|
|
| |
| Sat, Nov. 22, 2008 |  |
 |
|
||
| |
Small schools' last stand Saturday, Nov 12, 2005 By Doug Thompson Arkansas News Bureau The survival of Fayetteville's remaining small schools depends on whether Leverett and Washington elementary parents "hang together or hang separately." That's in the short term. Long-term survival would depend on a lot more people, and effect a lot more people. Fayetteville School District is growing, but has closed two elementary schools in recent years. It is drafting a plan that will consider closing another. The schools closed so far have been older, smaller and closer to the center of town. After all, if you have to build a brand new school, you might as well build it big enough. If you have a modern school with room, then it begs the question: Why keep an old one open? That's one side. The other is that the trend toward building new schools in the "suburban" areas means that the downtown neighborhoods becomes less and less attractive as a place to buy a house. People move close to elementary schools. Even people who don't have kids know what makes a house a good investment. When you can't sell your house to a new family with young kids, the trend toward having fewer kids in the downtown becomes a self-fulfilling. Some people talk about school closings as if it was a free and easy school board decision on management style. Others say board decisions are dictated by population trends. Neither is true. Underlying reality surfaced at a particularly high crest about a year ago. The city council passed a resolution supporting neighborhood schools, while the board was deciding to close Jefferson Elementary School. The school board quickly replied that the city should stop steering residential development to outlying areas through their planning and zoning decisions if it was all that worried about downtown neighborhoods. The city can't save the downtown neighborhoods without downtown schools. The school district can't save the downtown schools without students. Then there's the business community and the economy in general, which carries more weight in these decisions than either the council or the board. The buck doesn't stop anywhere short of everybody who lives or invests here. Either we let present trends continue, or somebody starts building a consensus. Now, for some disclosure. I'm a downtown neighborhood homeowner and a Washington parent. I used to be a Leverett parent. We only changed schools because we moved. At Leverett, I was very impressed the staff 's professionalism and concern toward my kids and the rest of a student body that's far more diverse than any other school in this district. Leverett is the school in immediate danger. It's up against a highway that will only get busier. It also has a willing buyer, which happens to be the University of Arkansas. Stick a "For Sale" sign on Washington Elementary and you'd get some nice bids too. However, there's understandably great good will in this town for the university, not to mention quite a few paychecks from it. Leverett parents who know far more about the situation than I do assure me that the university does not want to be the villain that closes down a school. They also correctly point out that the university has sent out similar letters of interest on every piece of property in the area. My concern is that Washington parents could decide to stand by and let Leverett go. The assumption would be that this would buy time for Washington Elementary. Could be right, could be dead wrong: Somewhere, there's a "tipping point," a "point of no return," a "line to be crossed" or whatever worn-out cliché you want to use. Beyond that point, preserving downtown neighborhoods against the trend toward businesses, rental property or outright blight will have passed. For all I know, it has passed. If not, the close of Leverett could hasten things. I'd like to know, if it can be known. If not, will somebody please make a guess? ------ Doug Thompson is a Fayetteville-based reporter and columnist for the Arkansas News Bureau and The Morning News. His e-mail address is dthompson@arkansasnews.com. |
