Hiawatha pondering future of schools
By CARRIE FRILLMAN cfrillman@daily-chronicle.com
KIRKLAND – Contradicting opinions were expressed at a board meeting Monday that featured discussion about the future of the Hiawatha School District.
About 50 residents showed for the meeting, during which two petitions were presented to the board about the school district’s future after two failed referendums in April. The referendums — which requested $2.4 million and $5 million, respectively — would have been used to repair aging facilities in the district.
The no vote has left the school board to decide whether to dissolve the district and send students to neighboring districts, consolidate with the Genoa-Kingston School District, deactivate the high school or find additional funds to make the most dire repairs.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, Kirkland resident Bruce Phelps presented a petition he helped to compile that included 125 signatures from residents who do not want to explore consolidating with a neighboring school district. The petition stated that by voting no to the referendum, the undersigned were not supporting consolidation with a neighboring district.
Mike Carey represented Don Shepherd, a member of the Truth in Kirkland anti-referendum group, in making a proposal to the board. Shepherd had been scheduled to present but couldn't attend because he was out of town.
Carey gave a petition with 357 signatures to the board requesting that a feasibility study be completed to determine if it would be possible to consolidate with the G-K district.
“A lot of us have lost jobs or have had our hours cut, and our new governor wants to raise our taxes,” Carey said, noting that he was not representing Truth in Kirkland, but speaking as a concerned resident. “We would like to ask the board to do this feasibility study to at least consider all possible options.”
Results of a feasibility study would be presented to the Illinois State Board of Education, Schools Superintendent Christine Demory said, and it would explore three options: deactivating the high school, consolidating with a neighboring district and dissolving the district completely.
“It does take time and they need a lot of information,” Demory said. “But it would look at those three major options. ... You don't want to go down that road unless all you want to do is one of those three."
Carey suggested that findings be shared with members of the community and the school board.
Board member Eric Baron said he appreciated the petitions but that he felt a more comprehensive survey needs to be completed to better represent residents' feelings.
"Between the two petitions, we have about 500 names," he said. "That's not even half of our registered voters."
There are more than 2,000 registered voters in Kirkland, Demory said. She said that she is carefully analyzing the budget to hopefully find additional funds that may be used for repairs.
"I think I heard the board loud and clear and the community loud and clear that they do not want to raise taxes," she said.
Board members are scheduled to consider at the May 11 board meeting whether to proceed with a feasibility study.
