Lincoln Journal Star Editorial 16 Sept. 2007

Hawthorne, Dawes should remain open

Sunday, Sep 16, 2007 - 12:09:56 am CDT
Closing Dawes Middle School and Hawthorne Elementary School might save money, but it’s not worth the loss of public trust in the Lincoln School Board and district administrators.

The school board ought to keep the schools open.

At public hearings on the proposal community residents have made clear that they would feel tricked if the board decided to close schools less than a year after approval of a $250 million bond issue to build new schools.

Representative was a comment this week from Karen Lamb, who was on a task force that looked at the district’s building needs and produced a report that was cited in support of the bond issue.

Lamb told the school board at a hearing last week that all the information presented to the task force showed that LPS needed every middle school seat. “I’m having a hard time reconciling what I’m hearing today with what we heard at oh-so-many meetings,” Lamb said.

The district can’t run the risk of alienating involved and supportive community residents like Lamb.

She’s hardly alone. The general community reaction to news of the proposed closing of Dawes and Hawthorne was surprise.

Although school board members said that they had always had planned to redraw boundaries after the bond election, virtually no one in the general public understood that entailed the possible closing of schools.

“This smacks to me of a classic bait and switch,” said City Councilman Doug Emery. “This should have been discussed before the bond issue.”

The board’s search for greater efficiency in the use of its facilities is commendable; the board must be willing to brave criticism occasionally in order to best serve the needs of the district as a whole.

District officials estimated they would save between $600,000 to $656,000 by closing Dawes, and between $245,000 to $355,000 by closing Hawthorne.

The savings are underwhelming considered in the context of an annual school budget of $277.6 million. Talk of new uses for the buildings adds to doubt that the savings will amount to much. Dawes has been suggested as the site for a new alternative middle school for students who aren’t succeeding in traditional classroom environments. If Lincoln needs such a program, it’s unlikely Dawes would be the ideal location because it is not centrally located.

Future space needs, which are difficult to predict, also should be factored into the equation. What if middle school needs in Lincoln grow faster than expected? Leaving Dawes and Hawthorne open will leave some room to grow in the Lincoln school system.

The school board should be complimented for conducting a public process that gave community residents a chance to speak their mind.

The complaint that the school closings do not keep faith with the campaign conducted in support of the bond issue has people nodding in agreement not only around Dawes and Hawthorne, but elsewhere across the community.

Now, having presented its case and having heard the public response, the board should vote to keep the two schools open.

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Witherbee Neighborhood Association
Steve Schwab, President
3510 Woods Ave
Lincoln, NE 68510

"In the Heart of Midtown" -S. 33 rd to S. 56 th & "O" to Randolph Streets

September 10, 2007
Dr. E. Susan Gourley, Superintendent
Lincoln Public Schools
5901 O Street
Lincoln, NE 68510

RE: Hawthorne Elementary School

Dear Dr. Gourley:
On behalf of the Witherbee Neighborhood Association (WNA) and its Board, I am contacting you and the LPS School
Board about the concerns we have for Hawthorne Elementary School.

Numerous meetings and discussions about the future of Hawthorne have recently been held. On 9/6/2007, Ed Zimmer of
the LPS Board met with WNA members and residents for nearly two and one-half hours to discuss and answer numerous
questions as to why Hawthorne is being considered for closure as an elementary school. The decision to keep Hawthorne
open as an elementary school or to make it the new site for the alternative high school is not an easy one for the LPS Board.

Lincoln is continually growing and so is its ethnic and cultural diversity with families joining our community from around
the country and from around the globe. The ELL program at Hawthorne Elementary is exemplary and the combination of
its dedicated teaching staff, active PTO, and desired classroom teaching environment are all the right reasons to keep
Hawthorne an elementary school.

Hawthorne Elementary has served the Lincoln community and the Witherbee neighborhood area for 80 years. Its desirable
location, in the "heart of mid-town Lincoln", needs to be given serious consideration when deciding its future use.
Extensive redevelopment and renewal is occurring in the Witherbee/mid-town Lincoln area. Affordable housing for young
families is available within walking distance of the school and the demographics of the neighborhood appear to be changing
with older homeowners selling their residential properties to younger people.

Enclosed is the adopted WNA resolution to keep Hawthorne Elementary School open as an elementary school. I would ask
that it please be distributed to the members of the LPS Board as soon as possible. At the September 25, 2007 LPS Board
meeting, I would request that the WNA resolution be submitted for the record and prior to the meeting at which the Board
will vote on Hawthorne's future.

Sincerely,
Steve Schwab, WNA President

Cc: Cindy Schwaninger, Principal/Hawthorne Elementary
Michelle Strand, President, Hawthorne PTO
Doug Emery, City Councilman, NE District
Gordon Winters, Editorial Editor, Lincoln Journal-Star

Enclosure

WITHERBEE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION (WNA)
RESOLUTION TO KEEP HAWTHORNE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL OPEN

Whereas, the Witherbee Neighborhood Association’s fundamental purpose includes preserving the quality of life in
the Witherbee neighborhood area and protecting the investment of property owners in the Witherbee neighborhood
area; and
Whereas, Hawthorne Elementary is an essential asset to the Witherbee neighborhood area and to Lincoln, and
Whereas, Hawthorne Elementary received LPS’s highest honor in 2006 –the Gold Star Award, and
Whereas, LPS’s proposal to close and then repurpose Hawthorne as an alternative high school would eliminate the
investment of time and dedicated resources LPS staff and taxpayers have made to create and sustain Hawthorne’s
quality special education programs, and
Whereas, substituting Hawthorne’s services with an alternative high school would not benefit the Witherbee
neighborhood area, and
Whereas, LPS states its proposal seeks to balance resources and needs, and
Whereas, Hawthorne is a need for families and property owners in the Witherbee neighborhood, and
Whereas, in promoting the recent $250 million bond issue to voters, LPS did not publicize the likelihood that two
schools would be closed and Lincoln would net only two schools rather than the four it did promote, and
Whereas, LPS did not publicize to voters its interest in moving the Bryan Alternative High School to Hawthorne, and
Whereas, LPS has closed schools in the past only to regret such actions, and
Whereas, the Witherbee/Hawthorne area is poised to gain additional students from young families replacing retirees or
downsizing subprime loan impacted homeowners, and
Whereas, small is desirable as evidenced by small group educational instruction programs promoted at larger LPS
schools and at UNL, and
Whereas, LPS is being inconsistent in spending resources to create small group programs in larger schools while also
proposing to close a smaller school with acknowledged quality programs and enviable student performance, and
Whereas, Witherbee and Hawthorne 1940-style community attributes are imitated in Fallbrook neighborhood in
northwest Lincoln and in Village Gardens in southeast Lincoln, and
Whereas, LPS’s estimated $245,000 to $355,000 savings in repurposing Hawthorn is about 1 tenth of 1 percent of the
total 2007-2008 LPS budget, and
Whereas, the cost for maintaining Hawthorne as an asset to the Witherbee neighborhood and to Lincoln equates to
only about 25 cents per month of a property owner’s bill, and
Whereas, the closing of a community asset is not a good for students, parents, the Witherbee neighborhood or Lincoln,
and
Whereas, LPS should strive to duplicate and retain Hawthorne's exemplary educational programs, not dissolve them,
Therefore be it resolved, the Witherbee Neighborhood Association requests that the LPS Board reject the proposal of
closing Hawthorne Elementary, and by so doing remove the cloud of doubt it has cast over Hawthorne staff, parents,
students and Witherbee neighborhood property owners, and
Be it further resolved, LPS maintain Hawthorne Elementary as one of its brightest programs and instead identify
other ways to save one-tenth of one percent of its total operating budget.

A motion was made by Mike Fitzgerald, WNA Vice President, to vote on this resolution and
seconded by Larry Frisch, WNA Secretary, on 9/8/2007. Steve Schwab, WNA President, then
requested that a vote by the ten member WNA Board be taken regarding this resolution. Such vote
was taken on 9/9/2007, with the results being NINE (9) in favor and ONE (1) against keeping
Hawthorne open as an elementary school.

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The Pershing Elementary PPTO, by unanimous vote, is resolved that Hawthorne and Dawes schools be kept OPEN.

This is an open letter expressing the Pershing PTO's unanimous disagreement with the proposal to redraw attendance areas and close Hawthorne Elementary and Dawes Middle School.

All recients of this email or letter who agree and wish to do so, are encouraged to make additions and to forward this to sgourley@lps.org.

The PPTO discussed the issue at its general meeting on September 11, 2007. Sending a letter supporting Hawthorne and Dawes was approved by all members present. Based on this discussion, the PPTO offers the following arguments against closing Hawthorne and Dawes.

1. CLOSING THE SCHOOLS WILL DISRUPT STUDENTS' EDUCATION

The teaching staffs at both schools are linked to the community of parents and students in unique and fundamental ways. Each school has forged a bond between the teachers and the students they serve, a bond which would be broken should the schools be closed.

