Jefferson Lighthouse Elementary School (Racine, Wisconsin): Difference between revisions

{{Infobox building

| name = Jefferson Lighthouse Elementary School

| image = Jefferson Lighthouse Elementary School, 2011.JPG

 

==History==

In August 1898, the [[Racine Board of Education]] investigated the city's [[Julian Thomas Elementary School (Racine, Wisconsin)|Fifth Ward grammar school building]], which was said to be in dangerously poor condition.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52750554/the-journal-times/ "Fifth Ward School; Is the Old Structure Dangerous and the Floors Liable to Collapse? Is An Important Question"], [[Racine Daily Journal]], August 10, 1898, page eight.</ref> While the investigation showed that the building was structurally sound,<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52750678/the-journal-times/ "School Board Do Not Agree; At an Adjourned Meeting Last Night They Called the Council Down; For Making False Reports"], [[Racine Daily Journal]], August 31, 1898, page eight.</ref> it was becoming overcrowded, and in February 1899, the city engineer announced plans to construct a new, three-story [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoclassical_architecture Neoclassical] school building for the fifth ward.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52750929/the-journal-times/ "New Fifth Ward School"], [[Racine Daily Journal]], February 11, 1899, page eight.</ref> Construction on the new building was said to "be pushed as rapidly as possible", and work on excavating the foundation began on April 20.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52751048/the-journal-times/ "Reportorial notes in and out the city"], [[Racine Daily Journal]], April 20, 1899, page five.</ref> In May, mistakes in the original plans were discovered, and a special session of the Racine city council on May 22 determined that correcting these errors would cost up to $500.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52751171/the-journal-times/ "Some Costly Errors Made"], [[Racine Daily Journal]], May 23, 1899, front page.</ref>

 

The school originally served students up to the eighth grade, but after the opening of [[McKinley Middle School (Racine, Wisconsin)|McKinley Junior High School]] in 1921, Jefferson's seventh and eighth grade students moved there, as did the principal, H.C. Kilburn.<ref name=mck-1921>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52771759/the-journal-times/ "M'Kinley School to Open Monday"], [[Racine Journal-News]], November 25, 1921, page 12.</ref>

 

In 1953, the Racine Board of Education found Jefferson to be the school building in the city most in need of renovation. At that time, it was the only school in the city to continue using third-floor classrooms that were only reachable by wooden staircases with no fireproofing, in violation of an order by the State Industrial Commission.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52778778/the-journal-times/ "Need 47 New Classrooms, Says School Superintendent"], [[Racine Journal Times]], August 11, 1953.</ref> In 1955, the city council authorized the board to purchase and demolish seven houses north of the Jefferson building, to allow for the construction of a new wing, with the ultimate goal of replacing the 1899 building entirely.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52779309/the-journal-times/ "Aldermen Reject Move to Freeze The Number of Service Stations"], [[Racine Journal Times]], October 19, 1955, page four.</ref><ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52779451/the-journal-times/ "Clear Site for School Expansion"], [[Racine Journal Times]], November 18, 1956, page six.</ref> The first part of the new construction, a multipurpose room serving as the school's gymnasium and auditorium, was dedicated on March 10, 1957, and the school board began taking bids for the construction of five new classrooms the following day.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52779864/the-journal-times/ "Dedicate Addition Today"], [[Racine Journal Times]], March 10, 1957, page six.</ref> An open house for these five classrooms was held on April 25, 1958.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52780620/the-journal-times/ "Open New Wing at Jefferson School for Public View on Friday"], [[Racine Journal Times]], April 22, 1958, page six.</ref>

 

The third phase of new construction took place in 1967, adding another eight classrooms to the school.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52781510/the-journal-times/ "$279,388 Low for Addition"], [[Racine Journal Times]], April 5, 1967, page 5A.</ref> Additionally, the remaining houses on the block were purchased by the school district in 1968, to be torn down for playground space, except for one which was briefly converted into a specialized classroom for students with behavioral problems.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52781905/the-journal-times/ "Unified Defers Setting Bond Vote; Eyes More Top Administrators"], [[Racine Journal Times]], October 15, 1968, page five.</ref> The original 1899 building was never torn down after the replacement plan was completed.

