By DAVID TELLER
Staff Reporter
Tears were wiped and Reid Elementary School staff members, some of whom are also Reid alumni, silently wept as the Cheney School Board reluctantly voted unanimously to vacate the 50-year-old laboratory school at the end of the school year.
Reid faculty, who will be absorbed into the rest of the school district for next year, and school board members all provided comments before the decision was made.
Reid principal Shannon Lawson said Reid brought her career full-circle as she began her teaching career at the school, and now 18 years later is the principal. She said when a person is dreaming with a broken heart and wakes up with tears in their eyes, they may find little to be grateful for. She said she is grateful for what was created, due to the existence of Reid.
Lawson said about 25 Eastern Washington University students per year participated in a classroom environment with a master's degree teacher from a variety of colleges, and over 250 teaching students per year have access to observe student behavior and learning.
She credited the staff, saying that sixth graders from Reid consistently rose above the crowd every year.
Lawson also expressed gratitude for the two-year extension Reid was given in the fall of 2005.
“We know we have been living on borrowed time and have been making the most of each minute,” Lawson said. She added that staff is a major ingredient in the school and describes the closure as reaching the end of the rainbow.
School board president Kerry O'Connor expressed his gratitude to the school staff saying he “appreciates what Reid meant to all of you. The staff worked their guts out.”
O'Connor said he was proud to be associated with the group. He was especially impressed with the efforts of board member Marcie Estrellado, who O'Connor said fought like a warrior, saying, “her effort was nothing short of amazing.”
Board member Rick Mount added that he did some time in the observation towers at Reid also and that the people in the school are the most valuable part of the school district. He said kids benefit from what they were taught there and he hoped the Legislature and EWU would find last minute funding for the school.
Mount also expressed gratitude toward the Reid staff for avoiding hardships on the children and conducting class everyday.
Board vice president Larry Haskell said although he has only been on the board for a short time he knows the quality of education Reid students received. He admired the energy, dedication and motivation of the staff and knows it will not die at Reid.
Board member Sue Lienhard added that despite the difficult decision, the board has to keep the safety of students and the district finances in mind.
“We hope you understand,” Lienhard said.
The vote passed unanimously, with Estrellado abstaining.
David Teller can be reached at [email protected]
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