2. CLOSING THE SCHOOLS WILL RESULT IN OVERCROWDING AT NEARBY SCHOOLS

The recent bond issue was passed chiefly because of the need for a greater seating capacity to meet the needs of a growing community. The importance or reduced class size in aiding learning can hardly be overemphasized. Pressing the capability of nearby schools to its limits will negatively affect student learning.

3. CLOSING THE SCHOOLS HURTS THE COMMUNITY

These schools are the very hearts of their neighborhoods, providing a sense of belonging and community for the children they serve that cannot be duplicated. Children need more than ever a sense of belonging in their immediate community, and attending schools distant from their homes undercuts this crucial goal.

4. CLOSING THE SCHOOLS HURTS LINCOLN

Closing these schools will lower land values, discourage investment, and undermine the efforts of both residential and commercial investors in revitalizing these areas of Lincoln. Northeast Lincoln has already sacrificed several schools in the name of efficiency, to its detriment. To keep these areas vital and thriving, LPS should show its commitment to the citizens of the interior of Lincoln by showing that it does not value other, newer areas more. Abandoning the vital center of Lincoln in this way is shortsighted and will result in harm to Lincoln as a whole.

The Pershing PTO implores LPS to look closely at other options available to save money, other than closing Hawthorne and Dawes. Keeping the schools open has overwhelming public support, is in the best interests of our children and communities, and lets LPS better adapt to future needs. Though attendance may be low at this point in time, future growth in the heart of Lincoln should be encouraged and not sabotaged.

Signed,

The Pershing Parent Teacher Organization

/s/ Angie Miller, President
/s/ Doug Kerns, Secretary
/s/ Amy Cink, Treasurer
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Clinton Neighborhood Organization

September 16, 2007

I am writing to express concerns articulated by the Clinton Neighborhood Organization regarding Lincoln Public School’s decision to try closing Hawthorne Elementary and Dawes Junior High.

We do not feel it is beneficial to close an inner city school when other neighboring inner city schools are sitting at 90% or better capacity. Clinton Elementary is full beyond capacity and redrawing district lines did nothing to address this issue. Instead of closing nearby schools, time would be better spent focusing on moving more children from overpopulated schools to ones with space available.

Also, Culler Middle school, a school that would absorb some students should Dawes close, has struggled to get students academically above a passing grade on standardized tests. Even though the school is adding a new addition, we are concerned that adding more students would not allow the one-on-one teaching needed to keep these children at or above district standards.

The Clinton Neighborhood Organization wants to make sure any decisions made on this subject is in the best interests of the children in our inner city schools. Please explore all other avenues before making this decision.

Thank you very much for your time.

Sincerely,



Mandy Heermann
CNO Secretary

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Hawthorne Elementary:
Bridging the Minority Achievement Gap

According to a recent Lincoln Journal Star article, national test results show “educators have not been able to close the achievement gap between white students and other ethnic and racial groups in Nebraska”. In math, for example, “Fifty-six percent of black fourth-graders tested below the basic level”. Hispanic fourth-graders tested at forty percent below the basic level. *
*“Report: Ethnic gap remains in learning”, Margery Beck, Lincoln Journal Star, September 26, 2007, pg. 2B

The educators and students at Hawthorne have not only bridged the gap, but have in fact out-performed white students in several categories.

2007 MAT SCORES IN MATH:
District Wide 5th Graders
Hispanic: 58%
African American: 56%
White: 68.2%

Hawthorne 5th Graders
Hispanic: 75.2%
African American: 72.4%
White: 77.6%

THE HAWTHORNE DIFFERENCE
African American 5th Graders at Hawthorne:
4.2% higher than White students in the district

Hispanic American 5th Graders at Hawthorne:
7% higher than White students in the district

White 5th Graders at Hawthorne:
9.4% higher than other White students in the district

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40th & A Neighborhood Association

1001 S. 37th Street
Lincoln, NE 68510

October 9, 2007

Dr. Susan E. Gourley
Superintendent
Lincoln Public Schools
5901 O Street
Lincoln, NE 68510

RE: Proposed School Closings/Repurposings

Dear Dr. Gourley:

On behalf of the 40th & A Neighborhood Association board, I am writing regarding the closings/repurposings as proposed by the Lincoln Public School Board.

The 40th & A Neighborhood Association Board supports Witherbee Neighborhood Association’s efforts regarding the closing of Hawthorne school. Our board is concerned about the potential impact on our neighborhood schools (Randolph Elementary and Bryan Learning Community) should Hawthorne Elementary be closed and repurposed as an alternative high school.

We believe that repurposing the schools is not in the best interest of strengthening neighborhoods and providing quality education.

Regards,

Tracy J. Corr
40th & A Neighborhood Association President

cc: Lincoln Journal-Star
Witherbee Neighborhood Association
Lincoln Neighborhood Alliance

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this article was posted at Lincoln JournalStar web site at 11:58 pm, Sunday, 14 Oct. 2007

Local View: LPS, listen to north Lincoln on Hawthorne, Dawes
BY MARIAN L. PRICE
Sunday, Oct 14, 2007 - 11:58:25 pm CDT
Lately I’m reminded of the poet and philosopher George Santayana’s famous quote: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

The school board is trying to close two schools after asking voters for $250 million to build new schools because of overcrowding. It appears the school board and superintendent are determined to repeat past mistakes made by previous Lincoln school boards, so it seems necessary to jog their memory.

About 80 years ago, the City of Lincoln annexed University Place, Havelock and Bethany. The ill manner in which those three neighborhoods were treated at the time created a divisiveness in our community that in some ways remains today.

About 40 years ago, a Lincoln newspaper, observing that the school board meetings seemed to be perfunctory, investigated and exposed the fact that school board business was being conducted in secret with public rubber stamp meetings to cover up what was really going on behind closed doors. Because of that, the Lincoln Alliance was formed and began influencing Lincoln politics.

About 30 years ago, the school board built Goodrich Junior High and closed Whittier, the closest junior high to it. They also built Kahoa Elementary and then closed two of the closest elementary schools, Bethany and Havelock.

It was this series of events that persuaded me to run for the school board. Others had the same idea, and the school board members who replaced current schools with new schools in the same or nearby neighborhoods rapidly replaced themselves.

At one time, nearly all of the school board members lived south of O Street, so school board districts became mandated in Lincoln.

Well, sometimes it seems the more things change the more they stay the same. This school board has gerrymandered their districts so that once again only one board member out of seven lives north of O Street. In fact, there are more school board members south of Highway 2 than there are north of O Street.

And again, north Lincoln is being poorly treated. Once again we’re spending hundreds of millions of dollars to build new schools, only to close schools next to them.

Recent school board meetings have lasted less than 30 minutes. From having served on the school board, I know that you can’t responsibly conduct the business of a public entity with an operating budget of more than $250 million a year, spending only a few minutes every two weeks.

And once again, the Lincoln Neighborhood Alliance has chosen to oppose the current school board’s recommendation to close Hawthorne and Dawes.

Maybe every few years Lincoln needs a wake-up call, and the cavalier actions of this school board and administration are providing that opportunity.

It’s time for this school board and superintendent to listen to what the voters are saying. The members of the board and district leadership may change before the next school bond election is held, but the citizens of Lincoln, who voted to pass the $250 million bond issue, will not soon forget what was “pulled” on them if Hawthorne or Dawes is closed.

Marian L. Price is a former member of the Lincoln Board of Education.

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To LPS Board of Education & Supt. Dr. Gourley:

Attached is the recently printed Witherbee Neighborhood Association Fall 2007 "Witherbee Buzz."

I ask that you please take the time to read the various articles that have been written concerning the future of Hawthorne Elementary and the many valid reasons as to why it should remain an elementary school and not be re-purposed.

As I have stated in my message, the members of the Board of Education are elected by the citizens of this community and therefore need to never forget who they represent in matters pertaining to our public schools.

There have been editorials written, public testimony given, substantial public feedback, high attendance at meetings by concerned parents who have children at either Hawthorne or Dawes and many emails and letters from individual neighborhood associations and the Lincoln Neighborhood Alliance- ALL ADVOCATING THAT NEITHER SCHOOL BE CLOSED OR RE-PURPOSED.

There are people, students, neighborhoods and schools whom you represent as elected members of the Board of Education. No protest and/or public outcry too close or re-purpose these schools has been made. Instead, a unified request, not a plea, to the Board of Education to listen to those who have communicated and contacted you about this serious matter has been made and an overwhelming majority has asked that neither school be closed or re-purposed.

Please remember to vote for who you represent (i.e. the citizens of this community) and for what(i.e. that which was specifically stated in the 2006 school bond issue) since all of you have been entrusted with that responsibility.

