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Looking to the future
Unit 6 board of education seeks community advice
By GARY HENRY
Staff Writer
CHRISMAN – Residents of the Chrisman School District are being asked to consider the district’s future.
A recently mailed survey sought public opinion regarding such options as:
maintaining the status quo in hopes the district can survive until the economy improves; investigating consolidation or participation in a cooperative high school; or do nothing until it becomes absolutely necessary to make a decision in the future.
“It’s meant to be a positive thing,” board president Judy Wyatt said of the survey.
She explained the idea of seeking more community involvement arose from a workshop she attended last year which stressed public unrest is most often generated when people think local government bodies make decisions without seeking local opinion.
The survey, she said, is meant to gauge public opinion and help guide future discussions and decisions.
“It doesn’t mean we are going to do something next year,” said Wyatt. “We just want to know what people are thinking.”
The survey packet included background information detailing the economic struggles the district has endured since 2001. Falling local revenue forced Unit 6 to reduce FFA, home-ec and art program offerings as well as completely eliminate band and chorus from the curriculum.
All of those programs are back for the 2008 – 2009 school year, but officials remain concerned by the weakened state of the district’s cash reserves.
The uncertain status of state funding also contributes to the dilemma, and everything is exacerbated by a steadily declining enrollment. With fewer students each year, Chrisman is finding it costs more each year just to maintain the current level of offerings.
“Obviously, we are going to be faced with a need to make decisions in the future,” Wyatt said.
The survey seeks to determine public opinion regarding if all Unit 6 students should remain in Chrisman of if the high school should consolidate or co-op and leave the junior high and elementary schools intact.
Taxpayers are also asked if the district should continue with tight budgets and avoid new offerings in order to rebuild cash reserves; expand curriculum as money becomes available; or spend down the remaining reserves and go into debt to offer more educational programs.
Wyatt and board member Cora Jean Froman will tabulate the information and present a report at the October board meeting.
One of the questions asks if the public believes the state will eventually eliminate small school districts like Chrisman.
Wyatt stressed it is important for the Chrisman board of education to be proactive on this issue.
“I’d rather be in the driver’s seat with community input rather than the state telling us what we will do,” said Wyatt.
A recently mailed survey sought public opinion regarding such options as:
maintaining the status quo in hopes the district can survive until the economy improves; investigating consolidation or participation in a cooperative high school; or do nothing until it becomes absolutely necessary to make a decision in the future.
“It’s meant to be a positive thing,” board president Judy Wyatt said of the survey.
She explained the idea of seeking more community involvement arose from a workshop she attended last year which stressed public unrest is most often generated when people think local government bodies make decisions without seeking local opinion.
The survey, she said, is meant to gauge public opinion and help guide future discussions and decisions.
“It doesn’t mean we are going to do something next year,” said Wyatt. “We just want to know what people are thinking.”
The survey packet included background information detailing the economic struggles the district has endured since 2001. Falling local revenue forced Unit 6 to reduce FFA, home-ec and art program offerings as well as completely eliminate band and chorus from the curriculum.
All of those programs are back for the 2008 – 2009 school year, but officials remain concerned by the weakened state of the district’s cash reserves.
The uncertain status of state funding also contributes to the dilemma, and everything is exacerbated by a steadily declining enrollment. With fewer students each year, Chrisman is finding it costs more each year just to maintain the current level of offerings.
“Obviously, we are going to be faced with a need to make decisions in the future,” Wyatt said.
The survey seeks to determine public opinion regarding if all Unit 6 students should remain in Chrisman of if the high school should consolidate or co-op and leave the junior high and elementary schools intact.
Taxpayers are also asked if the district should continue with tight budgets and avoid new offerings in order to rebuild cash reserves; expand curriculum as money becomes available; or spend down the remaining reserves and go into debt to offer more educational programs.
Wyatt and board member Cora Jean Froman will tabulate the information and present a report at the October board meeting.
One of the questions asks if the public believes the state will eventually eliminate small school districts like Chrisman.
Wyatt stressed it is important for the Chrisman board of education to be proactive on this issue.
“I’d rather be in the driver’s seat with community input rather than the state telling us what we will do,” said Wyatt.
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The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of parisbeacon.com.
hard decision wrote on Sep 15, 2008 6:02 PM:
Not just Chrisman by the way, all the other county schools face the same.
All county schools combined would still not have but maybe 1000 students. Not large, not small. Combined resources with equal vote for each district. Go with the co-op and still have some say, give the kids all the advantages and still have some pride in what is going on at school.
Keep local grade and middle/junior high schools. "