OUTLOOK New Garaway school board seeks to rescind closure of Dundee, Ragersville schools

  • By Nick Sabo
  • January 28, 2014
  • 526
                        
SUMMARY: Closing schools would be a step forward for district, superintendent says An action by the Garaway Local School District board of education in June to shutter two elementary schools may be overturned after just seven months. The board action, to close Ragersville Elementary and Dundee Elementary, was as good as undone on Nov. 5, when three new school boardmembers - Robert Coburn, Robert Eckert and Daniel Fearon - were elected. They replaced school board members Ken Engstrom and Tammy Fanning, who did not run for re-election, and defeated former school board member Celeste Honigford. Engstrom, Fanning and Honigford were part of a five-member school board that introduced a resolution June 10 to close the schools at Dundee and Ragersville. Placed under new business, the resolution was approved by Engstrom, Fanning and Honigford, as well as boardmember Dick Marshall. Boardmember Jim Parson was absent from the June 10 meeting. The rationale behind closing the schools was twofold. By closing the two elementary schools, the district would realize an estimated savings of $463,000. Miller Avenue School would be renamed Garaway Primary, housing Kindergarten through the third grade, and Baltic Elementary would be renamed Garaway Primary and house fourth grade through sixth grade. Having all the students under two roofs would concentrate resources, better serving the children’s needs. Coburn, Eckert and Fearon represent a strong feeling in the other direction. Closing Dundee and Ragersville prompted a strong feeling of local pride and tradition from residents in the Garaway District. Built in 1915, Dundee Elementary is approaching its 100th birthday, with five generations having passed through its doors. Ragersville was built in 1929. Many students today are attending the same schools that their grandparents went to. Garaway’s receiving an excellent district rating from the state board of education for seven years running seems to indicate that things are operating just fine as they are. Running on a pro-Dundee Elementary and Ragersville Elementary platform in their school board campaigns, Coburn, Eckert and Fearon began the new year with a proposal to rescind the former board’s action. At the Jan. 13 meeting of the school board, Fearon introduced the new boardmember’s intentions under new business. The vote on new business was three to two, with Marshall and Pearson voting no. For Garaway Superintendent Teresa Alberts, closing the two elementary schools represents a move forward for the district. With all elementary age students together, Alberts said, there would be seven faculty meeting the needs of the students at each grade level. Alberts said she believes the board vote in June was more strongly based on educational needs than financial concerns. “In the long term, it is crucial for the grade levels to get together,” Alberts said. “Yes, Ragersville and Dundee are pretty schools, they are nice to look at. They don’t have the technical and electrical support that is needed, they don’t have the security. “We have received an excellent rating for seven years and we are the district everyone looks to. (However), if we’re not moving forward, we’re not doing our job as well as we can be.” Fearon and Coburn commented briefly on their decision at the January board meeting, without going into specifics as to what their plans may be. They have promised more discussion on the matter at the February board meeting.


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