MARYSVILLE — The purpose of the Marysville School District Citizens Planning Committee meeting Feb. 12 was to weigh which schools and facilities might have higher priority on a possible bond measure, but talk soon turned to the subject that’s been weighing heavily on many parents’ minds — which schools or facilities might be closed.

The school district is faced with the task of cutting 3 percent of its budget, or approximately $3 million, and closing one of its schools would save approximately $400,000 a year, while closing the swimming pool at Marysville-Pilchuck High School would save approximately $250,000 a year. The Liberty, Cascade and Tulalip elementary schools are all being considered for possible closures, while the future location of the Marysville Cooperative Education Program, currently housed at Quil Ceda Elementary, is up in the air.

State budget cuts and county-wide declines in school enrollment numbers have reduced the school district’s budget, but dozens of parents, teachers and other community members turned out to the Citizens Planning Committee meeting, Feb. 12, to offer impassioned defenses on behalf of the schools being considered for closure or relocation.

Sandy Leerhoff and Wendie Jones both have multiple children in the Marysville School District, and both mothers touted the benefits of the Marysville Co-op. Leerhoff cited the Co-op’s growth in enrollment numbers and its WASL scores as evidence of its success, while Jones praised the Marysville School District for offering a diversity of educational avenues, including the Co-op.

“Not all of our children are the same, so if you try to put them all in the same box, it’s going to be a tight fit,” said Jones, whose children include both Co-op and non-Co-op students. “Marysville has given us lots of options and different learning systems. The Smaller Learning Communities are getting our graduation rate up. I don’t want to see any school close, and I don’t want to see anyone displaced. I think we can do this, with a little thinking and maneuvering.”

“We don’t have a problem with being relocated,” Leerhoff said. “We’d just like to stay together.”

One of the more vocal contingents at the Citizens Planning Committee consisted of parents and teachers of Liberty Elementary students. Liberty teacher Sharon Desmond praised Marysville School District Superintendent Dr. Larry Nyland, the Board of Directors and the Citizens Planning Committee for their hard work, and acknowledged that they “have to view this through the lens of fiscal responsibility,” but at the same time, she shared Hopkins’ concerns about how school closures could impact a bond decision.

Perhaps the most heartfelt plea of the evening came from Liberty parent John Westfall, who apologized for choking up as he read a prepared speech. He recounted how, when his family moved to Marysville from Everett 17 years ago, his son went from a struggling student to a thriving one.

“My wife and I felt like we had enrolled our kids into a private school,” said Westfall, who has since seen all four of his children graduate from Liberty. “K-5 is the crucial foundation for children’s academic careers. Our kids got a strong foundation. All of our kids love to read. Their ages now are 25, 24, 19 and 16, and they all thirst for new books. In a world of electronics, I think that’s just phenomenal. I would love to say that our kids’ love for learning, reading and writing is based off good parenting, but the credit really goes to Liberty.”

Westfall’s youngest child is now a student at the Arts and Technology School, and Westfall “blamed” Liberty for his son’s creativity. Westfall and his wife recently adopted a child who will be entering elementary school in a couple of years, and as he looked to the future, Westfall echoed the sentiments of a number of Liberty parents who have posted comments to the Marysville School District Web site.

“Liberty is a melting pot where anyone is welcome,” Westfall said. “You can be rich, middle-class or poor, and Liberty will look at you the same and give you the same great start.”

A number of Liberty parents have expressed concerns, both in meetings and on the district Web site, about possible “discrimination” against the school, in which roughly three out of every four students — double the district average — qualify for free or reduced-price lunches, due to their families’ low income levels. In response, the district has cited the age of the Liberty school building, which was built in 1951.

At the end of the meeting, attendees broke up into smaller groups to discuss which schools and facilities should be given priority in a bond, and Liberty and Cascade rated the highest.

Nyland noted that the Board of Directors was scheduled to decide Feb. 17 whether to close or relocate any schools. The Co-op could move from Quil Ceda to Liberty, Cascade or the Arts and Technology School, but such a move would force those schools to relocate or close in turn. Likewise, Tulalip Elementary could be combined with Quil Ceda, or sold to the Tulalip Tribes.

A board vote Feb. 17 to begin a school closure would be followed by a final decision in June, and any such school closures would not take effect until the start of the 2010-2011 school year. This decision is complicated by the fact that the board is also considering running a bond issue early in 2010, the monies from which would have to be spent on construction rather than operating costs.

Copies of the district’s facilities overview, and a collection of the questions, answers and other comments generated by its facilities options, are both available on its Web site, at www.msvl.k12.wa.us.