Sincerely,

Steve Schwab
Witherbee Neighborhood Association

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Parents, community leaders rally to keep schools open

By MARGARET REIST / Lincoln Journal Star
Tuesday, Oct 16, 2007 - 10:03:17 pm CDT

The message Tuesday night was clear: It’s not over yet.

Just a week before the Lincoln Board of Education is expected to vote on districtwide boundary changes that could close two schools, about 70 people gathered to rally support for keeping Hawthorne Elementary and Dawes Middle schools open.

“We know what needs to be done, and we have just one week to do it,” said Hawthorne parent Chip Stanley. “We need to pack that board room and give new meaning to the word overcrowding.”

Speakers at the Save Our Schools rally at First Evangelical Covenant Church at 60th and L streets included State Sen. Bill Avery, former Lincoln Mayor Don Wesely, Board of Education member Kathy Danek and former school board member Marian Price.

State Sen. Amanda McGill of Lincoln was there, also, though she didn’t speak.

Both Avery and Wesely said closing schools would negatively affect the neighborhoods.

“If you don’t have schools in the neighborhood, the neighborhood falls apart. I’ve seen it happen too many times,” said Avery, a Lincoln senator whose district includes the Hawthorne attendance area.

He applauded parents who he said have created an organized network and a movement that will go beyond this issue to be “a force to be reckoned with in education in this city.”

Hawthorne PTO representatives have met with representatives of other PTOs in an effort to organize a group that can have a voice on issues common to all parents.

Wesely said the fight to make sure older neighborhoods are not forgotten is not new, because there will always be a need for new schools. While it’s important to support those new schools, it’s also important to support older neighborhoods and for the whole community to stick together.

“This is the wrong direction,” he said.

“Instead of walking away from (older schools), let’s re-engage, reinvest in them,” he said.

While parents who have been active in the opposition spoke Tuesday, so did some who haven’t taken the microphone before.

Rodrigo Arias told the group how his wife and two children came from Chile in 2004 worried about the challenges they would face here. Hawthorne Elementary laid those fears to rest, he said.

“Our introduction to a new language and a new lifestyle has been successful for my kids and also for us,” he said. “As a family, we have learned to love the school these two years.”

Jennifer Duenas, also a Hawthorne parent, said she was speaking for all Spanish-speaking parents at Hawthorne who don’t want the school to close.

Many are upset at the idea of the school closing but have been afraid to speak up because they don’t speak English, she said.

Danek, an outspoken board member of the proposals to close the schools, said she thinks doing so would set a precedent and would hurt the intergenerational strength of neighborhoods.

“The long-term consequence of loving your home, investing in your neighborhood and not moving out should not lead to the loss of your neighborhood school,” she said.

Karen Lamb, Dawes PTO president, said it’s important for parents to let elected officials know they can’t make changes without facing opposition.

“I’m not going to talk about Dawes and Hawthorne tonight,” she said. “I want to talk about something else ... and that is the need to stand up for what you feel is right and to stand against what you feel is wrong.”

Reach Margaret Reist at 473-7226 or mreist@journalstar.com.

copy of SAVE OUR SCHOOL Lincoln JournalStar ad 21 October

Feb 2006
63% of Lincoln Voters Approve $250 Million School Bond Issue.
Are Lincoln’s taxpayers getting what the School Board promised?
We don’t think so.

PROMISES MADE:
Lincoln School Board promised increased efficiency in using existing schools.
Lincoln School Board promised 3 additional schools.
Lincoln School Board promised to eliminate portables.

PROMISES BROKEN:
Instead of using existing schools proposes closing Dawes and Hawthorne schools
Instead of 3 additional schools we would get 1 additional school for $250 million.
Instead of eliminating portables – we would eliminate two existing schools.

We, the undersigned, stand united in asking the Lincoln Board of Education to honor their promises and vote to keep Dawes Middle School and Hawthorne Elementary School open.

Senator Bill Avery Senator Amanda McGill
Former Mayor Don Wesley Former Senator & Board Member Marian Price
Former Mayor Coleen Seng City Councilman Doug Emery
City Councilman Jonathan Cook Former Councilwoman Patte Newman
Jared Teichmeier Modesta Putla
Chuck van Rossum Lincoln Neighborhood Alliance
El Centro De Las Americas Witherbee Neighborhood Assn
40th & A Neighborhood Assn Hartley Neighborhood Assn
Clinton Neighborhood Assn Near South Neighborhood Assn
Havelock Neighborhood Assn Pershing Elementary PTO
Hawthorne Elementary PTO Dawes Middle School PTO
Lincoln Central Labor Union Lincoln Journal Star Editorial Board

Join us in the fight to keep Dawes and Hawthorne open. Contact the LPS board members TODAY via phone or email ( HYPERLINK "http://www.lps.org" www.lps.org) and show your support at the decision-making board meeting Tuesday, October 23rd, 7pm at the LPS District Office.

United we stand. Together we can make a difference!

Paid for by People who care about Lincoln

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Hear Roger Larson's Perspective Tuesday & Thursdays at 7:25 AM & 5:25 PM

Roger Larson Perspective
What a school means (10-23-07)
One of the hottest local topics lately has been the proposed decision to close two of the Lincoln Public School-Hawthorne Elementary and Dawes Middle School. The administration wants to redraw the attendance area lines and send the kids now attending these schools to other adjacent schools. There may be very good logic and rationale for these closings. The administration has a good record of the right decisions.

But in the case of Hawthorne Elementary, I think reconsideration is needed. The Witherbee Neighborhood Association is a strong well-run organization, active in many good ways to maintain and improve what is a group of residents living in well kept homes, and unified in their desire to stabilize their way of life. They are correct when they say that their neighborhood is filled with houses that are in the price range of first time buyers, which means that many young families will continue to be living there.

I believe that closing Hawthorne would begin to deteriorate that area because the focal point of Hawthorne would be gone. These folks take great pride in the fact that Hawthorne rates very high in student performance. Hawthorne last spring won the award of Gold Star School, awarded to only one public school in Lincoln each year, for outstanding achievement.

There are times when other factors are more important than a small gain in productivity. In my opinion, Hawthorne school should be allowed to remain as a high quality school, serving a high quality neighborhood that appreciates its value.

I'm Roger Larson, and that's the way I see it

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please note that this web editor has deleted some of the comments that duplicate comments that were already made & thus there are fewer than 97 comments

Ed board votes to close Hawthorne
By MARGARET REIST / Lincoln Journal Star   tuesday 23 oct 2007

97 comments

The Lincoln Board of Education on Tuesday — with a roomful of parents, children and neighborhood residents who appealed to them to do otherwise — voted to close Hawthorne Elementary School on a 4-3 vote.

But they unanimously decided on a compromise of sorts for Dawes Middle School: Keep it open until at least 2010 and, if money is available for a Goodrich renovation, transfer those students to Dawes during the construction period.

The compromise also moved the southeast portion of the new Schoo Middle School attendance area south of Interstate 80 into the Dawes Middle School area and a small portion to Goodrich.

Kathy Danek offered that amendment, saying she was concerned about students having to cross the interstate and an unfinished portion of Fletcher Avenue to get to Schoo.

The decision on Dawes was a less emotional move than the one that came earlier, when each board member took a turn explaining his or her position on Hawthorne.

Keith Prettyman, Lillie Larsen, Barb Baier and Ed Zimmer all said that, in the end, they couldn’t support keeping the school open without enough students living in the area to fill it.

“This is not about Hawthorne, this is not about Dawes, it’s about a decision a school board has to make when too few students attend the school,” Prettyman said.

The 80-year-old school will close at the end of the school year, and the district will find another use for the building.

Danek, Don Mayhew and Richard Meginnis voted to keep the school open.

“School provides the heart to that community,” Danek said. “Hawthorne is definitely the beating heart of that community.”

Meginnis, who said Monday he was undecided, cast his vote to keep Hawthorne open, citing revitalization efforts of the city’s core and what he said is a housing market that means affordable homes will be in the core of the city, not the fringe.

“What has really turned me is people not vested in the school who have come up to me and said, ‘It’s important for the whole city.’”

The board was more unified in its support of the Dawes compromise, although Danek — who lives in northeast Lincoln and has been a staunch proponent of keeping Dawes open — initially said she was worried that the proposal was just putting off the school’s inevitable end.

But Prettyman said it would allow time to see if more Dawes families started attending their home school.

“If the community votes with its feet, it will be difficult for the board to say, three or four years hence, that that’s not enough.”

Board members made two other changes: They moved a portion of the Irving district into Scott Middle School, which parents in the area had lobbied hard for, and moved a portion of Roper Elementary into Lakeview Elementary.

But the most discussion — and the most passion — came from parents of the schools facing closure.

Nearly 100 opponents of the school closings lined O Street before Tuesday’s board meeting, chanting “Save our schools.”

Families — including many children — held signs outside the district offices at 59th and O streets. Cars honked as they passed.

