Republican, Twin Valley comtemplate alternatives

DANBURY -- One patron advocated the most change possible; another wanted nothing changed. Both spoke their minds during a two-hour Twin Valley/Republican Valley school meeting Thursday evening in Danbury.

Each of the two boards of education appointed 12-member citizens' committees last summer, and charged them with investigating the futures of the schools.

What they've recommended, after nearly a year, is that the two districts merge, with K-5 going to the existing grade school in Indianola and 6-12 going to a new building in Bartley.

Because of worsening financial problems, neither school, separately, has a bright future. Twin Valley Superintendent Mark Norvell said, "We cannot continue to operate as we have. We can last more than two years, but at a reduced level." Republican Valley must consider an override of the state-mandated $1 levy limit to continue to operate.

Dwight Parrish -- the superintendent of the Beaver Valley School District that merged several years ago with Bartley to form Twin Valley -- suggested dissolving the Twin Valley district and letting parents decide where they want to send their children to school.

Parrish said he was opposed to the Beaver Valley-Bartley merger. "There just were not the people to support it," he said. He said he couldn't support the merger proposed between Twin Valley and Cambridge because it was asking a lot of patrons on the far west of the district to support a merger with a district on the far east.

"It's just as wrong to expect the east end of the district to now support a merger with Republican Valley on the far west," Parrish said.

Dissolving the district would allow parents on the east to select Cambridge or Arapahoe, or even Southern Valley; and parents on the west to select Republican Valley or McCook. Parrish's proposal, he said, "would tail up both Republican Valley and Cambridge."

"Consolidation is not a peaceful thing," Parrish said. "The wounds of consolidation last a long time."

And buildings cost a lot of money, he said about the proposed new middle school/high school in Bartley. The consolidation of Beaver City, Oxford and Orleans to form Southern Valley did not lower the taxes he pays on two quarters of land he owns in that district, he said. "In fact, it significantly increased my taxes," Parrish said.

He concluded, "I'm asking that consideration be given to letting people on the east go to Cambridge or Arapahoe and the people on the west to go to Republican Valley or McCook."

Linda Fitzsimmons, a mother of children who attend the grade school in Danbury, appealed to the committee and to board members, "Keep Twin Valley as Twin Valley."

"I'm adamantly against closing Danbury," she said. "I have lots of problems with the idea of putting my little kids on a bus."

"I would like to see a school in Danbury as long as possible," Fitzsimmons said.

Norvell agreed that Danbury is a fine school with a great staff, but he said it costs just a little more than $18,000 per student to operate the building. "At $18,000 per student, that's terribly expensive," he said. "I'm not sure we can keep affording it." The school has 18 students.

A reconfigured district would save the $317,000 it takes to operate the Danbury building annually, Norvell said.

Dick Remington suggested, that to keep the school in Danbury, Twin Valley create a Class I elementary-only district, which would allow parents to decide which high school their children would attend.

Committee member Larry Durner said Twin Valley patrons would have very little voice in their school affairs if they were a Class affiliated with one area high school. "That takes so much away from us," Durner said. "We would like to put something together to avoid that." Fellow committee member Myrna Haag said, "We want to maintain a voice for our district."

Fitzsimmons urged the boards to keep the Danbury school and to work to bring people back to the community.

One of Ken Riddle's major concerns dealt with a comment by Fitzsimmons. "Do we have the kids to see this project through?" he asked. "And can we afford it?"

Riddle suggested looking at 20-year population trends to more accurately predict student numbers over the next 10 to 20 years. Haag said even if the district lost 100 students over the next 10 years, the projected population of 359 students, "would still be a pretty-nice-sized school."

Riddle asked board members to create a line-item budget for the proposed district so patrons can analyze it closely.

Frankie Lou Nicholson said the district "could probably afford" the proposed school district, as long as people in control unconditionally accept 4 percent increases in valuation every year, year after year. without question. "We have land in the district that must produce enough to pay our taxes and buy food to eat," she said. "With $2.50 wheat and $1 corn, where do you suggest we get more?"

Nicholson concluded, "I don't think we can stand a lot of raises in taxes."

Consultant Gerald Ehlers of Ainsworth figured a general fund levy of $1.39 (39 cents above the state levy limit of $1), although Norvell said, "My feeling is we can be at $1 or below," he said. He added, "$1 means closing Danbury and closing the junior/senior high at Republican Valley."

Norvell said he cannot recommend that Twin Valley seek an override of the $1 levy limit because patrons would then be able to apply for freeholder's petitions and remove their land valuation from the Twin Valley district to another. "We would lose land valuation," Norvell said, "That would hurt Twin Valley kids."

Don Remington repeated his request for a detailed budget for the proposed school. "Get the figures out there, so the people can see them," he said. "We don't want to create a new school we can't afford."

Robert Reynolds told board members and committee members, "I'm not 100 percent sold on a consolidation, but I am 150 percent against a new school." He is worried that 15 years from now, a $10 million school building will "be sitting empty and going to waste."

Stephanie Haag said she supports the new building in Bartley, and the new district which would qualify for "sparsity aid" from the state. "I see nothing but benefits for the kids," she said. "A good education and nice facilities."

Twin Valley Committee chairman Joe Weyeneth cautioned people not to count on sparsity aid from the state. He said Al Schneider, director of the Educational Service Unit in Beatrice and a former McCook resident, told him earlier in the day he has no confidence there will be any sparsity money due to financial problems on the state level.

Norvell reminded patrons the Twin Valley board has made no decision regarding the proposal, and has not agreed even to put anything on a ballot.

A straw vote of the 70-or-so in the crowd indicated that only about eight or 10 felt they could support the proposal wholeheartedly, about the same are adamantly opposed to it, and five or six need more information before they can make a decision.