Neoga School Board and Area Residents Learn More About Consolidation

Neoga School Board met Thursday evening at Neoga Elementary School, first for a short 5 p.m. regular meeting and then for a 5:30 presentation from Tom Osborn on the subject of school district reorganization.

Osborn, an expert on the subject, was asked by the Neoga board to educate the assembled audience – which included 100-150 Neoga residents and representatives of the Cumberland, Stewardson-Strasburg, and Windsor districts – about the various types of reorganization, including the consolidation option the district apparently intends to explore with neighboring districts.

"This is all about information," Osborn stressed at the beginning of his hour-long presentation. "No decisions have been made about anything ... that's a long way off for you."

After explaining the differences between consolidations, conversions, dissolutions/annexations, and a few other reorganization options, Osborn went on to explain each option in more detail and hammered home the fact that none of them are quick processes. While every situation is unique, his opinion was that an ideal consolidation isn't a matter of months but closer to a minimum two-year process by the time feasibility studies, public hearings, state official approvals, and a successful referendum all take place.

Osborn also took care to stress that consolidations aren't always a magic elixir, and above all else a consolidation has to make good sense for the children of the districts involved. "Most people think consolidation is the answer to everything," Osborn said. "You have to be careful when making these decisions. It doesn't always solve your problems."

The state highly recommends districts participate in a feasibility study prior to petitioning for reorganization. Osborn said these studies analyze 10 critical components of a potential merger, including a look at the potential new district's transportation, finances, curricular opportunities, and extracurricular offerings. He also went into some key information people may not understand about consolidations, including state mandates requiring the new district to adopt the highest-paying salary schedule of the merging districts and the fact that if one district involved has outstanding debts, only the taxpayers of that district are on the hook for paying them back even after a consolidation referendum is passed.

Also, if a petition doesn't result in a consolidation, state law dictates that no subsequent petition can be filed for two years unless a "significantly different" reorganization plan is pursued.

During a brief question-and-answer session with board members after his presentation, Osborn was asked how often potential reorganizations are successful. Qualifying his answer as "rough numbers", Osborn figured fewer than half of feasibility studies result in a petition being advanced. Of those advanced petitions, about 40 percent end up resulting in successful referendums.

In earlier business, the board approved a revised district school improvement plan that includes schoolwide Title I; it was previously a K-8 program. It also adopted a principal/assistant principal evaluation plan notable for its 70 percent concentration on leadership and 30 percent on student growth. The board approved paying off a $380,405 segment of its tax anticipation warrants (TAWs) and approved a number of hirings, including:

• Zach Miller, varsity baseball coach

• Chad Clark, junior varsity boys basketball coach

• Ryne Floyd, frosh/soph boys basketball coach

• Roberta Gingerich and Barb Titus, recalled as teacher aides (Titus