Then more than 150 parents, children and area residents filled the board room and an overflow room.

Eighteen parents, neighborhood residents and former students of both schools took the microphone, and the message from all of them was clear: Please don’t close the schools. Applause followed many of the comments.

Hawthorne PTO President Michelle Strand told the board about a survey the PTO and Witherbee Neighborhood Association had conducted, contacting about 550 families, about half the number who live in the attendance area. They found 130 elementary-aged children living in the area and 189 children 5 years or younger. That’s 45 percent more children who haven’t yet reached school age, Strand said.

“Now we have proof that the turnover has begun,” she said. “We’re no longer talking about the potential for growth, as the growth is here.”

Several speakers reiterated a complaint they’ve voiced before: that there was not open dialogue by bond issue proponents before voters passed a $250 million bond last year. The school board promised to review attendance areas after voters passed the issue last year.

The bond issue will allow three new schools to be built and renovations made and space added to existing ones. Although most of the debate has centered on the potential closings, many of the attendance area changes would occur in the outlying areas of the city to accommodate the new schools.

At Hawthorne, about 90 of its English Language Learner students who have been bused to the ELL site will now attend Hartley, their neighborhood school. But many aren’t happy with that.

Carmela Sanchez de Jimenez, executive director of El Centro de las Americas, told the board that the Spanish-speaking families whose children are ELL students at Hawthorne don’t feel the board is interested in having an open dialogue with them.

What they hear, she said, is that board members think the Hawthorne building is acceptable for another program but not for them.

Chip Stanley, a Hawthorne parent and active opponent of closing the school, appealed to the board to keep schools “comfortable,” not “crowded.” And he thanked the board for helping to bring families and parents together as a community and a unified voice.

“Win or lose, you will hear from us again,” he said. “We are organized, we are energized, and we are here to stay.”

Reach Margaret Reist at 473-7226 or mreist@journalstar.com.

Comments:

Christine wrote on October 23, 2007 9:46 pm:
" Did anyone doubt this from happening? Good luck to LPS in the future; a good portion of the public feels lied to, manipulated, and disrespected between the previous bond issue and this issue. Whether or not you agreed with the situation, going from needing every available classroom and building more to suddenly closing a school because someone got a wild hair up their... well. LPS just completely discredited their public image and will have a hard time achieving solid goals in the future. A seriously stupid mistake. "

not a suprise wrote on October 23, 2007 10:32 pm:
" i'm sure that LPS had this decided long before tonight. Good efforts everyone at trying to keep the schools open, but I don't think it really made a difference, they had already decided. i don't know if it's a matter of whether or not it would save LPS money, and whether or not they SHOULD be closed, as much as it is that they have flat out lied about this. I'm glad that they are building three new schools that we don't even need, and closing two schools that people are very close to, and really want open. would need still new schools even if they had left these open? maybe, but maybe not as big of schools. so way to go LPS. they have lost A LOT of respect from this, i'm sure, and I know that many people will think twice before voting to give them any more money. "

parent wrote on October 23, 2007 10:35 pm:
" I'm sure the school board weighed all the comments and circumstances when making this decision. We elected them to make these tough decisions for the good of our children - even when the right decision may not be the popular or most feel good stance. It is highly unlikely that any of the school board members set out to lie, manipulate or disrespect anyone. "

Roger wrote on October 23, 2007 10:46 pm:
" Well Christine, I have to agree with you on this one. It is not so much that I disagree with the closing of the school, although I do, it is in the arrogant way this was and is being handled. It seems that we as the public do not really have much say as to what happens in the public schools. We are pretty much dependent upon the elected officials on this and other issues. You can imagine that I will not be much in favor of anything else that comes out of the current board of education as to any or all new proposals for spending, like bond issues, etc. I have lost much confidence in the school system and how it is run today. It goes against the grain when we are told that we need more buildings and that the increase in buildings will allow for better placement of students, when in fact some residence can and do live directly across the street from a new school, yet their children need to go to another school because the school directly across from them is full. :???? What is going on, is beyond my comprehension, and the only solution I see is to leave Lincoln as soon as possible. "

TG wrote on October 23, 2007 11:08 pm:
" The taxpayers are the real winners tonight. "

arrogance? wrote on October 23, 2007 11:24 pm:
" I believe a lot of the arrogance goes towards many who "act" like they know what is going on across all of Lincoln Public Schools. Many of the issues that were brought up were, in fact, part of the plan with the bond issue. Hawthorne has been made a viable school for years because of lack of attendance. 37% of capacity? That figure did not make it a hard decision for school board decisions. "

Parent 2 parent wrote on October 24, 2007 12:00 am:
" yep, we elected them. We'll know better the next time. Don't think for a moment that this so called "tough" decision was for the good of our children. This decision need not have been that "tough" at all. In fact it was down right easy had they taken the time to be brave enough to look at the facts and change their preconceived minds. Being open minded, those are the leaders we thought we had elected. "

LPS Employee wrote on October 24, 2007 12:01 am:
" So many of you complain about the waste of tax payer money and when the board decides to do something about it you complain about that too. Why can't you see that keeping schools open just because "Johnny" has always gone to that school is not a good reason to keep it open. Why keep a fully staffed middle school open when the enrollment would dip to around 200. The board did a great job of making a tough and unpopular decision. "

Dave K wrote on October 24, 2007 12:02 am:
" Good job, LBE, for making the right decision. The taxpayers of Lincoln (well, the ones that don't invest so much of their life in their local schools) thank you. "

iVote wrote on October 24, 2007 12:21 am:
" And I can vote for a recall of all school board members who went along with closing these schools. "

Ann wrote on October 24, 2007 1:01 am:
" This was a vote by the Board in support of overcrowded schools in the core of the city. The Board may have evaluated the information they were given, but the information was old data. This was also a vote by the Board (and LPSDO) that the quality of our ELL programs and our pre-school programs is not a concern. Ninety ELL students will now get to attend their neighborhood school that already has four portables on site. And the pre-school programs at Eastridge and Hartley, where will they go? Where will there be room? I no longer trust that LPSDO and the Board of Education know what is best for the community. But not to be discouraged, citizens can still have a say in the decision made Tuesday evening...it's called "recall". "

Chris wrote on October 24, 2007 2:47 am:
" Give it up. Schools close, new ones are built. So if they changed the attendance boundries, there would be MANY on the fringes crying that there kid once went to X school that was closer, but now has to goto Y school. Hawthorne was the "old man" out in the whole scheme of things, and the building won't completely close, they have a plan for it's use. So think of things entirely balanced. I am a tax payer, I can agree with this... and I would rather they build two new schools with my tax money and close one that is not being cost efficent and productive... than have 2 new and 1 old school sucking the money out for the rest of the District. "

marnie wrote on October 24, 2007 4:49 am:
" Lincoln. north of 'O', has just been RED LINED by the school board. THey only care about the students whose parents they socialize with. "

R. Ality Check wrote on October 24, 2007 5:39 am:
" Strategy for keeping your community school. Run community-minded candidates for the school board. Vote current members out. Gourley out. Lean up the top heavy and heavy handed top eschelon of administration. Encourage economic, housing, population growth in your established communities. Don't give up. Be visible. "

Dawes Neighbor wrote on October 24, 2007 6:38 am:
" Dawes will have it's own attendance area - and be a school -- If you want to make sure that this school isn't closed -- work to get a school board that looks and listens to the communities they represent. Give Kathy Danek some help when you elect new school board members -- oh yeah -- we need candidates to run. Mayhew and Meginnis got the message -- and understood the need for both Hawthorne and Dawes. If we want to keep Dawes -- we need to get our children in that school -- and keep our own records -- THEY have fuzzy numbers -- and we need to hold them accountable. Small School are the most successful. The whole country sees it -- why can't the new leadership at LPS. "

I don't understand wrote on October 24, 2007 7:08 am:
" Everyday I read comments from people on this site complaining about how your taxes are too high. Your comments on how the school district needs to cut administractors, lower taxes, do more with less, etc....... Now, the board makes a hard decision to close a schoool which will do all of those things you complain about that to? Seems to me that maybe we would be better off in Lincoln if those of your that keep threatening to move would just DO it!! "

Locke wrote on October 24, 2007 7:41 am:
" One of the things that people always say about Lincoln is that it is a great place to raise children. Why is that the case? One of the reasons is that we have a good education system. Sometimes this means that tough decisions are needed to be made. If neighborhoods can't provide enough students for their elementary schools, it is time to start thinking about closing them. If other neighborhoods are growing and can support more schools, it is time to build. Why should some neighborhoods be privileged because they were there first? This was an unpopular decision for the school board to make. It is easy for politicians to make popular decisions; it is more difficult for them to make principled unpopular decisions. They just did the latter, and I support them for doing so. And fyi, I do not live in South Lincoln. "

