The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
by David Grimes for The Quill
Three of four school districts whose high school merger plan was defeated at the polls in April believe the plan can still succeed if presented on the ballot again next March.
The school boards from Dallas City, La Harpe and Carthage met July 21 at the Dallas City Elementary School to name members to a new Committee of Ten to explore the possibility of uniting the three districts' high school populations for the purpose of enhancing high school curriculum and meeting the challenge of declining student enrollment and state and federal funding for school districts in the state.
Nauvoo-Colusa, the fourth school district in the original convergence group, will pursue a feasibility study involving a possible merger arrangement with the Warsaw and Hamilton school districts.
One committee member was appointed from each of the three existing school boards. Those members are Barb Cox, La Harpe; Walt Swearingen, Carthage; and Janet Vass, Dallas City.
Also appointed to the Committee of Ten were John Huston and Eric Boyer, Carthage; Jamie Farniok and Cindy Logan, Dallas City; and Darren Spangler and Pat Deitrich, La Harpe.
Tracey Anders, La Harpe, was named the tenth member as determined by drawing. Dick Burling, Carthage, and Josh DeSotol, Dallas City were also nominated for the tenth committee seat.
The school boards will recommend that, should the ballot measure pass on March 21, the Carthage high school be used to house the new high school student population through a lease agreement during the new school district's transition period.
Any consideration of a new building project will be left for the Committee of Ten to consider.
The three school boards adjourned with no future meeting dates announced.