Patrick Holleron
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — In the aftermath of Wednesday’s public hearing and special meeting on long-term consolidation plans for the school district, Plan 4BR will move one step closer to being solidified next Monday.
The plan will see Benton and Central remain in place as part of a two high school model. The plan would also create a four middle school model and possibly retire some of the elementary schools and learning centers.
The proposed middle school plan would include Spring Garden, Truman and Bode, while a fourth — Lafayette — will be converted into a middle school.
After considerable discussions and public input for multiple options, it’s a decision that board President LaTonya Williams said needed to be made.
“It’s an answer. Even if it’s an answer that you don’t like, it’s better than not having an answer at all,” Williams said. “I know it’s going to give a portion of the town relief and upset another portion of the town. At least everyone knows a path going forward. I cannot imagine our board changing its mind after this. It’s been coming for a while.”
Eugene Field, Pershing and Webster are are also being considered for retirements.
Throughout the night, supporters from both Benton and Lafayette made passionate pleas with school board members to keep their schools. This included students from both schools asking for a path to make Plan E — a three high school model — feasible in order to halt any school being retired.
“(When) I was thinking about how my school is going to be affected, it made me realize that every school and every person is going to be affected,” Gabryel Cunningham, a student at Benton, said. “Everyone is going to be affected by the changing of schools and accepting new people. It made me think of a natural disaster, like a tsunami, and we are all pebbles being moved around by waves.”
Despite many parents favoring a particular school, many understood the wide-ranging impacts either decision would have on a particular group of students.
One of those parents is Gabryel’s mother Lacey, who is experiencing this from multiple perspectives as a parent, resident and former teacher with the district.
She chose to attend Lafayette High School through open-enrollment and ended up finishing high school at Mid-Buchanan. She explained her ties to either school don’t outweigh wanting what’s best for her family.
“I try to look at it from multiple perspectives. From being a teacher, I understand the district (side). But also being a community member and a mom, what’s heavy on my heart is how it’s impacting my son,” Lacey said. “I also have two younger kids that will follow a feeder pattern to Central. Currently he’s (Gabryel) the one that’s going through the fight. I try to look at what’s important from all perspectives, but my mom heart is the heaviest. What is important to him and how it is impacting his life.”
The changing of schools will also impact the landscape of athletics. Despite more students coming into either Benton or Central, the number of roster spots is likely to remain the same.
“They might be in a larger school and have a larger variety of activities, but access to those activities for students is going to prove challenging,” said Jeff Leake, a parent of a Lafayette student. “If one of these plans goes through, my son will go from a school of close to 700 to a school of 1900. Before we change things for our children, we need to make sure that we have all our affairs in order.”
The board is expected to vote on a consolidation plan after discussing Plan 4BR at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 24 in the Troester Media Center located at 3401 Renick St.
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