Editorial

Let taxpayers decide whether Class I's survive

Monday, February 2, 2004

Supporters of small schools in Nebraska are shaking their heads in disbelief, wondering how the state can be so out of step in its approach to school size.

Legislative Bill 1048 in Nebraska would force the state's 241 elementary-only schools to merge with larger K-12 districts. "That's so out of step with the national trend," said Lori Sughroue, a McCook resident whose two younger children are option students at District 8, a Class I school in Red Willow County. "In a number of larger states -- such as California, Illinois and New York -- schools are going the opposite way on school size. They are finding that large schools aren't working, and they're pushing for smaller schools," Mrs. Sughroue declared

So why is Lincoln Sen. Ron Raikes, chairman of the Legislature's Education Committee, trying to get Class I schools eliminated. "It will take a long time for the inevitable to happen and it makes good sense for the property tax load to do it now," he says. In other words, if the law is not changed, Class I districts will continue in existence until they are forced to close by exorbitant property taxes or lack of students.

To express their opposition to Raikes' bill, a contingent of Southwest Nebraska residents will be traveling to Lincoln to attend the public hearing. The session will take place Tuesday, Feb. 3, in Agriculture Room 2102 in the Capitol Building. The hearing begins at 10 a.m.

Mrs. Sughroue, who will be among those attending, says she is "totally against" LB 1048. "We (Lori and her husband, Harry Sughroue) send our younger children to District 8 because of the many benefits of a Class I school. District 8 offers art classes, computer classes every week and has the advantage of smaller classes, something not found in larger schools."

She also disputes Sen. Raikes' contention that LB 1048 will save money by eliminating smaller schools. "If there are savings they will be minuscule. They will barely be a drop in the bucket," she says.

And, for that, the state would be giving up the advantage of a small school setting for the education of young people. That's a privilege precious to many of Nebraska's rural residents.

Besides, Class I schools work. A report of the Rural School and Community Trust in November concluded: "Small school systems, on average, demonstrate higher levels of student achievement than larger school systems, and they do so while facing considerably greater barriers to academic success."

Therefore, we ask, why change? Let Class I elementary-only schools exist as long as property taxpayers are willing to support them, and as long as parents and students prefer them to larger districts with larger classes.

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