Published: November 13, 2008 12:39 pm            

Benefits of school consolidation outlined

VANDALIA — Residents of Brownstown and St. Elmo school districts had the opportunity to voice their concerns regarding the reorganization of the two school districts into one during a public hearing Wednesday at the Fayette County Building in Vandalia.

The hearing is required prior to the issue being sent to Mark Drone, regional superintendent of Fayette, Bond and Effingham counties, who will decide whether the question of reorganization is put on the ballot for a public vote in both school districts.

Although the hearing is set up to give residents a chance to speak out on whether they are for or against the consolidation, no one from the 15 to 20 residents present took the opportunity to voice their opinions either way. Some Committee of 10 members, however, did give their views.

“Times change, and we must evolve with the times to provide the best education we can for the communities,” Co-chairman Dean Buzzard said.

Brownstown Superintendent Doug Slover told those present at the hearing high school curriculum could be expanded if the two districts are combined, with the math department seeing five additional courses being offered, while English could offer between one to five additional courses, social studies could have four additional courses, consumer education could have two additional offerings and four years of foreign language could be offered.

Teresa Barnick, a Committee of 10 member, said she has a child attending high school in the Brownstown School District who has to be transported to St. Elmo High School for an agriculture class, which slices 30 minutes from time spent in the classroom. She added because the school only offers one section of a particular class, getting a schedule to work out can be a nightmare.

According to Slover, there are at least five or six round trips between the two districts per day to transport students to classes and extracurricular activities. If the schools would consolidate, those trips would be dramatically reduced, he said.

Committee members who worked through the major issues of the reorganization plan have recommended a transportation plan for the proposed district should not have students on the bus longer than they are currently. However, Slover cautioned bus routes change annually and time on a bus can change at any time. He added school officials had agreed to set a goal of keeping a student’s bus ride to not more than 10 minutes longer one way than it is currently, or 20 minutes longer for a round trip.

Although the school board for the new district would have final say in how the school buildings would be utilized, the committee has recommended St. Elmo Elementary School serve students in kindergarten through second grade, Brownstown Elementary be used for third through fifth grades, Brownstown Junior High School be used for sixth through eighth grades and St. Elmo High School serve ninth through 12th grades. The new board would decide what to do with existing buildings not being utilized by the new school district, said St. Elmo Superintendent Deborah Philpot.

Committee of 10 Co-Chairman Clint Feezel said he has had two daughters go through Brownstown schools who are currently in college and he has another child in third grade. Although he said he believed the school district did the best it could, the school did not adequately prepare his daughters for the transition to a four-year college.

The consolidation of the two districts would expand curriculum that would help prepare students for college, added committee member Cindy Booher, who said many students who have gone to college in recent years find they are behind from the start. Booher added college entrance exams are getting more difficult, and the expanded curriculum would help students gain acceptance to college, as well.

Jackie Gorski can be reached at 217-347-7151 ext. 128 or at jackie.gorski@effinghamdailynews.com.