School co-op considers facility updates
COULEE CITY — At two separate board meetings earlier this month, the Almira School District and Coulee-Hartline School District discussed preliminary options to update school facilities.
The two districts, which are in separate counties but part of a joint cooperative, are considering where to house students at the Almira Coulee Hartline High School, as the 1929 building is not up to code and in need of major heating and electrical repairs.
The ASD is located in Lincoln County and C-HSD resides in Grant County. Through the cooperative that was formed in 1992 to combine resources between the two small school districts, they are able to share facilities for academic and extracurricular activities.
Currently there are three school buildings operating in the cooperative. Two kindergarten through eighth grade schools are being used, one in Coulee City and one in Almira, with the Almira Coulee Hartline High School serving ninth-through 12th-graders in Hartline.
Two options were discussed at the Coulee-Hartline school board meeting.
Option one proposes having a kindergarten through eighth grade school in Coulee City for all students from both districts, with a ninth- through 12th-grade school in Almira. Athletic events would continue to be held in neighboring Hartline.
Option two calls for having a kindergarten through fifth-grade school in both Almira and Coulee City, with grades sixth through eighth housed in Almira and ninth through 12th-graders attending school in the former middle school and high school building in Coulee City. Under this option, athletic events would also be held in Hartline.
Ed Fisk, superintendent with the C-HSD, said the cooperative is by no means limited to these two options and school officials will continue to look at other possibilities as they arise.
The ASD is considering an alternate option.
That option proposes continuing to house kindergarten through eighth-grades in Almira and bussing fourth through eighth-graders from Coulee City to Almira, with kindergarten through 12th-grades housed in the C-HSD in a remodeled school building in Coulee City.
Superintendent with the ASD Aaron Chavez said the idea behind keeping kindergarten through 12th-grade in one building would allow more of the younger students to stay closer to home instead of being bussed to Almira.
Having one central facility built for the whole cooperative has been mentioned, but is not considered to be a feasible solution as the C-HSD had a $2 million extensive remodel completed five years ago on its kindergarten through eighth grade building which it is still paying the bond on.
Fisk said all of the buildings in both districts, with exception to the high school in Hartline, have been well maintained and could be used for several more years.
An old 1955 high school building in Coulee City could be used for additional space, but that will still take some investment, Fisk added.
No final decisions have been made as to what option the cooperative will go with and it is unlikely either district will go out for a bond to finance the project.
The two districts are separate and each is responsible for maintaining its own facilities, Fisk said. "Neither district wants to run a bond issue to provide facilities for the other district."
In other business at the C-HSD board meeting held Oct. 18:
School board directors Steve Elder and Shirley McLean were presented engraved school bells in appreciation for their years of service. Elder has served on the school board representing director district No. 1 for 20 years and his resignation is effective Nov. 14. McLean has served for 18 years representing district No. 4 from 1987 to 1995 and director of district No. 3 from 1996 to 2005. Her present term will expire Dec. 2005.
Superintendent Ed Fisk said district staff will be working on the consolidated program review of district programs which is scheduled for April 2006 and takes place every four years.
The Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) sponsored an apple fund-raiser that raised $5,000 to help pay for various field trips and school activities.
Fisk reminded board members that the amount for the 2007 and 2008 maintenance and operation levy needs to be decided at the December board meeting. The resolution must be received by Grant County by Dec. 23 for an election on Feb. 7.
Board members will conduct interviews at the November board meeting to fill the vacant board position for director district No. 1.