LLB wrote on October 24, 2007 8:29 am:
" Well, now we find out whether PTO parents can remain united and "here to stay." I have frequently commented that Lincoln lacks a watch-dog group for LPS and the Board. Now we can see just how much one is needed. I hope that we realize the sop to keep Dawes open temporarily is a divisive attempt to split Dawes and Hawthorne parents into the have's and have-nots. The assumption is that Dawes parents are only concerned about a short term fix for kids currently in the school and that these parents will fade away from the fight now that they are satisfied--leaving Hawthorne parents on their own. And did it go over anyone's head that money for renovating Goodrich isn't readily available? Meginnis pointed that out. And if anyone missed it, Baier said flat out that Board members are not there to represent their constituencies. If not, then we should elect them from the community at large. Will the by-laws allow recalling these people? "

PB wrote on October 24, 2007 8:53 am:
" What a shameful exhibition of committee contempt for constituencies. Barbara Baier even said that they do not represent the people who elect them. If not, then why are they elected from specific districts? Recall, recall, recall. "

Michael wrote on October 24, 2007 8:58 am:
" An extremely dissapointing outcome, this closing of the schools. As a parent who returned to the Witherbee neighborhood with a 2 year old child who will now have to leave the neigborhood to attend school I am outraged. At the meeting there was solid justification raised for keeping both of these schools open. The demographics of the neighborhoods are shifting toward younger families and yet the board still decided against many good reasons to close these schools. This is indicative of a larger shift in society toward a coroporate rather than a citizen based economy. If Prettyman, Larsen, Baier and/or Zimmer show up on my ballot there will be no vote cast for them from my pen. Apparently they were not paying attention to the latest figures provided by Michelle Strand that show real growth of young families in these neighborhoods "

russell wrote on October 24, 2007 9:18 am:
" I have said it before but I will say one more time! The last LPS board candidates were not elected because there were no opponents. Until there are contested elections the neighborhoods will continue to get this unequal treatment. "

Lincolnite wrote on October 24, 2007 9:24 am:
" The School Board indeed has tough decisions to make and they made a tough decision last night. I thought the Board handled itself very during the discussions. I do think the parents at Hawthorne made an error in how they supported their cause. In watching the Board meetings on the topic I felt they were saying their kids will not get a good education at other schools (when in fact they will) and I did not like the fact that they kept bring up the fact how good their ELL students were doing and then would throw in the comment that the 'white kids are doing good too'. ELL, white, black, yellow, or green, they are all students in our school system and they should all be doing well--why differentiate? "

New Family wrote on October 24, 2007 9:57 am:
" We just moved into the Hawthorne district area this August with our one year old. It's too bad he won't get the chance to attend this school, which I have heard wonderful things about. I would like to thank the dedicated members of the PTO who stopped by our home to visit about the school. Hopefully, we will have the same dedicated individuals at Eastridge. "

T Jefferson wrote on October 24, 2007 10:44 am:
" It is with regret and empathy that I write that Hawthorne may have gotten what it deserves. When Barb Baier accepted tens of thousands of dollars from East Coast special interest groups (check the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure website) she made it obvious that she did not care about the people in Lincoln. As she said in the school board meeting last night. Her vote is her own. Maybe it is time to wake up and put someone on the school board who will represent the voters instead of special interest groups. And the place to start is in recalling Baier. What do you think? "

tom issquah wrote on October 24, 2007 11:36 am:
" It is too bad when the demographics change so as to cause the closure of schools. No one wins. One would hope that the LPS would look at their lease on the building they occupy on O Street and try to look at ways to move their operations into these closed school buildings. What a savings to the district to operate in a building with no rent and no mortgage!! "

LPS Democracy ??? wrote on October 24, 2007 11:47 am:
" "It is highly unlikely that any of the school board members set out to lie, manipulate or disrespect anyone. " The Board was unable to design a win-win option and went for win-lose. Lincoln parents, children, neighbors and property owners were left out of final the problem solving process. This outcome reflects poorly on the Superintendent who provides leadership to the Board. "

LanceR wrote on October 24, 2007 12:29 pm:
" Kristine, you have a point. Barb Baier was not the only vote to close the schools. She was, however, the only *elected* school board member to blatantly slap every Lincoln voter with her absolute contempt for, and ignorance of, the democratic process. We do not elect leaders in this country. We elect representatives. For one of those representatives to go into an angry diatribe about how messy democracy is, and how she doesn't have to listen to the people, is outrageous, contemptible, and worthy of a recall election. She is a sad excuse for a representative. "

Parent wrote on October 24, 2007 1:18 pm:
" I am truly sad about what happened last night. It was a tough decision to make. I do not agree with the decision that was made. I am hearing many things and I want to comment on a few of them: 1. Baier was/is an arrogant indivdual. I could not believe how she sat there and more or less said that we are lucky to have as an elected official for we are to ignorant to have our own opinion. If are opinions are not aligned with hers then we were easily manipulated with false data. Translation "the new data" that the school board was not interested in. 2. We must keep the cities core healthy. These are the homes that new families will be buying. Not all of us can or want to home fancy priced homes south of town. 3. PLEASE TO THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE DISAPPOINTTED WITH THE OUTCOME OF THIS VOTE. DO NOT CUT OUR NOSES OFF TO SPITE OUR FACES. DO NOT TALK ABOUT NOT SUPPORTING ANOTHER BOND ISSUE. DO NOT PUNISH OUR SCHOOL KIDS BECAUSE OF 4 BOARD MEMBERS. REVIEW, SCRUTINIZE ALL BOND ISSUES AND GIVE IT THE SUPPORT THAT IT DOES OR DOES NOT DESERVE. DO NOT FAIL THE OTHER KIDS OF OUR CITY. 4. We did learn how to vote next time and I truly wish that all of those people who do not vote see how important it is. 5. One more thought, I knew that Hawthorne would be closing over two years ago when the cancelled renovations for the school. No one was really fooled. Decisions are made and the smoke and mirrors are set and we fail, but at least we are heard. "

Jamie wrote on October 24, 2007 2:24 pm:
" I'm interested to see what they do with the Dawes students, as a feeder school for several group homes and a host of what LPS likes to label as "at risk" students, I think that we will see these students fall through the cracks as other schools are prepared for the sucessful culture that Dawes has created to help students who would otherwise not do well. Personally, I don't think LPS really wants to put anymore money or efforts into our low-income dominanted schools, so what better way then to shut them down and crowd our already over crowded middle schools more....way to support the No Child Left Behind Act. I see LPS is still doing the same things as it did when I was a student. "

Craig wrote on October 24, 2007 2:41 pm:
" Interesting that the two schools targeted have high minority numbers. Coincidence? Does the heated defense of Ms. Baier by her sister address why she can target these minority students of Dawes and Hawthorne without any qualms of dismay? Unfortunately, if you look at the way the entire student housing focus and targeted closing of schools, it appears that the Baier, Zimmerman, Prettyman and Larsen group does not protect or advocate for better facilities for minorities. "

A. Johnson wrote on October 24, 2007 3:11 pm:
" It is interesting that of the people on the school board ONLY TWO are from Lincoln! They are two of the board members who voted to keep the schools open. When we elect out of towners like Zimner, Baier, Prettyman, and Larsen they don't understand the value we place in community here Lincoln "

Zimmer's History Lesson wrote on October 24, 2007 4:10 pm:
" Zimmer...that man could have voted to keep things open. Instead now he'll be seen on channel 5, with bullhorn in hand, giving tours along 48th street and saying: "This building used to be a fine school". It's about time Ed's seat on the board becomes history! "

JRT wrote on October 24, 2007 4:13 pm:
" Kristine - I can understand what you are saying. It is difficult when someone questions your intent (i.e. doing this to hurt minority students) as opposed to questioning the policy. However, I hate to admit, as a conservative, I find it amusing when this happens to a liberal. Anytime a conservative tries to make changes his/her intent is questioned (racist, sexist, homophobe, etc.). I hope you and others who are sympothetic to Barb remember this when you disagree with particular position (i.e if you are against SCHIP then you hate kids). I hope we can all agree this is really foolish. "

SB wrote on October 24, 2007 5:05 pm:
" these comments are hilarious; parents are worse then politicians. Thanks to the LPS Board for doing what you were elected to do - holding LPS financially viable as it seems education is a lost cause since the parents can't even compute simple attendance numbers. "

