The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Finances for proposed school district, transportation and curriculum offerings among issues discussed by Committee of 10.
By David Grimes, Quill correspondent
LaHARPE: An informational meeting Thursday night on the proposed consolidation of four school districts got fairly heated although no sparks actually flew.
About 50 area residents attended to study committee findings and voice concerns to Committee of 10 members from the four districts who fielded questions and shared information for more than two hours before beginning a meeting of their own at 9 p.m.
The Committee of 10, representing Colchester, LaHarpe, Roseville and Northwest school districts, has worked on a number of issues pertaining to the redistricting since it was formed two months ago.
Areas of discussion included finances for the proposed new school district, building configuration, curriculum offerings, transportation and transition.
Regional Superintendent Robert Baumann will conduct a public hearing on the consolidation Wednesday night at the Northwest Junior/Senior High School facility in Sciota.
On the issue of transportation, committee cochair Brad Hunt said, "Our goal has been to see that no student spend more than an hour on the bus."
Transportation committee members have been working on school bus routes that will ensure that, he said.
Curriculum committee chair Sara Simonson said junior high and middle school material now is being evaluated and should be ready for public presentation by Aug. 1.
One person questioned whether the consolidation would work if voters pass the consolidation measure in November but balk at the $7.9 million building bond.
Building Committee chair Tracey Anders pointed out that one measure not passing while the other did would be unlikely. But should it happen, the newly elected school board could present a ballot question to voters of the newly formed district a year after the first referendum.
Asked if a plan for the building renovation at Sciota was in place yet, Anders said he is slated to meet with the architect next week.
Even at that, he said, there are bound to be a number of options for a ground plan for a school of 501 students.
Current plans are for elementary schools to remain within their home districts and junior high or middle schools to be located at Roseville, Colchester and LaHarpe. The current facility at Sciota would house the new high school with appropriate renovations and improvements to be made.
The building bond would provide for band room and library renovations, a second gymnasium and new 8inch water line to be hooked up with Sciota's water supply, among other improvements.
The Sciota facility accommodates about 180 students, grades 7 through 12, Worthington said, but is designed to hold 275 students and will accommodate the new district's students.
Should the consolidation measure pass this November, the district would come into being in July 2003, with the 200304 school year the first to be affected.
To accommodate the increase in students during the transition, Worthington said 11 portable classroom buildings would be leased because of the flexibility they afford in coinciding with construction time.
The classroom leasing approach was the least costly of the options considered, he said, which included busing Northwest students to Roseville and Colchester students to LaHarpe.
Roseville School Board member Bob Dwyer noted that Committee of 10 members and volunteers will have logged more than 10,000 hours in working for the consolidation agreement by election time this fall.
The committee plans regular monthly community meetings in each of the four school districts between now and the November election.
Thursday, June 27th, the committee will be holding a public meeting in the Colchester Elementary Library at 8 p.m.