The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
By David Grimes - Quill correspondent
LaHARPE If your school district had the opportunity to consolidate with four other school districts and do it with a $4 education fund tax rate or wait two years, do nothing and suddenly find yourself needing an education fund tax rate of more than $4 simply to balance the books for the following year, which would you choose?
Considering that the second option is prohibited by state law setting an education fund tax rate of more than $4 in Illinois, the first option probably would look like a plum.
That was the premise of what Steve Rodeffer shared with LaHarpe School District taxpayers at a community information meeting at LaHarpe High School on Thursday night.
He told the group that he would not tell them taxes would not go up in the event of a merger involving some or all of four other Illinois districts Colchester, Northwest, Roseville and Southern as well as their own.
"But they will rise considerably more if we don't merge," he said.
The five districts have been looking at the possibility of a fiveÐdistrict consolidation as well as variations since last summer.
Rodeffer is a member of the Committee of 10, a group selected to study the consolidation issue and liaison between that group and the LaHarpe School Board
A feasibility study involving financial and curriculum considerations authored by Max Pierson and Robert Hall of Western Illinois University was completed and presented to representatives of those five districts last month.
Declining enrollment, declining assessed valuation, no increase in state aid for school districts and increases in staff and maintenance costs have plagued all five districts, with LaHarpe generally considered to be in the best condition of the five. Those variables have served as the impetus for the group talks.
But in order to know who is in and who is not is essential to drafting a ballot question for this November.
In order to meet that timeline, a petition identifying all districts involved must be submitted to the Regional Office of Education in Macomb, by May 1.
Those districts that already have committed to the merger would like to know where everyone stands on the issue by April 1.
Colchester, LaHarpe and Northwest have conducted public information meetings since the feasibility study was completed and all three districts formally have received support for the consolidation project from their respective school boards.
Southern is expected to respond with its decision by Tuesday.
Rodeffer gave a brief overview of Pierson's findings in the study stressing the study was just a starting point. He then invited questions from the audience.
But he warned that because all of the pieces to the puzzle are not yet in place, they might find that he himself had more questions than answers.
Pierson's recommendation in the study for the best possible scenario involving all five districts is to build a new grade 6 through 12 facility near Blandinsville, with students from the newly formed district to attend school at two already existing facilities during construction.
Rodeffer speculated that if that option is pursued, transition time would run about three years.
The ballot question would be specific as far as how many districts are to be involved in the consolidation and would include wording regarding the tax rate increase.
A petition including signatures from at least 10 percent of the taxpayers within the school district or approval from the district's school board is required to have the question placed on the ballot.
Rodeffer urged those at the meeting to get involved in the consolidation process by serving on committees and offering insights and opinions that will enhance the various aspects of the merger agreement.
He encouraged them to read through the 148Ðpage consolidation study and inform themselves, adding that the more information they acquire, the better questions they will be able to ask.
He also told the crowd they could expect several more community meetings in the weeks and months ahead, as the committee itself receives more information.
"As we receive more details we'll pass them along to you," he said.
From left, Cheryl Blythe, John Ourth, Jerry Brown and Tracy Anders along with Steve Rodeffer are La Harpe representatives on a study for consolidation and part of The Committee of Ten with five from N/W School District.
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Dr. Steve Rodeffer, speaker for the 5-person committee, is answering Steve Painter's questions, of Terre Haute, as they look at the 5-district consoliation study. The complete 148 page study is on the web or committee members will get one for you upon request. The web address is: http://mcdonough.k12.il.us/northwestboard |
One third of the crowd from the La Harpe school district who came to hear information which their Committee Of Five had gathered on consolidation. Dr. Steve Rodeffer lead in a question-answer period after a 45-minute presentation. Rodeffer stressed that he didn't feel that a few on a committee or on a school board should make the decisions to consolidate, but the public should be the ones to decide. The committee is meeting with as many groups as possible to answer questions and hope the issue will be brought to ballot by November.