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Kansas Counties Vote on Schools Issues

Posted on: Friday, 10 March 2006, 12:00 CST

By April Middleton, The Salina Journal, Kan.

Mar. 8--Residents of three north-central Kansas counties voted decisively Tuesday in elections concerning their schools.

Voters in Ottawa County handily rejected a $9,485,000 bond issue. And in both Washington and Republic counties, voters overwhelmingly voted to approve consolidation questions.

Before polls closed, Larry Combs, the superintendent of the North Ottawa County School District in Minneapolis had predicted the election would be "very close."

It wasn't.

The unofficial results were 508 in favor and 960 against. About 59 percent of eligible voters cast a ballot.

The bond issue would have paid to renovate and update the elementary and junior/senior high schools, as well as adding classroom space, technology upgrades and a new gymnasium at the junior/senior high school.

Kathy Scharplaz, Minneapolis, said she thought the gymnasium is what didn't set well with most voters.

"I think most people felt they would be willing to make needed improvements, but a lot of people are skeptical of the gymnasium complex," said Scharplaz, who had spoken against the bond issue. "If they came back with a bond issue that is everything except the gymnasium, I would be surprised if it didn't pass."

It also didn't help that there still are hard feelings about the Delphos school being closed in 2002, she said.

There were good arguments made for the bond issue, and as a volunteer at the elementary school, Scharplaz said she knows the building is "crammed to the gills."

But, she said, she thinks that is a temporary problem, as statistics show that rural areas are continuing to lose population.

Before polls closed, Combs said there had been little talk about what to do if voters rejected the bond issue.

"Obviously there are a number of things on that list that need done, and if it fails there won't be the dollars to do that," he said. "I assume it will be back to the drawing board and see where we want to go."

In Republic County Republic County School District and Hillcrest Rural Schools in Cuba voted in favor of consolidation.

The unofficial results were 1,140 for and 166 opposed.

"We are excited in both districts," said Larry Lysell, superintendent of the Republic County School District, Belleville. "We felt it would pass and pass rather comfortably."

In the last 10 years, enrollment has declined from about 640 to 440 in Republic County and from about 160 to 90 in the Hillcrest Rural School District.

The new district will be called the Republic County School District.

Kindergarten through sixth grade will remain in Cuba for "as long as we think we can afford it and it is feasible," Lysell said.

Washington County Washington School District in Washington and North Central School District in Haddam also will consolidate as the result of Tuesday's vote.

The measure passed by a vote of 727 to 125.

"It was inevitable that something was going to have to happen in the future because of the declining population in all of these rural areas," said Michael Stegman, Washington superintendent.

The latest talks about the two districts consolidating started in about 2004.

The new district will be called Washington County Schools.

The North Central district has had two schools, but will retain just a kindergarten to sixth-grade center after the consolidation.

Washington will be home to a kindergarten through sixth-grade center and a junior/senior high school, Lysell said.

"I think a vote like this shows how important of an issue this was to people in this county," he said. "I'm quite pleased."

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Salina Journal, Kan.

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Source: The Salina Journal

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