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Thursday, September 02, 2010
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| | Email this article • Print this article | GSL looks at consolidation with McLeod West
By Rich Glennie
At the Dec. 8 Glencoe-Silver Lake School Board meeting, Superintendent Chris Sonju and Business Manager Michelle Sander will recommend the district adopt plans to move forward with a possible consolidation with neighboring McLeod West.
At Monday afternoon's finance committee meeting, Sander gave an update on the consolidation talks involving four school districts - GSL, McLeod West, Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop (GFW) and Buffalo Lake-Hector (BL-H).
"We will be part of this regardless," Sander said of the breaking up of McLeod West. If the districts do not consolidate, McLeod West will have to dissolve as a school district, she said.
"I recommend we work on consolidation," Sander said, because that will give GSL a voice. "If McLeod West dissolves, we have no say. The county board will determine it."
Sander said the four districts are now into consolidation discussions, and a plan must be submitted to the Minnesota Department of Education by Jan. 15. The department will either approve or reject the plan by the end of January.
If accepted, the plan then goes before the voters in all four districts, and it must be approved by all four. If voters in one district reject the plan, then the plan is done and McLeod West will dissolve, Sander said.
Sander said another reason to consolidate rather than dissolve McLeod West is that GSL could get $450,000 in consolidation funds over a two-year period to help in the transition. "It depends on how many kids are involved."
Sonju said the formula is based on $200 per pupil unit the first year and $100 per pupil unit the second.
He said the money can be used to pay for costs like attorney and consulting fees. "They are for one-time costs."
If McLeod West dissolves, no consolidation money would be available.
Sander said the consolidation would not change the name of GSL or school colors, and McLeod West's debt would remain with the current McLeod West district taxpayers.
She said GSL could inherit some McLeod West staff through the consolidation, and the blending of staffs would be on a seniority basis.
"All three districts would get a portion (of the McLeod West staff)," Sander said, but she said the neighboring districts are trying to be flexible in the process to meet each districts' staff needs.
Brian O'Donnell, a finance committee member, asked if McLeod West teachers could bump GSL teachers in blending the two staffs.
Sonju said that could happen because the teachers "have a statutory right to a job."
Sander said the districts are working with Northland Securities on the levy issues in each district.
She said the McLeod West operations levy is higher than GSL's, so the two levies would be averaged in a consolidation and likely can be extended.
"The levies are very similar," Sonju said. "I don't see a lot of change in the levy, but we'll see an increase in money."
Sander said the consolidation plan is already redrawing district lines. "We're still working out the details, so we don't have all the answers yet."
As to bus routes, Sander said GSL already has buses going into the McLeod West district.
One concern expressed from McLeod West officials is the transporting of McLeod West students to Lakeside in Silver Lake. The concern was the length of the bus ride for those elementary students.
Sander said that also was an issue with New Auburn residents several years ago.
"We still don't know how many kids we will get," Sonju said, and that may not be known until next fall. Open enrollment remains an option for McLeod West parents.
"It's overwhelming," Sonju said of the consolidation details. "There are a lot of questions, and there is a lot of work."
Asked about McLeod West keeping a K-6 school, Sander said once the voters rejected that last operations levy referendum, that idea was killed as well. She said the state will end state aid to McLeod West on July 1.
Asked about the Brownton school building, Sonju said GSL could inherit that building under the consolidation plan.
Sander added that if McLeod West dissolves, GSL may end up with that building anyway.
Sonju told the finance committee his No. 1 priority is to do what is in the best interest of GSL, but remain open to work with McLeod West.
Sander said the consolidation should be a positive thing for GSL, too.
Sonju said additional students at GSL will "provide stability to our district. We are in declining enrollment."
Sander said the early discussions indicate that most of the upper classes at McLeod West may go to GFW.
Asked if the additional students at GSL would push the district into a higher classification for extracurricular activities like football, Sonju said every sport is different. But it was unlikely there would be enough students to push football into a larger class.
"How many kids can we safely handle?" asked finance committee member Holly Schafer.
"It depends on the ages," Sonju said. If they are all kindergartners, then we have an issue."
But he said if the new students are sprinkled throughout all the classes, Sonju said there would be no problem handling the additional students.
Once the state approves the consolidation plan, Sonju said there are a number of timelines that need to be met. "The snowball becomes huge, and it starts rolling. We need to work together," Sonju said, "or it'll go to dissolution.
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