Think of it this way: It could have been worse. Board members could have hemmed and hawed and made damaging compromises in hopes of retaining their popularity. Such a course would have left us with an unworkable monster - bad for the kids and worthless in terms of financial savings. Don't get me wrong. Sorry doesn't even begin to describe how I feel when I contemplate the closings of Washington, Whittier and Buena Vista, which have been part of the Westside's fabric for a century or more. And let's not forget half--that-old Pike Elementary, the Title 1 school that could.
Anybody who's ever spent time in any of those little schools will understand what I mean. You know how people often praise the Westside's "small-town atmosphere" in our Meet a Westsider column? Well, those schools are like microcosms of that - small towns for kids. The staffers don't just know the youngsters' names, they know their personalities, their families and where they're coming up short on test scores. I still wonder how a lot of them, hailing from somewhat-less- than-model homes in many cases, will do in bigger schools that are going to be unavoidably more formal. I fear such kids pulling back into their shells, compounded by a reduced chance of staffers noticing.
Ah, well. Board members had to act, and they did so clearly and firmly. Time will tell the rest.
- K.J.