Sumner gets another shot at becoming a charter school
6:41 p.m. Monday, March 19, 2007
"I have two 38's and two 9 millimeters," Jacob Burrell said as he proudly showed off the shell casings he found in the yard of Sumner School.
Though he is not positive, his father, Brian, believes they are from the police who use the building to practice maneuvers.
"I can think of a lot better uses for this than that. What worries me is all these live rounds," he said.
Burrell has lived in the neighborhood for eight years. He would like to see something done with the Sumner School.
"I believe that it should be a school," former school administrator Sandy Lassiter said.
She had brought a plan before the 501 School District to make Sumner School into a charter school, but it was voted down. She says she has since regrouped and is gathering support. But she is facing several challenges including funding.
"The plan is to buy the building under Community First. I plan to buy it personally," Lassiter said.
Community First is a group of community members who offer afterschool programs at Abbot School.
In addition to a charter school, she would like to bring in a pre-school, daycare, a wellness program, and a mentoring program.
"I am going for grants and foundations," Lassiter said.
"It makes me angry and sad," Ward Meade resident Deborah Edwards said.
She lives just a few hundred feet from Sumner and hates that the building is empy.
"It's a black mark against Topeka," she said.
And she's not the only one. Ed Hughes remembers the school before Brown vs. Board case.
"You would have 30 or 40 kids running around," Hughes said.
He owns what used to be a gas station and mechanic shop across the street. Hughes says he is completely on board with Lassiter's plan to make Sumner into a charter school.
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