Sean C. Morgan
Crawfordsville Elementary School closes at the end of this school year.
Preparations to merge Crawfordsville and Holley are already under way, and the district already has plans to keep five classrooms in the Crawfordsville building in use.
Although facing budget issues of its own, Kidco Head Start is planning to continue to rent two classrooms in the building next year, and the Linn-Benton-Lincoln Education Service District Early Intervention Program will rent three classrooms, said School District 55 Supt. Larry Horton.
Crawfordsville is being closed to help save money. After reaching a threshold of 150 in combined enrollment at Holley and Crawfordsville this school year, Horton began to study whether to close one of the schools. He recommended closing Crawfordsville and merging the school with Holley, and the School Board concurred earlier this year in a decision to close the school.
“I know that many of the teachers are starting to pack already,” Horton said. The librarians are working together to combine the two school libraries. They’ll go from three hours each per day to five hours total while also handling different jobs at Holley.
Computer labs will be combined using the best equipment in each lab, Horton said. The goal is to have 20 to 25 computers available so all of the students in a classroom can use the lab at the same time. The Maintenance Department is constructing computer tables at the school.
In mid-summer, Maintenance workers will move most of the staff, primarily classroom furniture, over to Holley, Horton said. Teachers will come in during the summer to pack up their more personal items and move them.
“All of the operational needs that are currently taking place at Crawfordsville will be moved to Holley,” Horton said, and Early Intervention will join Head Start at Crawfordsville.
Right now, Sweet Home sends its Early Intervention students to Central Linn and other districts, Horton said. Now, Sweet Home’s students will stay in Sweet Home, and the district also will handle some Early Intervention for Lebanon.
Early Intervention is a pre-kindergarten program for students who have special needs, Horton said. It will put all but three classrooms at Crawfordsville into use.
The district is projecting an enrollment of 135 at Holley next school year, including the return of the kindergarten students from Oak Heights, Horton said. “One hundred thirty-five will be manageable,” Horton said. “It will not be crowded.”
Crawfordsville could still be used for school events, such as Christmas programs and musicals, Horton said. The gym at Holley is extremely small, so the Crawfordsville gym might be needed and used.
That’s a way to keep the Crawfordsville spirit going, he said.
“It’s a closure in one way, but it’s not closing,” Horton said. The school’s just going to be filled with pre-kindergarten students.
“Crawfordsville has served the community well for over a century,” Horton said. “And it will continue to serve our children, just in a different capacity.”