MOULTON, AL -
The Lawrence County School Board doesn't normally meet at the Lawrence County High School auditorium. But Monday night officials made an exception.
The main topic on the agenda was school consolidation.
"Our school colors are green, white and gold. Always been that way," Kenny Gillespie told the crowd. He doesn't want to see Speake have to consolidate.
The current plan has part of Speake's students attending Lawrence County High in the fall while other Speake students would start taking classes at East Lawrence High.
Many Mount Hope residents are also upset.
The current consolidation plan has kids from Mount Hope transferring to Hatton High in August.
"The school at Mt. Hope is a very very big part of our community. If we lose our school, it will tear apart our churches, our neighborhoods and will tear our family apart. Nobody likes to see a family torn apart," says Mount Hope resident Ben Phillips.
Hazlewood High is also in the mix. Plans call for closing the school and having students go to bitter rival R.A. Hubbard.
Hazlewood employee Tina Bracken says, "When you close a school, that community loses its jobs there. People are thinking about moving their kids out of the county. If they move them out of the county or start homeschooling of if the kids quit, what's the use of consolidation?"
But the Lawrence County School Board says it cannot operate seven high schools starting in August.
Board members say they simply can't afford it.
But most of the people at Monday night's school board meeting would argue you can't afford to alter kids lives forever with school consolidation.
A Federal Judge has reviewed School Board members recommendations about school consolidation.
An official announcemnt concerning whether school consolidation will become reality in Lawrence County could come as soon as April.
The main topic on the agenda was school consolidation.
"Our school colors are green, white and gold. Always been that way," Kenny Gillespie told the crowd. He doesn't want to see Speake have to consolidate.
The current plan has part of Speake's students attending Lawrence County High in the fall while other Speake students would start taking classes at East Lawrence High.
Many Mount Hope residents are also upset.
The current consolidation plan has kids from Mount Hope transferring to Hatton High in August.
"The school at Mt. Hope is a very very big part of our community. If we lose our school, it will tear apart our churches, our neighborhoods and will tear our family apart. Nobody likes to see a family torn apart," says Mount Hope resident Ben Phillips.
Hazlewood High is also in the mix. Plans call for closing the school and having students go to bitter rival R.A. Hubbard.
Hazlewood employee Tina Bracken says, "When you close a school, that community loses its jobs there. People are thinking about moving their kids out of the county. If they move them out of the county or start homeschooling of if the kids quit, what's the use of consolidation?"
But the Lawrence County School Board says it cannot operate seven high schools starting in August.
Board members say they simply can't afford it.
But most of the people at Monday night's school board meeting would argue you can't afford to alter kids lives forever with school consolidation.
A Federal Judge has reviewed School Board members recommendations about school consolidation.
An official announcemnt concerning whether school consolidation will become reality in Lawrence County could come as soon as April.
