LORAIN — Lorain Schools is considering closing down one of the two high schools as part of a myriad of cost-cutting measures that will have to be explored to erase a $9 million deficit the district will face in 2011.

Students would likely move to the high school that remained, saving between $1.5 million and $2 million, and some staff from the shuttered school may also have to be cut.

Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson said a decision on consolidating Admiral King and Southview high schools would have to be made before the end of the year to prepare, and no move would take place until fall 2010 at the earliest.

Atkinson said Tuesday the move isn’t final and no decision has been made in terms of which school would be closed, but the prospect is appealing because the district was planning to go to one high school anyway once a new building is erected.

“The thinking is if we are going to go to one high school at some point, why not do it now and get some cost savings out of it?” Atkinson said in advance of Tuesday night’s school board meeting.

The district is currently working with the Ohio School Facilities Commission to refine its master building plan and in the course of those conversations, it was determined that state money would be granted to build one new high school to replace the existing ones. Atkinson said there is no timeline yet on when that new high school would arrive.

She said neither school would have a problem handling the population of the other.

Atkinson and her staff have been discussing areas the district could cut since voters rejected a 6.43-mill levy by more than 6,000 votes earlier this month.

Other proposals include eliminating preschool, additional layoffs, reduction in books, stopping building repairs and vehicle purchases, and additional building consolidations, perhaps to include moving Whittier Middle School students to another building in advance of a new middle school building scheduled to be built soon.

“I think the people spoke through their vote, and we would be less of leaders if we did not rise to the occasion,” Atkinson said. “This will be difficult, but necessary.”

Atkinson presented the proposed cuts to school board members Tuesday night with the sobering news that even with the estimated $4.1 million they would save and another try at an even larger levy in February or May, the district would still be short $2.1 million in 2011.

Read more

• High schools on the chopping block in Lorain.
• Levy needed, but it won’t be enough, school board says.
• Anger remains from 1996 closing of Elyria West.

Contact Lisa Roberson at 329-7121 or lroberson@chroniclet.com and Adam Wright at 329-7129 or awright@chroniclet.com.

Follow The Chronicle on Twitter at Twitter.com/YourChronicle and become a fan on Facebook to get updates on stories like this and more!