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{{Infobox building
| name = Jefferson Lighthouse Elementary School
| image = Jefferson Lighthouse Elementary School, 2011.JPG
| image =
| building_type = Elementary school
| location = 1722 West [[Sixth Street (Racine, Wisconsin)|Sixth Street]]<br/>[[Racine, Wisconsin|Racine]], [[Wisconsin]]
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On July 3, Alderman Austin proposed naming the new building Jefferson School.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52754293/the-journal-times/ "Miscellaneous Business"], [[Racine Daily Journal]], July 5, 1899, page two.</ref> Later that month, ninety pounds of lead piping was stolen from the construction site and sold to "the junk shop of Mr. Falkenberg, corner of [[Grand Avenue (Racine, Wisconsin)|Grand avenue]] and [[Sixth Street (Racine, Wisconsin)|Sixth street]]," where it was recovered by police.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52754391/the-journal-times/ "Naughty Boys Who Stole Lead; Carry Away Ninety Pounds of Lead Pipe From Fifth Ward School; Was Sold To A Junk Dealer"], [[Racine Daily Journal]], July 20, 1899, front page.</ref> Alonzo J. Winnie was chosen to be the school's first principal on September 29.<ref name=winnie-1899>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52754454/the-journal-times/ "Board Elected a New Principal; A. J. Winnie Elected Principal of the New Jefferson School; At Salary Of $60 a Month"], [[Racine Daily Journal]], September 30, 1899, front page.</ref> The school first opened to students on October 30, 1899.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52754531/the-journal-times/ "Reportorial Notes in and out the city"], [[Racine Daily Journal]], October 30, 1899, page five.</ref>
 
By the end of 1899, Jefferson had a total enrollment of 391 students. Superintendent Estabrook reported in January 1900 that the building's floors and furniture, as well as the clothing of teachers and students, were becoming covered in soot because of problems with the furnace and ventilation system.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52754654/the-journal-times/ "Busy Session of School Board"], [[Racine Daily Journal]], January 30, 1900, page eight.</ref> It was described as "one of the largest and most modern educational institutions of the Belle City". The decision to build a school "so far west, almost in the country" was controversial, but within a few years, the city of Racine had grown significantly and Jefferson was filled to capacity.<ref name=goodwork-1925>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52771121/the-journal-times/ "Jefferson School Long Noted for Its Good Work"], [[Racine Journal-News]], February 5, 1925, pages 12 and [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52772425/the-journal-times/ 13].</ref> On the night of March 17, 1904, the building was damaged by a fire, and the fire department narrowly saved it from total destruction. The fire was said to be the result of spontaneous combustion from the boiler room, but some nearby residents claimed that the janitor was negligent and signed a petition asking that he be fired.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52768442/the-journal-times/ "Flames Damage School House to Extent of $7,000; Fire Breaks Out at Jefferson Building Due to Spontaneous Combustion; Blaze Confined to First Two Floors"], [[Racine Daily Journal]], March 18, 1904, front page and [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52768811/the-journal-times/ page 2].</ref> The board of education found that the janitor was not at fault and decided that classes would resume in the damaged building on Monday, March 21, before a full investigation had been carried out or repairs could be made.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52769176/the-journal-times/ "Jefferson School Will Open Monday"], [[Racine Daily Journal]], March 19, 1904, page three.</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>
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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>
 
By 1981, Jefferson Lighthouse no longer offered a traditional curriculum alongside the gifted program. When the district planned to eliminate [[McKinley Middle School (Racine, Wisconsin)|McKinley Junior High School]]'s elementary classes and move all their students to Jefferson, parents complained that there was no alternative to the gifted program, and were ultimately offered the option of sending their children to [[Fratt Elementary School (Racine, Wisconsin)|Fratt]] instead.<ref>Watkins, Marcia. [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52799469/the-journal-times/ "School options asked"], [[Racine Journal Times]], February 20, 1981, page 5A.</ref> In 1985, Jefferson had 757 students, over the recommended capacity of 730, and the district proposed temporarily moving Jefferson's kindergarten classes to McKinley to deal with the overcrowding.<ref>LaCara, Len. [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52803141/the-journal-times/ "Kindergarten move proposed"], [[Racine Journal Times]], March 20, 1985, page 3A.</ref>
 
