Sumner School Tour
6:12 p.m. Friday, December 29, 2006
The school made famous by the Brown versus Board of Education case is back in the national limelight.
Two former administrators are hoping to turn a historical landmark back into a charter school. Sandy Lassiter is giving a tour in the school where she once taught. She and Betty Horton are hoping Sumner School will house charter schools for elementary and middle school students in the 501 school district. The two gave tour to several people including members of the state historical society and local historians.
Sumner National Headlines
The historic Sumner Elementary School building was recently featured in an article by USA TODAY.
"For a school to be returned back to a school that would be the highest ideal," says historian Douglass Wallace.
The school once at the center of the historical lawsuit ending segregation has sat vacant since 1996. It is currently owned by the city. City Councilwoman Lana Kennedy lives nearby and says the school holds a special place in her heart.
"Whatever happens to the building, that it meets with the neighborhood plan and the neighbors,"says Kennedy.
From a historical perspective there is concern about preserving some of the original wood and fixtures. Katrina Ringler is with the Kansas Historical Society. She says there are strict guidelines placed on what must be preserved within the building. There are concerns over the cost of renovations. Horton is confident she can secure grants to cover the more than five million dollars needed to get the school back in shape.
"I have no doubt in mind we will have sufficient funds to get the buildling back in pristine condition," says Horton.
But first Horton and Lassiter need approval from the school board before the school will be back in session.
Also tagging along on the tour was a member of the Wall Street Journal's Editorial Board.
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