Cooke talk on agenda

School board meets Monday night

Sunday, May 8, 2005

GALESBURG - The possible closing of Cooke Elementary School is expected to be the hot topic at the regular meeting of the District 205 Board of Education at 7 p.m. Monday in the central office, 285 S. Farnham St.

Administrators announced in April their recommendation to close Cooke School, given the district's deficit budget and declining enrollment. Parents learned about the recommendation by a letter sent home with their children on April 21, inviting them to a meeting at the school that night. Since then parents and board members have discussed the issue at a parent-organized meeting at the LULAC Council building and at a special school board meeting at the school.

Parents say Cooke should be kept open because it is a neighborhood school within walking distance of most of their homes. They say the board should consider redrawing its school boundaries and cutting administrators.

The district has lost 174 students in kindergarten through 12th grade this year alone. Since Cooke School reopened in 1995 the district has lost 184 elementary students.

Closing the school would save the district about $500,000 each year. Principal Jean Brown, six classroom teachers and 101 students will be moved to other schools in the district - most likely Lincoln and Nielson - if Cooke is closed.

Other items on Monday's meeting agenda include:

- Instructional presentation on early childhood education.

- Discussion of a Bridgeway contract for the Insight Program.

- Approve personnel agenda.

- Approve Aramark Contract.

- Appoint board committees.

- Approve changes in the 2004-2005 school calendar.

- Accept several bids for supplies and maintenance.

- Discussion of a lease agreement with Knox-Warren Special Education to house the Phoenix Program at Rose Hoben Welch for the 2005-2006 school year.