Remonstrators ponder the next step to take

July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.

By Laurie Hahn, Times-Union Staff Writer-

What's the next step for the remonstrators?

To begin the remonstrance process, petitions with 250 signatures had to be turned in to the Kosciusko County Auditor's office and verified.

Tuesday, auditor Sue Ann Mitchell certified the number of signatures on remonstrance petitions as 1,041. The petitions were turned in July 30 and Aug. 1.

Approximately 30 remonstrators - from all over the Warsaw Community Schools district - met Wednesday in Atwood to discuss their plans for the future. They agreed to consider seeking legal counsel on the issue.

Originally, the plan proposed in May by Warsaw Community Schools Superintendent Dr. Dave McGuire was to close Atwood, Claypool, Jefferson and Silver Lake elementaries, and build two new schools - one to replace Jefferson and one in Prairie Township to replace Atwood and to relieve Harrison and Leesburg elementaries of overcrowding.

In June, McGuire suggested a compromise - instead of building a new school in Prairie Township, renovate and enlarge Claypool Elementary so Silver Lake students could be bused to Claypool.

After the remonstrance petitions were turned in to the auditor's office, McGuire said July 31 that because of the remonstrance, he would recommend to the board at its next meeting that the board close the small schools next year and "move the elementaries into the existing structures" without building any additional schools.

His change in position, he said, was to avoid polarizing the community. "My recommendation to the board is that we not proceed with a petition fight and not split the community," he said.

Part of the divisiveness of a remonstrance is that once the auditor's office has verified the original signatures, and once the proposal supporters and opponents wait 30 days after the verification, the issue comes down to a race. Both sides have 30 days to get their petitions signed, either for or against the proposed project, and the side with the most signatures wins.

The remonstrators Wednesday said they are just as unhappy with the latest proposal as they were originally.

"The proposal was bad. If you do this, it's worse," said Ron Yeiter, a member of the school board and an organizer of the remonstrance.

Most of the parents present Wednesday were concerned about several issues, including overcrowded classrooms, additional busing expenses, using modular classrooms to relieve overcrowding and never knowing exactly what the board is planning to do.

If the school board keeps the principals and teachers of the closed schools in the school system, one woman asked, then where are the savings by closing the smaller schools? And if they lay off teachers, then they've defeated the purpose of closing the small schools to save money and avoid more layoffs.

Other parents asked how much it would cost to heat and air condition modular classrooms, what the cost would be to bus Claypool, Silver Lake and Atwood students into Warsaw and whether more buses and bus drivers would be required.

"If you spend more tax dollars doing this than just leaving it be, that looks to me like misappropriation of funds," said Jeff Dotson of Silver Lake.

A mother said of the school board: "I would think they would feel absolutely ridiculous spending $30 million at the high school and moving modulars into the elementaries."

Many parents were concerned that patrons of other schools don't realize they will be affected as well, citing redistricting and larger class sizes in all schools if the four small schools are closed and those students moved into the remaining buildings.

Yeiter said he wants the communities of the targeted schools to have advisory committees that would review the situation, then make recommendations to McGuire on how to resolve problems.

"We don't want a new school or a new building," Dotson said of Silver Lake parents. "We're not asking for anything."

Yeiter told those present Wednesday that the school closing issue would be before the school board at Monday's meeting, and the remonstrators probably would meet later in the week.

"Just don't lose faith in this thing yet," he said. "I don't think this is over yet." [[In-content Ad]]

What's the next step for the remonstrators?

To begin the remonstrance process, petitions with 250 signatures had to be turned in to the Kosciusko County Auditor's office and verified.

Tuesday, auditor Sue Ann Mitchell certified the number of signatures on remonstrance petitions as 1,041. The petitions were turned in July 30 and Aug. 1.

Approximately 30 remonstrators - from all over the Warsaw Community Schools district - met Wednesday in Atwood to discuss their plans for the future. They agreed to consider seeking legal counsel on the issue.

Originally, the plan proposed in May by Warsaw Community Schools Superintendent Dr. Dave McGuire was to close Atwood, Claypool, Jefferson and Silver Lake elementaries, and build two new schools - one to replace Jefferson and one in Prairie Township to replace Atwood and to relieve Harrison and Leesburg elementaries of overcrowding.

In June, McGuire suggested a compromise - instead of building a new school in Prairie Township, renovate and enlarge Claypool Elementary so Silver Lake students could be bused to Claypool.

After the remonstrance petitions were turned in to the auditor's office, McGuire said July 31 that because of the remonstrance, he would recommend to the board at its next meeting that the board close the small schools next year and "move the elementaries into the existing structures" without building any additional schools.

His change in position, he said, was to avoid polarizing the community. "My recommendation to the board is that we not proceed with a petition fight and not split the community," he said.

Part of the divisiveness of a remonstrance is that once the auditor's office has verified the original signatures, and once the proposal supporters and opponents wait 30 days after the verification, the issue comes down to a race. Both sides have 30 days to get their petitions signed, either for or against the proposed project, and the side with the most signatures wins.

The remonstrators Wednesday said they are just as unhappy with the latest proposal as they were originally.

"The proposal was bad. If you do this, it's worse," said Ron Yeiter, a member of the school board and an organizer of the remonstrance.

Most of the parents present Wednesday were concerned about several issues, including overcrowded classrooms, additional busing expenses, using modular classrooms to relieve overcrowding and never knowing exactly what the board is planning to do.

If the school board keeps the principals and teachers of the closed schools in the school system, one woman asked, then where are the savings by closing the smaller schools? And if they lay off teachers, then they've defeated the purpose of closing the small schools to save money and avoid more layoffs.

Other parents asked how much it would cost to heat and air condition modular classrooms, what the cost would be to bus Claypool, Silver Lake and Atwood students into Warsaw and whether more buses and bus drivers would be required.

"If you spend more tax dollars doing this than just leaving it be, that looks to me like misappropriation of funds," said Jeff Dotson of Silver Lake.

A mother said of the school board: "I would think they would feel absolutely ridiculous spending $30 million at the high school and moving modulars into the elementaries."

Many parents were concerned that patrons of other schools don't realize they will be affected as well, citing redistricting and larger class sizes in all schools if the four small schools are closed and those students moved into the remaining buildings.

Yeiter said he wants the communities of the targeted schools to have advisory committees that would review the situation, then make recommendations to McGuire on how to resolve problems.

"We don't want a new school or a new building," Dotson said of Silver Lake parents. "We're not asking for anything."

Yeiter told those present Wednesday that the school closing issue would be before the school board at Monday's meeting, and the remonstrators probably would meet later in the week.

"Just don't lose faith in this thing yet," he said. "I don't think this is over yet." [[In-content Ad]]

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