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Parents at City of Franklin Microsociety Magnet School said they will strongly oppose the proposed closure of the school, and criticized Superintendent Michele Lawrence for recommending the move without parental input, during a series of interviews with the Daily Planet Wednesday. 

Teachers were more sympathetic to Lawrence, who is operating in the midst of a budget crisis, but said the district would be splintering a tight-knit community and eliminating an innovative school model if it closed City of Franklin. 

The 3-year-old, K-6 school is modeled after a small city, with students serving as politicians, local officials and businesspeople. 

Lawrence has proposed the closure of City of Franklin as part of an initial, $3 million wave of cuts in next year’s budget. The Board of Education, which will vote on Lawrence’s proposal next week, must chop a total of $6 million by year’s end. 

Kim Stanton, parent of two students at City of Franklin, said she found out about the proposed school closure through newspaper accounts. 

“There wasn’t any process,” Stanton said. “They should have allowed all of us to voice our opinions.” 

Lawrence was unavailable for comment Wednesday, but has argued in recent weeks that because the district did not know the extent of its fiscal woes until January, her administration has been forced to move quickly and has not been able to solicit the public input it would like. 

“Ideally, we should have gone through the process,” said school board Vice President Joaquin Rivera, echoing Lawrence. “But, because of the timing and the urgency here, we really need to make these cuts quite soon.” 

Lawrence and members of the school board have made two arguments for the closure of City of Franklin, which would save the district an estimated $326,000. First, they say the school is under-enrolled and too costly to operate, and second, they say it is racially imbalanced. 

According to district figures, the school has about 190 students enrolled, compared to 330 in the nearby Jefferson School. The district has been unable to boost enrollment at City of Franklin through normal placements because the school operates a magnet program, and can only accept students who apply to attend. 

District figures also show that the school is 59 percent African-American, 3 percent white, and 38 percent “other.” The district-wide average for elementary schools is 35 percent African-American, 25 percent white and 40 percent “other.” The “other” category includes Latinos, Filipinos, Asians, Native Americans and mixed-race individuals. 

Stanton argues that, while the school may not have many white students, it is still diverse.  

“We’re not black and white. But we’re black, white, Hispanic, and Indian,” she said. “Let’s get into the twenty-first century.”  

“The truth is, we want all our schools to reflect the diversity in the district,” Rivera responded. “Part of that diversity is white students.” 

Several students at the school were sensitive to the racial issue, raising it with a reporter unsolicited.  

“I think it’s not our fault if not enough white kids come here,” said Latranae Rush, a fourth grader. 

“They are just judging us because of the color of our skin,” added Yoneko Morillo, a fourth grader. 

Jean Townsend, parent of a sixth-grader, argued that the school needs more than three years to boost enrollment and establish itself.  

“We’re not giving it a chance,” she said. “You’re smashing it before it even comes out of conception.” 

Board member John Selawsky said it is difficult to judge whether the school has had adequate time to build enrollment, but argued that the district may not have the luxury of granting the school more time in the midst of a financial crisis. 

Cheri Hinkley, a first- and second-grade teacher at City of Franklin, said the district would lose a precious asset if it closed the school. 

“A lot of hard work has been put into the school and it’s a very interesting, innovative model,” she said. “I’m very sorry to see this sort of innovation being knocked down.” 

Marissa Saunders, parent of a fifth-grader, said the school teaches practical skills through its unique model. Saunders said her daughter, who campaigned and served as a treasurer in the school’s mock government, learned everything from public speaking to math skills through the experience. 

“These are all real world things,” said Saunders, who added that she is nervous about sending her daughter to one of the district’s other middle schools. 

Todd Marsden, a first-grade teacher at City of Franklin, said he is most worried about the disruption to students’ lives if the school is closed. 

“The children, they have a community here, a sense of belonging.” he said. “To have that taken away from them is a horrible thing, at least in the short term.” 

Marsden said, as compensation, the district should offer City of Franklin students first choice of schools next year. Board members reached Wednesday were receptive to the idea, but suggested that space and racial balance issues at other schools would have to be taken into account. 

Parents said they planned to attend last night’s board meeting and voice their concerns. The meeting was scheduled to take place after the Planet’s deadline.