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District officials are hoping to keep the lower primary grades class sizes in the teens if possible. This doesn’t sit well with fifth-grade Vinland Elementary School teacher Alica Thomas.

“Even if they had said, ‘Yes, we have to close the outlying schools,’ they should have found a way to keep the class sizes more manageable,” Thomas said.

Teachers and parents at both the Marion Springs and Vinland schools have many concerns about the consolidations, including the increased class sizes and busing. Some students could be on buses for more than an hour.

“Our most vulnerable children are going to be riding longer on a bus and in classes that are too many kids for the size of the classroom,” Thomas said.

Dorathy said the district was working to address concerns and conflicts that have arisen because of this decision by doing things such as trying to re-map bus routes

“Marion Springs and Vinland are very concerned about next year. They most certainly did not want their buildings closed because they have a lot of passion for their buildings and have really supported those buildings well over the years,” Dorathy said.

Before closing the schools, the Baldwin City USD 348 school board conducted public meetings and had a hearing to decide if the elementary schools should remain open. Although many of the students are too young to understand the situation, some attended the meetings with their parents and know exactly what is happening.

“I had several kids who were there the night they voted and one of my (students) said, ‘I cried all the way home,’” Thomas said.

Bauer said the Parent-Teacher Organizations have been working together to try and make the transition smooth for the parents, teachers and, most importantly, the children.

“The in-town (Parent-Teacher Organization) has decided to rename themselves the (Community School Organization) to be more inclusive and include anybody that wants to be part of the organization that supports these kids,” Bauer said. “Because that’s a goal; we want all the support we can get in the community for the kids.”

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