Mom1 wrote on October 24, 2007 5:11 pm:
" These board members have obviously decided that overcrowded bigger schools are better than smaller schools. Have they looked at the test scores at Eastridge and Randolph? This shows how well small schools work with these kids. They obviously haven't taken into account, or cared, how this is going to overcrowd these two other schools. Hawthorne could have operated on the population they have and are getting, apparently more kids are coming into school age around there. A lot of the kids have special needs, why put them into a crowded school and spoil their chances at a better education? "

x wrote on October 24, 2007 8:17 pm:
" This is the kind of stuff that went on in LPS all the time I lived in lincoln. The whole government and lps boards are in bed with the high rollers. I got out of that madhouse in 2003. The people who live there and don't put a stop to it need to wake up. Myself and others tried unsuccessfully on several things to shake up the town. Anything we tried to do we ran into closed doors. I finially gave it up and just moved. I took a child who was starting high school and got the student out. She was enrolled in a high school out of state that didn't need police at the doors. or overcrowding. The population of the high school was around 1100. Believe it or not the school board here saves taxpayer money. The had a bond to build the new high school for 1200-1300 students, and did it for 45 million with money left over. Then they repaid the bond early, took the money saved, built a new state of the art football and track facility on 10 acres and built a new 6-7 grade school. WITHOUT ANY TAX INCREASE DUE TO THE EARLY BOND PAYOFF. Just had to let you know that some areas have smart school boards. "

Andrew wrote on October 24, 2007 9:35 pm:
" Keep in mind what happened last night, as this subject will come back in 2-3 years. Only at that time, the subject will be the overcrowding at Randolph, Eastridge, Reilly, and Holmes. Hawthorne would not be an option due to Bryan Learning Center moving into the Hawthore building (by the way, where will the students and staff park?). This will require more money, something that needs to be saved by closing an underused school. Also note how the Hawthore school district was layed out. You can only fit so many people into a 12 square block area. But alas, the school broad presidents agenda was fullfilled Tuesday night. Hawthorne will cease to exist, Bryan Learning Center will get it's new facilities, the existing schools will become overcrowded, and Lincoln will come one step closer to becoming more like Omaha "

Shane wrote on October 24, 2007 11:09 pm:
" I think it is hilarious to see people on this board commending the school board for fiscal responsibility. There was never a plan to CLOSE Hawthorne and Dawes. They were to be "repurposed" to use for an alternative high school and middle school. If you don't close any schools and you don't lay off any employees where is the savings? IF there is money saved when will we see the tax rate go down to return that money to the constituents? The bottom line is that Lincoln voters were told that we would need the school bond to prevent overcrowded schools and now schools are "repurposed" before any new schools are even built. This either reeks of horrible planning or an out right lie to voters. The school board did NOT do there job and became lapdogs for the school administration "

thinking back wrote on October 25, 2007 12:17 am:
" How many people from North Lincoln & the Hawthorne & Dawes areas served on the school bond promotion group last year? I doubt if any & I doubt if any were invited to do so. Another example of South Lincoln calling the shots & North & Central Lincoln being marginalized. "

Get it RIGHT wrote on October 25, 2007 9:52 am:
" They didn't vote to CLOSE DAWES -- instead -- to give Dawes an attendance area -- beginning in 2009 -- It's a compromise -- to have Dawes Families MAKE THE CHOICE TO SUPPORT THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL -- AND THAT'S DAWES. It's a great school with long term dedicated teachers -- students who love their school. Get with it Dawes Neighborhood -- put your kids in Dawes - that will save your school "

The $6.5 million dollar error wrote on October 25, 2007 1:36 pm:
" The real issue reason Dawes was recommended for closing is that $6.5 million worth of renovations and additions were done to Culler. If you look at the map of where students live. The majority of kids in the Culler attendance area live west of 33rd St and North of Vine. It would have been very easy to move these kids - as well as all kids west of 56th and north of O into Dawes - a building that had already had $7.5 million in renovations done. The rest of the Culler attendance area could have been moved into Mickle and Culler would have been the school to close. Instead, our short-sighted district office had $6.5 million in renovations and additions done to Culler. "

Alert Grandpa wrote on October 26, 2007 7:20 am:
" Perhaps the attacks on Barb Baier are justified, but not for the reasons cited by previous writers. My concerns are that her "declaration of independence" from her constituents not only insults the voters of Lincoln, with its implication that we aren't smart enough to understand the issues, it also declares her DEpendence only upon information fed to her by a single source. Her unwillingness to even consider any perspective other than one driven by business concerns, coupled with a stoney, cold-faced READING of her multipaged justification for closing a school on it's economic merits, leads me to believe that the promises she is keeping are not to the voters and neighborhoods of Lincoln but to the special interests that have her ear. Taxpayers of Lincoln are not so shortsighted and uninformed to believe that nickle and dime savings today are worth the hundreds and thousands of dollars that will be invested in providing access to quality education for students who populate the Hawthorne neighborhood today, and will in the decades to come--to say nothing of the impact cost on the Eastridge, Randolph, and Hartley neighborhoods to incorporate those students. We will not be fooled into thinking that our taxes will be reduced by as much as a single cent as a result of closing the Hawthorne educational program to elementary students. This arrogance and error in judgement may well be her undoing. Ms. Baier is not alone in her culpability on the Hawthorne decision. I've noticed a lack of personal attack on Lillie Larsen. I can only surmise this is because we have not yet figured out what she said. When she was done with her obfuscation, I was sure she had asked permission to walk her pet duck. It's easy to get confused. Both Ed Zimmer and Keith Prettyman had reasoned responses and at least expressed a genuine concern about how their vote would impact the students and residents of the Hawthorne and Dawes communities. Their acknowledgement of community and parent concern exhibited a level of warmth and understanding that has been totally lacking in the responses from Baier and Larson. Inscribed in gold, above the north entrance of our state Capitol is the motto: "The salvation of the state is watchfulness in the citizen". Citizens of Lincoln were less than watchful when school board candidates ran unopposed in the last election. To those board members, your election was not a mandate, but an example of carelessness on our part. We are now watchful. Alert Grandpa "
==================================================================

Schools group won't seek recall
BY MARGARET REIST/Lincoln Journal Star
Thursday, Nov 08, 2007 - 03:51:56 pm CST
A coalition formed to oppose the Lincoln Board of Education’s closing of Hawthorne Elementary  has decided not to launch a recall effort of board members.

Instead, the group will try to develop a “positive, lasting relationship” with the school board, a news release from Save Our Schools coalition said.

The coalition’s goal is to influence the board’s decisions and group coordinators decided that pursuing a recall effort — while one way to hold elected officials accountable  — is not the best way to do that.

“We believe that certain members of the LPS Board put the will of the school district office before the will of the people by voting Oct. 23 to close Hawthorne Elementary,” said Michelle Strand, Hawthorne PTO president who helped form the Save Our Schools Coalition.

“Those board members did not listen to the majority of their constituents and either could not or refused to see the inconsistencies in how the district administration presented the LPS data.”

Some board members put “blind faith” in the district administration, rather than factoring in other information from outside sources, the news release said.

But a recall petition would detract from coalition members’ efforts to influence future decisions, coalition coordinators said.

The decisions the coalition will focus on include:

--  Use of the Hawthorne building after the elementary school is closed.

--  The the environmental safety of portable classrooms across the city

--  The transition of English Language Learner and preschool programs across the city.

In October, the board narrowly approved citywide boundary changes that will close Hawthorne Elementary School after this year.

The board voted to keep the Dawes Middle School attendance area, with the idea that Goodrich Middle School students would be transferred there while their school is renovated. Existing Dawes students could continue to attend.

Parents and neighborhood residents rallied to try to convince the board to keep the schools open, compiling statistics, canvassing the neighborhood and holding rallies and meetings.

After the vote, they considered a recall effort of some of the board members who voted for the boundary changes.  Those board members include: Lillie Larsen, Ed Zimmer, Barb Baier and Keith Prettyman.

Reach Margaret Reist at 473-7226 or mreist@journalstar.com

Comments:

Dano wrote on November 8, 2007 2:28 pm:
" Probably a wise decision. "

It's too funny... wrote on November 8, 2007 3:17 pm:
" They're not going to do something completely stupid, arrogant and costly. That's good. Instead, they're going to become a lobbying group. These are most likely the same people who whine constantly about lobbyists in state government, and they're going to become what they despise. Hilarious! These people think they know more about how to run a school system than career professionals. I'm gonna have a good time laughing at them in the future. "

Hum wrote on November 8, 2007 3:20 pm:
" So whats new. The board won again. They know Lincoln is full of whimps and they can do exactly what they want. Get out your check book, they'll want more money for more new schools and close more. "

R. Ality Check wrote on November 8, 2007 7:50 pm:
" Instead of shaking up the established order of know-it-all superiors on the LPS Board and Administration, you are going to work with them and become one of them. You have lost hope and lost the dream. The Board and Administration will continue to spend money and spin their lies. You are now believers of the lies. It is not too late to return to your efforts to change the beast into a servant of the people. Gain hope. Believe that you can make a difference. The people of Lincoln need your example in order to stop being exploited by a Board and Administration that cares only about their rich and explotive friends. "

Look at history... wrote on November 8, 2007 9:25 pm:
" That is how LPS works. If you work as a group against them on an issue, they co-opt your organization and place you in a coalition or working group giving you "access" to the halls of power on their terms so they can keep you under their collective thumb. "

WWTOD wrote on November 8, 2007 9:55 pm:
" Ha ha... someone on the LPS board convinced you that if you play by their rules, you might, MIGHT... have access to power, the corruptor of all. In other words, you bought the lies, sold out, and will now become what you despised. "

=====================================================================================

LPS shows ups and downs in reading and math test scores
By MARGARET REIST / Lincoln Journal Star
Tuesday, Nov 06, 2007 - 10:44:41 pm CST
The report card’s in for Lincoln Public Schools and the message overall is: They’re staying on track.

