WRV board facing some tough decisions

The White River Valley School Board faces some tough decisions over the next several months.

The first piece of the puzzle to help make those decisions will be offered Thursday night.

The board will meet in executive session from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the superintendent's office, followed by a presentation from WRV Jr./Sr. High Principal Lee Ann Engelhardt.

After the regular open meeting agenda items are completed, the meeting will move to the cafeteria -- at approximately 8 p.m. -- for a presentation from MGT of America.

MGT of America will present the assessment and scores for the recent feasibility study conducted for WRV. At this meeting the scores of each building, grounds, technology needs, etc., will be discussed.

An additional meeting has been scheduled for March 17 at 8 p.m. to hear recommendations and options.

"We'll have the presentation from Lee Ann Engelhardt regarding the ISTEP scores and the fact that the Jr./Sr. High is on academic probation and what we are going to do about it," WRV Superintendent Layton Wall said.

"After the agenda items we'll move to the cafeteria and look over the results and assessments of the feasibility study."

Wall stressed that Thursday's meeting is just the first of two, and "there will be no recommendations or options looked at at that particular time. They'll just deliver the data and findings."

Wall added that at the March 17 board meeting, MGT of America will return for another meeting at 8 p.m.

"There they will talk to us about the recommendations and options, things of that nature," Wall said. "That's when we will get the final piece of the puzzle."

Wall doesn't expect a decision on the recommendations and options to be for a while. Things that could happen include bringing the elementary schools in Lyons and Worthington to a new building in Switz City or remodeling the two schools. The high school building is also being looked at for improvements.

"Certainly it will be later. The board is getting the information at the same time the community is getting the information," Wall explained.

"When we see them (MGT of America) we will see them for the first time (since the community meetings in January when the data was collected). There has been some communication with me through e-mail and phone calls, but nothing substantial. I don't even know what the results are. ... It's still a work in progress, but they feel comfortable enough to tell us the scores."

Wall added that after the March meeting, "what the board will likely do is go back and have a work session or two and see where they want to go. ... I anticipate the process to take several months."

The superintendent said he and the board don't want to make any snap decisions.

"We're wanting to do it right, so we'll take our time," Wall noted. "We're considering getting IU (Indiana University) involved in the study for a variety of different things. Before we jump in, we want to have the best information available to make those decisions. ... It could be November or so before we actually really decide what to do."

Wall said there would be a lot involved depending on which option -- if any -- is decided upon.

"It involves bonding, counsel, tax control boards, and possibly referendums depending on the cost of the project... I think it's going to be a process that's going to take some time."

Wall stressed that if the board decides to merge the two elementary schools into one, it's not a consolidation.

"We are not consolidating if we did bring the two elementaries to Switz City. We consolidated in 1989 (L&M, Switz City, and Worthington-Jefferson), and this would not be a consolidation," Wall explained.

"If we did (bring them together) we'd still be a very, very small elementary. ... Everybody is so fearful of the term consolidation, and that's not the proper use of the word (for what WRV is considering)."

Wall is extremely proud of his elementary schools.

"Our elementary staff is very strong. For example, they did very well in ISTEP testing. We have some very dedicated teachers and they will make sure the scores increase and the kids are taken care of and the parents are called and get them involved if they did combined."

Chris is the general manager/editor of the Greene County Daily World. He can be reached by telephone at 847-4487 or by e-mail at cpruett79@gmail.com .