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Deactivation
Residents of Nauvoo-Colusa, Warsaw districts get last chance to hear about proposal before Tuesday's referendumby
diane vance/gate city staff writer
BASCO, Ill. - School officials have done what they can to inform residents about the details of deactivation in the Warsaw and Nauvoo-Colusa school districts.
Now, it is up to the voters on Tuesday.
“Thanks for coming out in the cold tonight to become informed voters,” Warsaw Superintendent Kim Schilson said to more than a dozen people Wednesday gathered in the Basco Community Center.
Wednesday's public meeting was the seventh meeting in the past two months between the two school districts to give constituents the facts about deactivating Warsaw's junior high - the seventh and eighth grade students - and Nauvoo-Colusa High School.
The two Hancock County school districts have been discussing deactivation plans for about a year, which would mean sending Warsaw's junior high students to Nauvoo and N-CHS students to Warsaw.
By increasing the pool of students at each school, more class offerings are possible and enrollment declines can be steadied for awhile.
“Among school district reorganization plans, deactivation is the only choice that is not permanent,” said Schilson. “This gives each district more flexibility. The agreement is for two years at a time. If one district does not like how it is going, the community can vote to reactivate its school.”
It will not require both districts to agree to reactivate and keep all of its students in the home district.
It will need both school districts to pass the referendum by a simple majority vote Tuesday to begin deactivation in the 2008-2009 school year.
Warsaw School Board members Steve Lucie of Basco, Ill., and Nick Capaldo of Warsaw led a PowerPoint presentation outlining Warsaw's reasons to consider deactivation, goals, benefits, proposed additional curriculum for both junior high and high school students in each district, concerns, finances, transportation and taxes.
“What are the class sizes now and what will they be under deactivation?” asked audience member Walt Horton.
Warsaw guidance counselor Paul O'Day said Warsaw High School classes have 17 to 18 students in a class now.
Next year's enrollment shows Warsaw with 174 high school (grades 9-12) students and Nauvoo-Colusa with 92. With deactivation, the total number of high school students attending classes at Warsaw would add up to 266.
“We'd still keep classes at 20 or less,” said O'Day. “There might be a few instances, say in a history class, that could have 25 students.”
Keeping small class sizes is a goal both school boards have stressed, said Schilson.
Junior high would have 116 students if deactivation passes. Warsaw would send 61 seventh and eighth graders to add to Nauvoo-Colusa's 55 students.
Eight-block class scheduling will remain at Warsaw High School. It will start at Nauvoo-Colusa Junior High if deactivation begins.
Without eight-block classes, students take six or seven class subjects for less than an hour each day. Students could possibly have five or six homework assignments each night due the following day.
Under the eight-block system, students take four classes per day for 80 to 85 minutes each on rotating A and B-days. On a Monday, the four classes would be different than four classes on Tuesday but the same on Wednesday again. Students have more time to complete homework assignments. Part of the class period is devoted to beginning homework assignments.
“Students have the opportunity to ask questions and understand assignments better when working with the classroom teacher instead of waiting to get home,” said Lucie.
Warsaw's outline of proposed benefits includes adding more high school classes, including physics, calculus, Spanish III and IV as well as additional vo-tech classes such as Mig and Tig welding.
“It's been said Warsaw has always been willing to pay to meet its needs for students,” said Lucie. “It's true the community is supportive of education and voted and passed the referendum to build and improve our buildings. But all the money in the world can't make up for declining enrollments. The dual credit classes require a minimum of 10 students enrolled before Carl Sandburg will send over a professor.”
O'Day said the ideal lowest number of students at a high school to offer a strong curriculum is 200.
“We have 174 in high school and based on our lower grades' enrollments, our high school enrollment is projected at 130 students by 2010,” he said. “That's not going to cut it. Adding Nauvoo-Colusa students helps keep the enrollment up and past 200.”
“What about that negative ad in the shopper?” asked Naomi Horton. “More people will see that than attend these meetings to find out the facts.”
Schilson said all the school district can do is put out the facts. It is not allowed by law to lobby or advertise how people should vote.
“The ad loses credibility without anyone's name signed on it,” said Walt Horton.
Deactivating schools pay tuition for its students to the gaining school district. Warsaw would be sending fewer students to Nauvoo-Colusa, so it would have a net increase of money coming into the district, estimated after deducting the transportation costs, to be $123,849.
“That sounds like a lot,” said Lucie. “It will give us the flexibility to hire additional teachers or buy more textbooks if we need to.”
An audience member asked why Nauvoo-Colusa is interested if it looks like Warsaw gains more than Nauvoo.
“Each board and district is interested in doing the best for its students,” said Schilson. “Nauvoo's goal is to keep its curriculum strong and give their students that competitive edge and being equipped with 21st century skills.
“We're the only district that's offered them anything.”
