Published: November 11, 2009 10:28 pm      

Residents raise objections to closing Laurel Valley

NEW FLORENCE — About a dozen residents upset by a proposal to close Laurel Valley High School and send students to Ligonier told the Ligonier Valley school board how unhappy they are with that plan.

About 125 residents attended the meeting, held earlier this week at Laurel Valley High School outside New Florence.

Mary Raich of St. Clair Township said the 19-mile trip from Seward to Ligonier is too far for students to travel, especially in winter.

Another resident said she moved to New Florence three years ago because the school was nearby. If one of her children gets sick, she said she can be at the school in five minutes. The woman said she would pay more in taxes to keep it open.

Another parent, Beth Thompson, who is one of the leaders of a petition drive, said after the meeting that 250 parents have signed a petition saying they would choose alternate schooling for their children if Laurel Valley closes. The majority said they would turn to cyber schools, she said.

Dean Banko of St. Clair Township asked what would happen if the school closed and the district couldn’t sell the building.

Many of the residents said they wanted more information from the board about the Laurel Valley issue and want their input to be considered.

Board President Bruce Robinson said a study by a professional consultant on the feasibility of closing Laurel Valley has been posted on the district’s Web site – http://lvsd.schoolwires.com – and the board has been providing information to residents at its meetings for the past five months.

The study posted on the Web says the district could save $858,000 annually by closing the school, while a more in-depth study by a school board committee calculates savings of $1.24 million next year, increasing to $1.48 million by 2019, Robinson said after the meeting.

Robinson said the board cannot close Laurel Valley without holding a public meeting to discuss the issue.

The board then could not take action for at least

90 days. Even if they voted to close Laurel Valley, there probably would be lawsuits opposing the closure that would have to be dealt with first, he said.

Outgoing board member Kevin McLaughlin, who is opposed to the closure, said he disputes the projected savings figures. He maintains that additional costs for transporting students to Ligonier Valley could reduce the projected savings by up to $300,000 annually.

A better way to reduce spending, McLaughlin said, would be to close one of the two Ligonier area middle schools.