By Andrew Coen
During the Oct. 17 school board meeting, Trustees Pam Greenbaum and Stanley Kopilow claimed that some other school board members, without the full board's knowledge, have organized a "financial feasibility committee" and are planning to close one or two elementary schools. The alleged secret consolidation plan drew angry reactions from parents who attended the meeting at the Number Four School in Inwood, and brought about Greenbaum's resignation in protest from the still inactive building committee.
Kopilow said that he had recently talked with fellow board member Murray Forman, and that Forman told him that there had been discussion of shutting schools, including the Number Six School in Woodmere. Greenbaum said the day after the meeting that she had heard that in addition to Number Six, a shutdown of the Number Four School was also being considered.
Other school board members denied any knowledge of such a committee or secret plan, but Forman admitted he had spoken with Lawrence Superintendent Dr. John Fitzsimons about drafting a plan for consolidation, which a committee of trustees could then study. In June of 2004, Fitzsimons persuaded the school board to close the Number One School in Lawrence and move its students into the Number Six School in a consolidation plan that he estimates saves the district more than $900,000 a year.
"I don't even know what a 'financial feasibility committee' is," said school board President Dr. Asher Mansdorf during the meeting.
"It's a committee that never existed," said trustee Uri Kaufman.
Fitzsimons pitched a consolidation plan last spring that would have closed Lawrence High School and created a grade 7-through-12 high school at the current middle school facility, but the plan was scrapped due to logistical concerns. Fitzsimons then recommended the formation of an ad hoc committee to explore consolidation ideas and make a recommendation in January, but despite the school board's adoption of his idea back in June, no meetings have been held.
Mansdorf said he has held discussions with PTA leaders about such a committee, but felt it was inappropriate to hold meetings on consolidation without first consulting academic officials, which he asked Fitzsimons to do.
"I'm not ready to make a commitment to what would work and what wouldn't work because I haven't studied it enough," Fitzsimons said in a phone interview about consolidation ideas that have been tossed around. "[Some board members] want to see consolidation, and some of the plans are far too ambitious."
Several parents who attended the Oct. 17 meeting spoke in opposition to any consolidation plan being considered without their consultation. "There is nothing to show us that any school needs to be closed," said Sandy Gargano, co-president of the Number Six School PTA. "There is no reason to shut another building."
"Our children cannot afford another abrupt knee-jerk plan to close a building or buildings without proper research," Kathy Marky, co-president of the Lawrence Central Council PTA, said in a prepared statement read during the meeting.
The other co-president, Lisa Fodera, lashed out at Trustee Michael Hatten, saying Hatten had told her last summer of plans to close one or two elementary schools. Fodera accused him of being dishonest for claiming to know nothing about the consolidation discussions. Hatten denied the accusations, saying that he was speaking only in general terms when he brought up the issue of consolidation with her in a phone conversation.
"We're not going anywhere," said Hillary Ellowitz of Atlantic Beach, referring to public school parents' involvement in the district. "We're always going to be here fighting for our kids."