District scores in reading and math either increased slightly or decreased slightly over last year depending on the age group.

“Overall, I would say our students continue to perform at high levels with a rigorous curriculum  (and) with high standards for performance,” said Marilyn Moore, LPS associate superintendent for instruction.

The percentage of students who tested proficient in math ranged from 83 in fourth grade, 82.6 in ninth grade and 81.7 in 11th grade.

The percentage of students who tested proficient in reading ranged from 87.8 in fourth grade, 93.3 in eighth grade to 91.8 in 11th grade.

Test scores for individual schools varied, with some big increases and a few big drops.

In some cases, a small number of kids being tested can create big swings.

Another factor that affects average scores is the performance of certain populations — like English Language Learners and special education students.

Before LPS will see big jumps in district averages, they’ll have to see more improvement in some of those groups, Moore said.

“I think in order for us to make significant improvement it’s going to be when we figure out significantly better ways to work with those subgroups,” she said.

But even now, you can find some great stories if you look beyond the averages.

“The stories are usually within the numbers,” Moore said. “Those are where the real stories are.”

Hawthorne Elementary

Despite the controversy in recent months surrounding the fate of Hawthorne Elementary — which the school board voted to close at the end of the year — students inside the 80-year-old building continue to shine.

About four years ago, staff looked at the gap between its English Language Learners, who make up nearly half the school population, and the rest of the students.

They decided to work on closing that gap, primarily by including nearly all ELL students in regular classrooms rather than pulling them out for separate instruction, said Principal Cindy Schwaninger.

They’ve phased in that program over the past four years and found that native speakers acted as role models for the ELL students and ELL students gained confidence, and performed better, when they were around their English-speaking peers.

It meant a lot of work for teachers, who had additional planning time and had to work closely together. ELL teachers taught in the main classroom, alongside the regular teacher.

But ELL and regular classroom teachers learned from one another — as did the students.

Hawthorne boasts one of the biggest increases in performance of students overall and the biggest increase in ELL students’ performance on the state standards. The increases from 2005 to 2007 include:

* Overall, the percentage of Hawthorne students who tested proficient in math increased from 78.8 to 95.7.

* Overall, the percentage of students testing proficient on reading increased from 68.7 to 91.9. 

* The percentage of ELL students’ testing proficient in reading increased from 40.4 to 83.3 percent. 

* The percentage of ELL students testing proficient in math increased from 69.6 to 93.3.

After the school closes next year, most of the ELL students will go to Hartley, their neighborhood school.

Schwaninger said Hartley teachers have met with and will continue to meet with Hawthorne’s ELL teachers and have shown interest in the inclusion program.

McPhee Elementary

McPhee — a school with high mobility and large numbers of low-income students — boasted the biggest increase in students testing proficient in math.

The 28.7 percent increase over last year was no fluke, said Principal Bess Scott.

Staff set specific goals for students and have been working hard to attain them.

What that means is having teachers meet and talk about how to help specific students — and assessing students throughout the year rather than waiting for one assessment at the end of the year when it’s too late to do anything.

“If you wanted to use a metaphor of going on a trip. … It’s like having your eyes closed ’til you got to your destination,” Scott said.

Mostly, she said, it’s a matter of unrelenting persistence by teachers  to work with students.

The percentage of students testing proficient in math increased from 48 to 61.8. Those testing proficient in reading declined from 68 percent to 63.24 percent.

Even with the increases, McPhee has work to do, Scott said. The school’s overall percentages are still lower than many schools, but McPhee’s students started with lots of learning gaps, Scott said.

Teaching kids to believe in themselves is a big part of the challenge. And at McPhee, kids track their progress on graphs and in notebooks. And teachers stress this point:

“Smart is not something you are, it’s something you get through hard work.”

Prescott Elementary

The percentage of Prescott students who tested proficient in reading jumped 18 percent, despite the challenges of being in a temporary building on the other side of the city.

While their building was being renovated, students spent last year at the Abbott Sports Complex, one of two temporary locations used during renovation.

That move included a long bus ride every day but it also included a few unexpected perks, said Principal Paul Canny.

For one thing, every day, each student got breakfast when they stepped off the bus.

For another, class sizes were slightly smaller because students in the hearing impaired program went to Meadow Lane and a few students decided to attend a nearby school for a year rather than have to ride the bus.

But the real success came from teachers who set raising reading scores as a goal, Canny said. They were particularly concerned about special education students, only 34.7 percent of whom tested proficient in reading in 2005.

By this year, that had increased to 61.3 percent, Canny said.

“We said we were going to do whatever we needed to do to get those scores up,” he said.

Students met and talked about individual student performance and what they needed to do to help.

Shelly Dostal, who works with Title 1 students, said it’s a matter of looking at all the data and figuring out what students need.

“Our program is data-driven,” she said. “It’s like a doctor, you look at all the diagnoses.”

Maxey Elementary

A couple of years ago, Maxey staff noticed something disturbing: of their 21 special education students, 18 of them did not test proficient in math.

And so staff decided to focus on those students, offering extra math classes — even taught by their principal, Pat Decker.

Teachers came up with the plan in the district’s new professional learning communities, which allowed them time to meet and talk about how to help the students, Decker said.

“We were very pleased,” he said. “This allowed us to focus on finding the right methods that work with the kids.”

Teachers tested students each at the beginning and end of each week on new concepts and those who struggled got an extra class, he said.

The extra time paid off.

The next year, 14 of those kids tested proficient. And the percentage of special education students who tested proficient on math increased from  52.3 percent to 86.6 percent.

“It makes a huge difference,” he said.

Reach Margaret Reist at 473-7226 or mreist@journalstar.com.

Comments:

Urban Neighbor wrote on November 7, 2007 10:33 am:
" Kudos to the teachers, parents and students at Hawthorne Elementary and their great showing in test scores! Too bad this wonderful model is going to be closed down by LPD administration and the board of education. "

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Hawthorne closing could fill 3 other schools   BY MARGARET REIST / Lincoln Journal Star Wednesday, Feb 27, 2008

With Hawthorne Elementary School closed next year, the three schools in adjacent attendance areas are expected to be full.

Enrollment projections presented to the Lincoln Board of Education Tuesday show that enrollment for Eastridge, Randolph and Holmes elementary schools all are expected to be slightly above capacity.

Before the board voted to close Hawthorne at the end of the year, the anticipated enrollment numbers at those schools were hotly debated by those who opposed the closing.

Hawthorne PTO President Michelle Strand, who organized much of the opposition, argued that enrollment projections showed closing Hawthorne would fill those schools.

District officials argued during the debate that the schools have enough room to absorb all students living in the Hawthorne attendance area. They said the decision whether to close Hawthorne should be based on capacity and attendance area numbers, not projections, because it is too hard to predict future transfers.

Marilyn Moore, LPS associate superintendent for instruction, said she’s not surprised by what the projections show.

The enrollment numbers reflect a fair number of transfer students and, once they move on, there will be room for growth, she said, noting that there’s little new housing in the area.

But the decision to close Hawthorne still rankles Strand.

“They’ve just screwed that part of the city,” she said.

Strand also is upset at the way the district has handled the transition for Hawthorne families, saying there wasn’t enough time for parents to investigate other schools before the transfer application deadline. But, she said, the principals at the schools have been helpful.

“I don’t feel like the district itself made any attempt to take care of families in the transfer process,” she said.

The district closed Holmes, Eastridge and Randolph schools to transfers until officials have a firm handle on enrollment, Moore said.

That apparently caused problems for a few parents whose children attended Hawthorne but who either didn’t live in the Hawthorne district or who wanted to attend a school other than the one to which they were assigned.

Students living in the Hawthorne district were assigned either to Randolph or Eastridge.

Some of those students were denied transfer into the school of their choice and were told they had to file an appeal.

Strand said board member Kathy Danek stepped in to make sure Hawthorne students could attend the school of their choice.

Moore said there are several levels of appeals, the first being a review by the director of student services.

In all of those cases, the administrator considered extenuating circumstances and the total enrollment picture and allowed the transfers, Moore said.

“I think any appeal that went to (the administrator), she’s made that decision,” Moore said.

Strand said she worries there are more families who went to schools they didn’t want to because they didn’t think they had an alternative.

Reach Margaret Reist at 473-7226 or mreist@journalstar.com.

