Jim Bare stepped onto the front porch of his home Monday and was delivered the news: His two daughters may not enjoy the convenience of walking across the street to Hawthorne Elementary School much longer.

The man who moved to his L Street home six years ago largelybecause of its proximity to the school was caught unaware.

He was not amused.

"So where would we have to bus her?" he asked immediately after learning of re-districting plans that would, if accepted, close the South 48th Street school as well as Dawes Middle School.

His daughter, 6-year-old Danielle, who will be in first grade next year and walks home each day for lunch, also wasn't happy with the thought of losing her school.

"I'd never want to leave," she said. "It's the greatest school."

Their responses were common among students and parents with ties to Dawes and Hawthorne.

The schools, they say, play important roles in their neighborhoods and have become such a part of the landscape it would be hard to imagine them gone or repurposed, as the school board's planning committee has proposed.

"It is quite sad knowing that I won't have any more grandchildren there," said Kathy Spidel, who lives across the street from Dawes and has sent four children and a grandchild to the school.

Spidel said she's watched the school improve over the years, most recently receiving new windows, and wondered whether it was a "sad waste" to send students elsewhere.

"They've done a lot of work over there just to close it down," she said, sitting on her front porch, her 6-month-old granddaughter Samantha on her lap.

Ken Stanley, a member of Hawthorne's Parent-Teacher Organization, said he would be vocal in fighting for the school he sends his 8- and 5-year-old sons to now.

“I’m definitely a parent who will fight to keep those doors open,” he said, describing the school as a “cosmopolitan exception” in Lincoln for its diversity. 

Though waning enrollment was cited as part of the rationale in the closing, Stanley said four new families with kids have moved into homes on his street recently.

All have children who go now or will go to Hawthorne, he said.

"What you have in this area is older residents moving out and younger residents moving in," he said. "If it's not noticeable now it will be five years from now."

Dawes Principal Dave Knudson said a few parents called Monday after learning about the possible closing.

"They all want to know what they can do," he said.

Reach Drew Kerr at (402) 473-7223 or dkerr@journalstar.com.