 

Jefferson, an inner-city school with a largely African American student body, was at the center of the [[Racine Unified School District]]'s desegregation plan in 1975. Before the plan was implemented, 86.6 percent of Jefferson students were members of racial minorities, far above the 17-25% range that district officials wanted all schools to reach. One of the plan's most significant changes in the city was that 276 students in the predominantly white suburban area of Crestview to be bussed to Jefferson, while a similar number of Jefferson students would be transferred to [[Crestview School (Caledonia, Wisconsin)|Crestview School]] and other nearby schools.<ref>Devlin, Sean. [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52783302/the-journal-times/ "Desegregation plan calls for 2,186 transfers"], [[Racine Journal Times]], January 14, 1975, front page and [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52783467/the-journal-times/ 5A].</ref> Later that year, the [[The New York Times|New York Times]] highlighted Jefferson in a profile on school integration in Racine, which described it as "one of the more successful examples of school integration in the North to date".<ref>Delaney, Paul. [https://www.nytimes.com/1975/10/22/archives/school-integration-gaining-in-racine-wis-program-viewed-as-model.html "School Integration Gaining in Racine, Wis.; Program Viewed as Model for the Nation"], [[The New York Times]], October 22, 1975.</ref>

 

While only students living two miles or more from their school were supposed to receive free school bus transportation, the district discovered in November 1975 that about 100 children who had been transferred from Jefferson to [[Wadewitz Elementary School (Racine, Wisconsin)|Wadewitz Elementary School]] actually lived just under two miles from their new school. When busing was canceled for these students, and other students in similar situations, their parents protested the decision, which threatened to derail the city's integration plan.<ref>Corty, Julianne. [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52785139/the-journal-times/ "Parents' boycott threatens busing effort"], [[Racine Journal Times]], November 26, 1975, page 3A.</ref> After receiving private donations to fund school buses in those areas for several months, the district agreed in July 1976 to waive the two-mile limit and provide free busing to these students.<ref>Frahm, Robert A. [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52785229/the-journal-times/ "State cash for busing urged"], [[Racine Journal Times]], July 20, 1976, page 3A.</ref>

 

In 1977, 435 gifted and talented students were transferred to Jefferson from gifted programs at [[Roosevelt Elementary School (Racine, Wisconsin)|Roosevelt]], [[Goodland Elementary School (Racine, Wisconsin)|Goodland]], and [[West Ridge Elementary School (Racine, Wisconsin)|West Ridge]] elementary schools, creating the Jefferson Lighthouse program. Jefferson Lighthouse initially made up about three-quarters of Jefferson's student body and faculty.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52785659/the-journal-times/ "Unified starts reassignments"], [[Racine Journal Times]], October 11, 1977, page 3A.</ref> On October 18 of that year, two teachers were assaulted while leaving Jefferson after meeting with parents in the evening. A grievance was filed at the [[Racine Education Association]] against Jefferson principal Lawrence Terry, alleging that he had failed to ensure teachers' safety.<ref>Wilson, Margo. [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52797691/the-journal-times/ "REA binds up, delivers list of grievances"], [[Racine Journal Times]], January 26, 1978, page 3A.</ref>

 

*H.C. Kilburn, 1912-1921<ref name=mck-1921/>

*H.E. Hinkel, 1921-1922

*B.G. Lahr, 1932-November 1, 1943<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52775282/the-journal-times/ "Lahr Resigns Job as Principal At Two Schools"], [[Racine Journal Times]], October 19, 1943, page four.</ref>

*Harold Cripe, November 1, 1943-1948<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52775534/the-journal-times/ "School Heads Are Shifted"], [[Racine Journal Times]], October 27, 1943, page four.</ref>

[[Category:Buildings on Sixth Street (Racine, Wisconsin)]]

[[Category:Schools in Racine, Wisconsin]]