Members of the Central and East Lawrence Elementary School Consolidation Working Group are scheduled to meet tonight to begin suggesting, adjusting and forming scenarios for reducing the Lawrence school district’s roster of elementary schools by two or three within the next couple years. In this file photo from Monday, Nov. 7, are, from left: Alison Nye, Stacey White, Karla Hughes and David Unekis, representing Pinckney School; and Lois Orth-Lopes, a teacher and ex-officio member from Cordley School. Nye also is a teacher and ex-officio member of the working group.

Having set their foundation during the past few months, volunteers are ready to start building a consolidation strategy for Lawrence elementary schools.

Members of the Central and East Lawrence Elementary School Consolidation Working Group are scheduled to meet tonight to begin suggesting, adjusting and forming scenarios for reducing the Lawrence school district’s roster of elementary schools by two or three within the next couple years.

These six schools are candidates for consolidation: Cordley, Hillcrest, Kennedy, New York, Pinckney and Sunset Hill. Representatives from those communities, plus others from Woodlawn School, are members of the group that is charged with creating a viable plan to be considered by the Lawrence school board.

Tonight’s meeting is set for 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at district headquarters, 110 McDonald Drive. Recommendations are due to the school board by Feb. 1.

Members of the previous school board created the working group, formed to create a plan intended to allow the district to:

• Meet enrollment goals.

• Maximize operational funds to increase equity in learning.

• Focus educational funds on teaching and learning.

• Make necessary renovations of remaining schools more affordable.

That vision had been endorsed by the board after being forwarded by yet another volunteer group: the Lawrence Elementary School Facility Vision Task Force.

That task force, formed in May 2010, had recommended this past January that the board both close Wakarusa Valley School and then appoint a working group to come up with the best way to close at least two more elementaries through consolidation. The task force was assigned to create a community vision for elementary schools within “the restraints of current and anticipated district resources.”

The task force had recommended, and the board approved, a vision that would include passage of a bond issue to finance upgrades, expansions or even new construction to accommodate consolidation.

“However,” as noted in board-approved guidelines for the group, “should the bond vote fail, there shall still be consolidation.”

The working group has been meeting since September. Members have used five previous meetings to discuss issues, gather data, establish procedures and otherwise prepare for difficult deliberations ahead.

Now, during the sixth meeting, the agenda calls for “scenario building.” Group members have been instructed to email their suggestions to the group’s hired co-facilitators ahead of time, so that the ideas may be distributed to other group members before the meeting.

Members have gathered data regarding a number of factors they intend to include in their deliberations, including the number and locations of students:

• Enrolled in English as a Second Language programs.

• Qualifying for free or reduced-price lunches.

• Participating in special education programs.

Members also have data regarding the number of students in kindergarten through fifth grade, where they go to school and where they live. Charts also include racial data, and members also have received information covering test scores, the physical conditions of buildings and budgets for specific projects and overall maintenance and construction.

After tonight, the group will have five more scheduled meetings to get its job done: Dec. 5 and 19, and Jan. 2, 16 and 30.