School closings cloud not all bad

Let’s face it: nobody wants to see their alma mater close its doors. Or perhaps your daughter is in Elwell’s third grade, and she likes her teacher. She has good friends among her classmates.

As a parent, you hear that Elwell School will close in June. It’s gotta be tough. You feel for your child who, like most of us, does not readily embrace radical change. So to pretend that the closure of two elementary schools in our district is a positive thing, is at least on its face a bit of a stretch.

But I have to say, after watching the process unfold since I began reporting on the Van Buren Schools last October, the process leading to last night’s decision was thoughtful, well-managed and reasonable. Meetings to present data were well-publicized, and well-orchestrated.

And there ultimately will be benefits for students, after we get past the uncomfortable transition.

My hat goes off to the Van Buren Public Schools Board of Education and the district's staff, who take their mission and their responsibility quite seriously. The board initiated a process that got the experts involved early on, kept steady progress on the issue before the public and particularly those personally affected by the change, and resolved the issue as well as the bittersweet circumstances allowed. You should be proud of yourselves.

Jerry LaVaute is a special writer for Heritage Newspapers. He can be reached at glavaute@gmail.com or call 1-734-740-0062.