Consolidation editorial misses some points

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To the editor:

I disagree with your editorial on how Kirkland should consolidate with Genoa-Kingston. I’ve lived in Kirkland for 12 years; I moved here because it had what I wanted for my family. I have no criticism for the G-K school district; if I lived there, I would be proud to send my children there. But I live in Kirkland, and one reason I do is because of the small local district.

I understand public education. I graduated from a large, suburban high school, am a teacher in a large district, and have served on a school board. I know what larger schools can offer, and I still chose Kirkland because small schools have advantages. Research documents the many positives including: smaller teacher-student ratio, close ties with teachers and peers, greater opportunity for extra-curricular participation and greater sense of community.

I also have concerns about what consolidation would mean to my property value. Growth in communities that have lost schools because of consolidation is near nonexistent in many local and downstate areas. Hiawatha is the center of our small community. People argue the school would still be there, but in what capacity? G-K uses grade centers, and it’s possible our school could become a junior high with the rest of our grades split up and bussed among three towns.

Kirkland is one of only three in the county making adequate yearly progress. Our high school’s ACT scores rank third of eight in the county. Kirkland had a stronger showing than G-K in both areas. Also, our district has been given the highest financial recognition by the state. Those are the two main reasons districts consolidate: academic or financial failure.

We have neither.

What we have is a 73-year-old building that needs to be addressed and taxpayers that can give no more. Let’s investigate funding options. Why fix what’s not broken? Closing district doors is like throwing the baby out with the bathwater. The state may push consolidation as a good option (so did Indiana, and they now have among the highest drop-out rates in the country); but money is only part of the picture. As with everything, what’s cheapest isn’t always best. Hiawatha is worth keeping intact. I believe the community supports this, despite the signatures on a consolidation petition (most have been withdrawn at least partly due to misrepresentation).

Tammy Hamrick
Kirkland