School Officials, Citizens Discuss School Closing, Redistricting Plan
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
It was an irresistible force meeting an immovable object, with both sides trying to explain their positions, and neither side giving an inch.
Approximately 40 people from the newly formed Concerned Citizens for Quality Education met Wednesday at the Kosciusko County Community Foundation in Warsaw with Warsaw Community Schools' superintendent, business manager and a school board member.
Larry Chamberlain, the board member who was invited to the meeting by CCQE vice chairman Bruce Ferguson, began the meeting by explaining his position and emphasizing the need for financial solvency of the school corporation.
"The need to balance revenue to expenses is very real," he said. "The need cannot be dismissed as unreal or irrelevant. ... In my opinion, in my judgment, it cannot be delayed."
Chamberlain brought with him superintendent Dr. Dave McGuire and business manager Rande Thorpe, and the three men listened to parents and other concerned patrons express their frustrations with the proposed closing of Atwood, Claypool and Silver Lake elementaries.
"It doesn't make sense that we can't keep schools open but we can find $30 million to spend on a football field," said one man, referring to the current building program that includes building an outdoor athletic complex and a performing arts center at Warsaw Community High School, and adding a technology wing onto the administration building.
"Our town, our community, has been very reluctant to invest in itself over the years," McGuire said. "There was a significant groundswell of support for investing in those programs."
Another patron emphasized that the public supported the building program when that proposal included building a new school in Prairie Township and keeping Silver Lake elementary open.
"If you felt you needed to drop the Silver Lake and Atwood schools, why did you not drop the amount of the $30 million that included them?" she asked.
"If you had offered a new school in Prairie Township and added on to Claypool, we wouldn't be here tonight," said Kathy Lokotar of Silver Lake.
When questioned, Chamberlain said the school corporation has been concerned about its financial situation since the 1990s.
"Then if we're gonna spend $30 million to build new facilities it would seem that it will cost a fortune to maintain," said a father.
The state allows the schools to apply for a small increase in property taxes to cover operational expenses, Thorpe replied, and said that amount would be announced at a 1028 meeting.
"But that's a non-educational expense," said Becky Thomas, CCQE chairwoman.
Angela Fulton, a parent from Silver Lake, said McGuire has said all the employees of the schools proposed for closing were promised jobs in other schools, and asked if that is so, where will the $300,000 to $600,000 in expected savings come from?
"The first year we may have some duplication of services," McGuire said. "The $300,000 comes from eliminating administration and administrative support. The $688,000 is the total cost if we were able to totally eliminate those positions."
Another parent asked about the estimated cost of more than $300,000 for a concession stand for the new WCHS football stadium. "Why should we trust you?" he asked.
"I can't address your concerns because when I do you don't trust my answers," McGuire said.
A woman asked why, if the corporation's finances are in such dire straits, they would go ahead with "another project that is so astronomical and that the taxpayers are going to be repaying?"
Chamberlain replied that the building project could be done without increasing the tax burden, and that the bonds already were sold, so there is no going back on those projects.
"Yes, but I was told by Rep. Wolkins that we don't have to spend them (the bonds)," she replied.
McGuire did reassure some parents who are concerned their children will be moved into the mobile classrooms at the remaining schools in Warsaw.
The mobiles are at Lincoln, Washington and Jefferson elementaries, McGuire said, and will be used for "specials" classes, such as music and art, and not for regular classroom use. "Depending on the building that they're at, they may be used several times a week," he said.
He also said the sixth-graders will not be moved into middle schools since there was a great deal of opposition to that suggestion.
The school board is expected to vote on closing the three schools at the board's meeting Monday, which will be held at 7 p.m. at Edgewood Middle School. [[In-content Ad]]
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It was an irresistible force meeting an immovable object, with both sides trying to explain their positions, and neither side giving an inch.
Approximately 40 people from the newly formed Concerned Citizens for Quality Education met Wednesday at the Kosciusko County Community Foundation in Warsaw with Warsaw Community Schools' superintendent, business manager and a school board member.
Larry Chamberlain, the board member who was invited to the meeting by CCQE vice chairman Bruce Ferguson, began the meeting by explaining his position and emphasizing the need for financial solvency of the school corporation.
"The need to balance revenue to expenses is very real," he said. "The need cannot be dismissed as unreal or irrelevant. ... In my opinion, in my judgment, it cannot be delayed."
Chamberlain brought with him superintendent Dr. Dave McGuire and business manager Rande Thorpe, and the three men listened to parents and other concerned patrons express their frustrations with the proposed closing of Atwood, Claypool and Silver Lake elementaries.
"It doesn't make sense that we can't keep schools open but we can find $30 million to spend on a football field," said one man, referring to the current building program that includes building an outdoor athletic complex and a performing arts center at Warsaw Community High School, and adding a technology wing onto the administration building.
"Our town, our community, has been very reluctant to invest in itself over the years," McGuire said. "There was a significant groundswell of support for investing in those programs."
Another patron emphasized that the public supported the building program when that proposal included building a new school in Prairie Township and keeping Silver Lake elementary open.
"If you felt you needed to drop the Silver Lake and Atwood schools, why did you not drop the amount of the $30 million that included them?" she asked.
"If you had offered a new school in Prairie Township and added on to Claypool, we wouldn't be here tonight," said Kathy Lokotar of Silver Lake.
When questioned, Chamberlain said the school corporation has been concerned about its financial situation since the 1990s.
"Then if we're gonna spend $30 million to build new facilities it would seem that it will cost a fortune to maintain," said a father.
The state allows the schools to apply for a small increase in property taxes to cover operational expenses, Thorpe replied, and said that amount would be announced at a 1028 meeting.
"But that's a non-educational expense," said Becky Thomas, CCQE chairwoman.
Angela Fulton, a parent from Silver Lake, said McGuire has said all the employees of the schools proposed for closing were promised jobs in other schools, and asked if that is so, where will the $300,000 to $600,000 in expected savings come from?
"The first year we may have some duplication of services," McGuire said. "The $300,000 comes from eliminating administration and administrative support. The $688,000 is the total cost if we were able to totally eliminate those positions."
Another parent asked about the estimated cost of more than $300,000 for a concession stand for the new WCHS football stadium. "Why should we trust you?" he asked.
"I can't address your concerns because when I do you don't trust my answers," McGuire said.
A woman asked why, if the corporation's finances are in such dire straits, they would go ahead with "another project that is so astronomical and that the taxpayers are going to be repaying?"
Chamberlain replied that the building project could be done without increasing the tax burden, and that the bonds already were sold, so there is no going back on those projects.
"Yes, but I was told by Rep. Wolkins that we don't have to spend them (the bonds)," she replied.
McGuire did reassure some parents who are concerned their children will be moved into the mobile classrooms at the remaining schools in Warsaw.
The mobiles are at Lincoln, Washington and Jefferson elementaries, McGuire said, and will be used for "specials" classes, such as music and art, and not for regular classroom use. "Depending on the building that they're at, they may be used several times a week," he said.
He also said the sixth-graders will not be moved into middle schools since there was a great deal of opposition to that suggestion.
The school board is expected to vote on closing the three schools at the board's meeting Monday, which will be held at 7 p.m. at Edgewood Middle School. [[In-content Ad]]