JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — Lisa Mahannah and Lauren Lemarinel run two schools, about one mile away from each other.
Mahanna is the principal at Emory Elementary in Lakewood. Lemarinel is the principal at Lasley Elementary. But by this time next year, those two schools could be consolidated into one.
This week, Jefferson County Public Schools released a proposal to close 16 elementary schools in the district to address challenges stemming from declining enrollment and birth rates.
If that proposal passes, Emory was named as a school that would close and merge with nearby Lasley.
“It’s a feeling of loss, [for] families, students, employees,” said Mahannah, who leads the school that would close. “If you are attached to a school building, its like a second home.”
“Its mixed of emotions, right?” said Lemarinel, head of the potential “receiving” school.
“We’ve had declining enrollment the past couple of years, as many schools have in JeffCo. We know the need of what the decisions that might come forth in November, but we also have that sense of empathy and compassion to what other communities, like Emory, might have.”
Emory has a dual language program, which the district has said will transfer to Lasley if the closure becomes official. Mahannah said that program is very important to her school community.
“We have many students who are ELL Spanish speaking families,” she said. "Emory is the only dual language program south of 6th Avenue for the entire JeffCo area, so this is a program that many parents choice into, they value and they want. It was important for me to say the program is moving to Lasley, and Lasley is welcoming that opportunity as well.”
The district is planning community meetings and public comment opportunities for each school on the potential closure list. Mahannah and Lemarinel said its important to spend the next several months understanding what students, families, and staff at both schools would need to have a successful consolidation.
“It’s really just listening and getting a pulse on how people are processing the information,” Lemarinel said. “That goes for Emory’s community and ours.”
Even before the district’ update, the two principals already spoke frequently. Mahannah served as a mentor to Lemarinel as she transitioned into a principal role. And their schools serve neighboring communities.
“We’ve had hours of conversations!” Mahannah said.
If the consolidation happens, the district proposal plans for Lemarinel to stay on as principal at new, larger Lasley. Meanwhile, Mahannah would join hundreds of other JeffCo educators looking for a new role.
“My role here is that of a sense-maker and community builder,” Mahannah said. “I feel confident that the work I’ve done here will continue for [the] JeffCo community."
The district expects the consolidations to impact more than 400 full time staff members, and as part of the proposal, has promised to support staff through their employment changes, searches, and transitions.
“They have open spots everywhere in our district, from food service to principals,” Mahanna said. “Really, I think the goal here is that JeffCo makes a strong stance: we want to retain you, we want you to remain part of our community whether you’re a family or a staff member.”
Mahanna said she has had the opportunity to speak directly with district leadership and get some of her own questions answered. She and Lamarinel are managing a lot of uncertainty, but don’t feel they’re doing it alone.
“We’ll wait for the [official] vote to do everything, but I think knowing that there’s a large group of people behind us to help answer questions for staff and families, makes a huge difference,” she said. “I don’t feel right now that we’re living in this isolated island, we have a larger community supporting us.”
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