Schools most affected by Hawthorne closing

Following are projected enrollment figures for the schools most directly affected by the Lincoln Board of Education’s decision to close Hawthorne Elementary School next year. Also included are the 2007 fourth-Friday enrollment numbers and the capacity of those schools.

Students in the Hawthorne attendance area were assigned to go to Eastridge and Randolph. The Holmes attendance area also is adjacent to Hawthorne’s. Most English Language Learner students who attended Hawthorne will go to Hartley.
• Eastridge
Projected K-5: 268
2007: 227
Difference: 41 more students
Capacity: 264
• Randolph
Projected K-5: 497
2007: 418
Difference: 79 more students
Capacity: 488
• Holmes
Projected K-5: 459
2007: 414
Difference: 45 more students
Capacity: 416
• Hartley
Projected K-5: 317
2007: 225
Difference: 92
Capacity: 372

Comments:

Tammy wrote on February 27, 2008 7:38 am:
" As long as LPS continues to base future enrollment on "new housing" this will continue to occur. Apparently they don't realize that not all families with school age children live in the suburbs. Old neighborhoods go through periods of transition, where older folks die or move and young families buy these houses. Many areas in Lincoln are like this, but as far as LPS is concerned, the only areas of "growth" are those areas where new homes are built. It's a foolish policy. "

Jack Brass wrote on February 27, 2008 7:47 am:
" Fire Gourley. Recall the board members that supported this. The parents were right and the administration was wrong? I guess I shouldn't be surprised when the School Board President is pushing aside community concerns and board members like Baier don't have the time to meet with their constituents. (Let's hope she goes to the County Board where she can do less harm!) Way to go LPS! I don;t begrudge my tax dollars going to pay for innovative education but paying for ineptitude on the part of the administration and board just pisses me off. "

Hawthorne MOM wrote on February 27, 2008 8:07 am:
" When all of the open forum discussions took place with Hawthorne parents they were told by the LPS Board that they would be able to enroll their child into either Eastridge or Randolph. It was also stressed that the closing of Hawthorne WOULD NOT have an impact on the enrollment #'s at these 2 schools either. Now these schools are closed to transfers and are at or above capacity. This is information that us parents who attended these meeting tried to have the board understand; but we were dismissed. Also, at this time if you look at the LPS website; the district is undecided as to what the buidling that is currently Hawthorne Elem. will be used for. To me is looks as if LPS got the cart before the horse and the impact of this decision is just starting to arise. Thanks LPS Board of Education....another great decision was made. "

cynical wrote on February 27, 2008 8:41 am:
" This is so typical of LPS. They don't listen and when they decide they want something, nothing else matters. The switch to Middle School programming a few years back was supposed to eliminate over-crowding, too, wasn't it? Funny how numbers never seem to be valid for LPS until after the fact. "

Dumb wrote on February 27, 2008 9:39 am:
" Close the schools now and in a few years it will be-our schools are over full so we need a bond to build a new one.I am already voting NO. "

Fed up! wrote on February 27, 2008 11:12 am:
" I thought the reason for the $250,000,000 bond issue was because we needed to relieve the overcrowding in our schools so I didn't understand why Gourley and her henchpeople wanted to close Hawthorne in the first place. I'll bet she suggests a new bond issue to relieve the overcrowding she caused; probably to build a new school, maybe even at 48th and O! "

shane wrote on February 27, 2008 2:16 pm:
" Is it not clear to everyone in Lincoln by now that LPS continues to attempt to hoodwink this community? Hawthorne was to be closed because the kids could easily fit into other schools in the surrounding area and they students were assured transfer to the school of their choice. Now we are told schools in the surrounding area are overcrowded and are "closed" to transfer. When caught with their hand in that cookie jar they now say it was all a "misunderstanding" and that there are "several levels of appeal." If LPS really cared about the Hawthorne parents wouldn't they have made them AWARE of ALL the appeals levels and insured they got there transfers easily? They already are upset by losing their neighborhood school and not you make them go through hoops which causes MORE anxiety for the parents.

LPS has bungled this job, intentionally I believe, from the get go in order to try and turn this ugly duckling into a swan. When are people going to ask the administration to explain the misinformation and distortions that they have put out in public? What are the enrollment figures at Dawes this year and do you trust LPS to give you honest information? Will they still close Dawes in 2 years?
"

Nanny Granny wrote on February 27, 2008 2:45 pm:
" My understanding of "capacity," is it means the building occupancy is 85% of total capacity, thus allowing room for growth due to families living in any school attendance area sending their children to that school. So the question is, are Eastridge, Holmes, and Randolph Schools now at 85% capacity or more? If only at 85%, then there should be room for transfer students, if as LPS says, there's no "new housing" in these areas (translate that to mean, that NO families are buying existing homes in these areas).

I urge anyone having difficulty with the transfer appeals process while trying to transfer a student to Holmes, Eastridge, or Randolph Schools to contact Kathy Danek on the school board. She went to bat for my family and ensured the availability of room for our student at Eastridge as promised by the board during discussion of closing Hawthorne.

And, Michelle Strand, you are quite welcome to say, "I told you so!" "

meeting with constituents wrote on February 27, 2008 5:20 pm:
" Ms. Baier, from the end of June and then for a few months after, was for a period of time in a wheelchair for the first time with a broken ankle-one which was broken in 3 places and required major surgery to repair. She was in physical therapy and had a majorly hard time just getting around. Made it kind of difficult to meet with people when she was incapacitated. Sometimes there are things beyond one's control. Of course, some people just have no compassion for others, and judge, judge, judge. My biggest pet peeve-judgment of someone without knowing the whole story. "

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Hundreds turn out for final Hawthorne open house
 
BY KENDRA WALTKE / Lincoln Journal Star
Thursday, May 22, 2008 - 09:59:15 pm CDT
Same as it ever was.

That was the sentiment of those gathered at an open house to honor Hawthorne Elementary School’s 80th year — and its last.

Other repeated phrases: It was  a true home. So sad to see it go.
View Slideshow

Hawthorne Elementary students Kailoni Bray and Kevin Duong (foreground) play the xylophone as music teacher Beth Baker leads students in singing "Beautiful Nebraska" during the school's last open house. (Gwyneth Roberts)
The halls were loud Thursday night as hundreds turned out for a last public look at the school.

The Lincoln Board of Education voted in October to close Hawthorne, 300 S. 48th St., after this school year, with the idea that nearby schools can absorb the neighborhood’s students. The schoolhouse will be used for another purpose, not yet decided.

In a basement room far from the crowds, a teacher sniffled as she gathered her papers Thursday.

Yet overall, joy filled the halls.

“This is my old room!” exclaimed Frances Reinehr, 72, a teacher from 1980 to 1996.

She recalled how her students dressed in costumes and drenched themselves with water for a lesson on the Titanic. “It was an edifying and life-giving time,” she said.

Hawthorne students from the 1920s  — who meet regularly as the “Hawthorne Bunch for Gossip and Brunch” — were applauded by a crowded auditorium.

Reunions of former teachers and students drew exclamations  of “Oh, now I feel so incredibly old!”

Two classmates from the late 1950s chatted in the principal’s office, a place they  knew all too well.

Doug Gates, 55, called his former principal “notorious,” noting her loud whistle. “She scared the dickens out of us,” he said, laughing with buddy Ted Williams.

Gates walked to school from his parent’s business, The Buffalo Hotel, where a Target store stands today.

“Our kids crossed 48th and O every day to walk to school, and do you know? We didn’t think a thing of it,” said his mother, Edna.

In 1913, the first Hawthorne Elementary was built at 48th and O, on unbroken sod with few homes.

In 1927 it moved three blocks south of O, where it’s welcomed children from all over the city: Special Needs students in the 1970s, and in 1999, English Language Learners.

As he greeted old students, Claude Coccodrilli wore a halo, a prop from his years teaching special education in the 1980s. “This was a special place,” he said.

Jody Cass’ children Ian and Kristen attended Hawthorne in the late 1990s. They learned about diversity, she said, “It breaks our heart that it’s closing. It just gave you a real homey feeling.”

The sentiment was repeated by others as the night went on.

Board of Education member Ed Zimmer attended the open house, and received a little ribbing about the closure.

He said the farewell open house was “bittersweet,” adding, “It was a hard decision.”

Reach Kendra Waltke at (402) 473-7303 or kwaltke@journalStar.com.

Comments:

Hawthorne neighbor wrote on May 23, 2008 12:05 pm:
" Both of my children attended Hawthorne and we still live in the neighborhood. The open house was wonderful and bittersweet at the same time. Teachers hugging former students, old friends reuniting, and new friends having to say goodbye where as they will soon be separated and going to different schools. Hawthorne will leave an everlasting impression on my children as they are now in middle and high school. I as a parent would like to thank the entire Hawthorne staff for everything, you are all AWESOME! Hawthorne will be deeply missed! "

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