A public meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday to discuss whether the city of Lawrence should install lights at Lawrence High School’s tennis courts, which are south of school and adjacent to the Lawrence Virtual School.

The meeting will be in the cafeteria at Lawrence High, 1901 La.

According to a meeting announcement from Lawrence Parks and Recreation: “City staff is seeking input on the feasibility of lighting the courts.”

The courts, which opened in April off Greever Terrace, were designed in anticipation of the city installing lights. The district actually built additional courts and included special features to accommodate lighting.

Lawrence High doesn’t need lights for competition, district officials have said. The idea was to make the courts available to the public for playing after dark.

The project has added to tensions between and among residents in the Centennial neighborhood, Lawrence school district officials and leaders at City Hall.

Those unable to attend the public meeting who may have comments may contact the Lawrence Parks and Recreation at 832-3450, or by e-mail at parksrec@lawrenceks.org.

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Already meeting for an extra month, members of the Lawrence Elementary School Facility Vision Task Force plan to meet for at least a couple extra hours next week.

The task force is scheduled to meet at 5 p.m. Monday, instead of the usual 7 p.m.

Rick Doll, district superintendent, said that the district’s months of work had led to a transition point, one at which members must turn gathered data into actual recommendations.

“That group is working very hard,” Doll said.

The task force — created by the school board in March and its members appointed in May — is charged with compiling a plan that reflects “the varied community and educational values and how to best reflect those values given the restraints of current and anticipated district resources.”

During the past meeting, some task force members began creating potential “scenarios” for meeting district goals while saving money. Among the suggested moves would be closing some schools.

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Free State High School will be getting another 288 lockers to help the school’s expanded student body secure their belongings next year.

Monday night, members of the Lawrence school board approved spending $45,409 for 144 “double-tier” lockers from Carroll Seating Co.

The school needs the lockers for next year, when ninth-graders will be on campus as part of the district’s “Redesigning for Student Success” plan. That plan is reorganizing all schools in the district, so that:

• High schools will be for grades 9-12.

• Middle schools will be for grades 6-8, instead of junior highs for grades 7-9.

• Elementary schools will be for kindergarten through fifth grade.

— The First Bell e-mailbox is always open: mfagan@ljworld.com.