Racine Unified announced in 2019 that Jefferson would eventually be closed as part of its "long-range facilities master plan." Under the plan, the 1899 building would be demolished and the 1950s-1960s additions would become home to [[Racine Alternative Learning (Racine, Wisconsin)|Racine Alternative Learning]].<ref>Sievers, Caitlin. [https://journaltimes.com/news/local/proposed-plans-for-unified-buildings-phase-one/article_61347c11-d6bf-579b-9cdc-2b315d47b1e6.html "Proposed plans for Unified buildings, Phase One"], [[Racine Journal Times]], December 3, 2019.</ref>
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*M. Thomas Lucarelli, 1948-1963<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52786657/the-journal-times/ "Assign Elementary Principals"], [[Racine Journal Times]], October 5, 1948, page 4A.</ref>
*Frank H. Cooper, 1963-1966<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52786988/the-journal-times/ "Unified Delays Lease; Names 4 Principals"], [[Racine Journal Times]], June 11, 1963, page 4A.</ref>
*Alfred W. Held, 1966-1968<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52781143/the-journal-times/ Racine Unified School District meeting], [[Racine Journal Times]], July 21, 1966, page 8C.</ref>
*David Sweeney, 1968-1972<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52797014/the-journal-times/ "Teachers Get 8 1/2 to 12% Raises; Unified Names 9 Administrators"], [[Racine Journal Times]], March 12, 1968, page 7A.</ref>
*Lawrence Terry, 1972-1980<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52796728/the-journal-times/ "Board Names New Jefferson School Principal"], [[Racine Journal Times]], August 15, 1972, page 4A.</ref>
*Dawn Kloften, 1980-1986<ref>Watkins, Marcia. [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52802817/the-journal-times/ "9 elementary principals have new assignments"], [[Racine Journal Times]], April 30, 1980, page 1B.</ref>
*Patricia Rogers, 1986-1989<ref>LaCara, Len. [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52804007/the-journal-times/ "Unified to reassign seven administrators"], [[Racine Journal Times]], June 4, 1986, page 3A.</ref>
*Helen Mitchell, 1989-1991<ref>Buttweiler, Joe. [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/44226428/the-journal-times/ "Unified names five principals"], [[Racine Journal Times]], July 9, 1991, page 3A.</ref>
*Steven J. Miley, 1991-2004<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52805930/the-journal-times/ "Many principalship changes"], [[Racine Journal Times]], July 16, 2004, page 3B.</ref>
*Gary Goelz, 2004-2006<ref>[https://journaltimes.com/news/local/education/new-principals-named-at-gilmore-middle-school-jefferson-lighthouse/article_8b4aed85-5c13-59d7-af1f-f3d5c6061bad.html "New principals named at Gilmore Middle School, Jefferson Lighthouse"], [[Racine Journal Times]], August 17, 2004.</ref>
*Soren Gajewski, 2006-2011<ref>Killackey, Brent. [https://journaltimes.com/news/local/lighted-schoolhouse-to-grow/article_a371c44b-6f25-5e46-bb0b-a0cf6e427993.html "Lighted Schoolhouse to grow"], [[Racine Journal Times]], July 25, 2006.</ref>
*Rosalie Daca, 2011-<ref>Thoreson, Bridget. [https://journaltimes.com/news/local/unified-announces-principal-assignments-for-elementary-schools/article_ddede462-6d25-11e0-93b2-001cc4c002e0.html "Unified announces principal assignments for elementary schools"], [[Racine Journal Times]], April 22, 2011.</ref>
*Jody Cascio, -2016<ref>Knapp, Aaron. [https://journaltimes.com/news/local/new-principals-expected-at-four-unified-schools-next-year/article_9dd95d19-e1e9-5eaf-a2f9-0dd52f0166b4.html "New principals expected at four Unified schools next year"], [[Racine Journal Times]], June 13, 2016.</ref>
*Heidi Williams, 2016-2017<ref>Jones, Stephanie. [https://journaltimes.com/news/local/jefferson-lighthouse-principal-on-leave-after-allegedly-bringing-knife-to-school/article_9ce0b5b9-9354-51c3-bc21-acd14b53b604.html "Jefferson Lighthouse principal on leave after allegedly bringing knife to school"], [[Racine Journal Times]], October 17, 2017.</ref>
*Jeremy Benishek, 2017-present<ref>[https://www.rusd.org/jefferson/principals-welcome Principal's Welcome], Jefferson, rusd.org</ref>
 
==References==
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