The goal of any relationship is to have respect and “good give-and-take,” said O'Day. “Our two boards work well together, understand one another and trust one another.”
diane vance/gate city staff writer
BASCO, Ill. - School officials have done what they can to inform residents about the details of deactivation in the Warsaw and Nauvoo-Colusa school districts.
Now, it is up to the voters on Tuesday.
“Thanks for coming out in the cold tonight to become informed voters,” Warsaw Superintendent Kim Schilson said to more than a dozen people Wednesday gathered in the Basco Community Center.
Wednesday's public meeting was the seventh meeting in the past two months between the two school districts to give constituents the facts about deactivating Warsaw's junior high - the seventh and eighth grade students - and Nauvoo-Colusa High School.
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By increasing the pool of students at each school, more class offerings are possible and enrollment declines can be steadied for awhile.
“Among school district reorganization plans, deactivation is the only choice that is not permanent,” said Schilson. “This gives each district more flexibility. The agreement is for two years at a time. If one district does not like how it is going, the community can vote to reactivate its school.”
It will not require both districts to agree to reactivate and keep all of its students in the home district.
It will need both school districts to pass the referendum by a simple majority vote Tuesday to begin deactivation in the 2008-2009 school year.
Warsaw School Board members Steve Lucie of Basco, Ill., and Nick Capaldo of Warsaw led a PowerPoint presentation outlining Warsaw's reasons to consider deactivation, goals, benefits, proposed additional curriculum for both junior high and high school students in each district, concerns, finances, transportation and taxes.
“What are the class sizes now and what will they be under deactivation?” asked audience member Walt Horton.
Warsaw guidance counselor Paul O'Day said Warsaw High School classes have 17 to 18 students in a class now.
Next year's enrollment shows Warsaw with 174 high school (grades 9-12) students and Nauvoo-Colusa with 92. With deactivation, the total number of high school students attending classes at Warsaw would add up to 266.
“We'd still keep classes at 20 or less,” said O'Day. “There might be a few instances, say in a history class, that could have 25 students.”
Keeping small class sizes is a goal both school boards have stressed, said Schilson.
Junior high would have 116 students if deactivation passes. Warsaw would send 61 seventh and eighth graders to add to Nauvoo-Colusa's 55 students.
Eight-block class scheduling will remain at Warsaw High School. It will start at Nauvoo-Colusa Junior High if deactivation begins.
Without eight-block classes, students take six or seven class subjects for less than an hour each day. Students could possibly have five or six homework assignments each night due the following day.
Under the eight-block system, students take four classes per day for 80 to 85 minutes each on rotating A and B-days. On a Monday, the four classes would be different than four classes on Tuesday but the same on Wednesday again. Students have more time to complete homework assignments. Part of the class period is devoted to beginning homework assignments.
“Students have the opportunity to ask questions and understand assignments better when working with the classroom teacher instead of waiting to get home,” said Lucie.
Warsaw's outline of proposed benefits includes adding more high school classes, including physics, calculus, Spanish III and IV as well as additional vo-tech classes such as Mig and Tig welding.
“It's been said Warsaw has always been willing to pay to meet its needs for students,” said Lucie. “It's true the community is supportive of education and voted and passed the referendum to build and improve our buildings. But all the money in the world can't make up for declining enrollments. The dual credit classes require a minimum of 10 students enrolled before Carl Sandburg will send over a professor.”
O'Day said the ideal lowest number of students at a high school to offer a strong curriculum is 200.
“We have 174 in high school and based on our lower grades' enrollments, our high school enrollment is projected at 130 students by 2010,” he said. “That's not going to cut it. Adding Nauvoo-Colusa students helps keep the enrollment up and past 200.”
“What about that negative ad in the shopper?” asked Naomi Horton. “More people will see that than attend these meetings to find out the facts.”
Schilson said all the school district can do is put out the facts. It is not allowed by law to lobby or advertise how people should vote.
“The ad loses credibility without anyone's name signed on it,” said Walt Horton.
Deactivating schools pay tuition for its students to the gaining school district. Warsaw would be sending fewer students to Nauvoo-Colusa, so it would have a net increase of money coming into the district, estimated after deducting the transportation costs, to be $123,849.
“That sounds like a lot,” said Lucie. “It will give us the flexibility to hire additional teachers or buy more textbooks if we need to.”
An audience member asked why Nauvoo-Colusa is interested if it looks like Warsaw gains more than Nauvoo.
“Each board and district is interested in doing the best for its students,” said Schilson. “Nauvoo's goal is to keep its curriculum strong and give their students that competitive edge and being equipped with 21st century skills.
“We're the only district that's offered them anything.”
The goal of any relationship is to have respect and “good give-and-take,” said O'Day. “Our two boards work well together, understand one another and trust one another.”
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