Schools stake out site preferences

CULBERTSON -- The Culbertson school board favors a Hitchcock-Dundy merger with K-12 facilities in Benkelman and Culbertson and elementaries in Stratton and Haigler. Trenton and Stratton boards want a junior-senior high in Trenton and elementary schools in Stratton and Culbertson.

Culbertson, Trenton and Stratton school boards and patrons can't seem to decide quite what to do with the three-way unified district they created six years ago. The unification is being challenged by time restraints and funding difficulties.

Todd Wagner, a member of the unified board, representing Culbertson, explained at a unified district meeting Dec. 8, "My board does not have the support of the district's residents to move the junior and senior high to Trenton. School patrons understand the Unified School must make changes, but they don't support the same plan as Trenton and Stratton."

The Hitchcock County News reported the unified board needs to decide what to do with the Trenton-Stratton and Culbertson school systems. Other options include a county-wide levy override vote, merging with the McCook school system and merging with Dundy County.

The boards seem to agree, however, that there is not enough funding for two high schools in Hitchcock County (currently Culbertson High School in Culbertson and Lakeside Central High School for Trenton and Stratton students in Trenton), and that changes are needed.

Ken Alig, unified board chairman, representing Trenton, said decisions regarding the next two years of the unification need to be made within weeks, because administrators need to start 2004-05 budgets.

School Superintendent Cindy Huff said teaching positions are in jeopardy, and Culbertson and Lakeside Central may be in danger of losing state accreditation and thus state aid.

The committee formed to make recommendations to schools board will meet Monday, Dec. 15, at 7:30 p.m. at the school in Trenton.

Committee members are: Gary Matson, Charlie Hrnchr and Ken Alig from Trenton; Frank Stehno, Don Rife and Linda Ruzicka from Stratton; and Linda Koch, Todd Wagner and Kip Korrell from Culbertson.