion, from Downtown Lawrence and the Chamber of Commerce, to the Board of Realtors and the City Commission.