We’ve already written nearly a dozen stories about plans by Monroe Public Schools to close some buildings, and more stories are planned for the next few days.

To make it easier for folks to find them - from the first story to the last, as well as all of the letters to the editor on the subject - we’ve created a separate page on monronews.com. You can find it here, or through a link from the home page, just below the local stories.

The page also will include links to forums and blogs that discuss the issue, giving readers all the facts as well as plenty of opinions on the topic.

All future stories, editorials, letters to the editor, forum and blog posts will be added to the page.

This is one of the most important issues Monroe residents have faced in recent years. The school board has an awesome responsibility to get it right - even though “right” depends on your perspective.

With enrollent shrinking, it makes sense that some schools need to close. But closing neighborhood schools can have a significant impact on the neighborhoods.

Our editorial board met with school officials Thursday, so we could ask our questions and probe for answers.

Assistant Superintendent Chris Butler did a nice job outlining the many factors the board will be considering - age of the buildings, handicapped accessibility, how many students would be displaced, number of classrooms in the building, etc. It’s clearly a complicated dynamic.

I asked if the board would consider another factor - impact of the closure on the neighborhood. June Knabusch Taylor, president of the school board, said that would be consdidered, too. But, she noted, it’s not easy to assess.

The public gets another chance Monday night to influence the board’s decision. Then the school board plans a workshop to talk it over Tuesday night, with a decision planned either March 20 or March 27.

It sounded likely, from our editorial bord meeeting, that some school buildings are going to be closed. With a $5 million budget deficit to cover, school officials don’t see an alternative.

In some ways, the school closing decision, while the most difficult, may not be the most painful. It will only save $1.2 million, at the most. The other $3-$4 million most likely will include cutting popular programs at all of the schools. 

These are difficult times to be a school board member. 

This entry was posted on Friday, March 9th, 2007 at 3:25 pm and is filed under Local issues, events, The Evening News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.