Public Given Chance to Express Opinions on NLCS Visionary Committee’s Recommendations

(BEDFORD) – On Thursday the public will get a chance to express their opinions on three options chosen by the North Lawrence Community Schools visionary committee during a public input session at the Bedford North Lawrence Performing Arts Center.

Superintendent Ty Mungle says officials have to do something because change is just inevitable. The schools of NLCS are facing decreases in enrollment, increased costs of operating schools, grades from the Indiana Department of Education have dropped at many of the schools and officials need to improve student’s success rates at each school. Another concern is teacher’s salaries. To watch a video prepared by the administration click here.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with the session beginning at 6 p.m. Each speaker will sign in and be limited to one minute to express their concerns or support.

The public can also voice their support or objections to the plans on the NLCS website, www.nlcs.k12.in.us. Comments can also be submitted in writing.

Andrew Clampitt, NLCS director of communications, stresses this is not a question and answer format. The feedback will be collected and reviewed by the visionary committee. The committee will consider all comments before making its recommendation to the school board Nov. 21.

The visionary committee, a group of 30 community members, parents, and staff members, was created to review data in order to identify current strengths and weaknesses and provide strategies for solutions. The committee released three options last week.

They are:

Plan 1: Leave things as they are and do nothing. This involves leaving the three middles schools, 10 elementary schools, one high school. and one career center. This will cause the state to take over because of the school corporation’s deficit spending

Plan 2: Reduce the district to three larger K-6 elementary schools: Parkview Primary/Intermediate, Dollens in Oolitic and Shawswick. Consolidate seventh- and eighth-graders at Bedford, Shawswick and Oolitic middle schools into one middle school – Bedford Middle School.

Plan 3: Same middle school consolidation as Plan 2. Elementary schools for grades K-6 would include Parkview Primary/Intermediate, Dollens, Shawswick, and Lincoln.

Under two of the options, the district would close Fayetteville, Needmore, Heltonville, Stalker, and Springville with Lincoln Elementary being closed in one of the options.

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