Here’s perspective from Reno County on the school district consolidation bill.
“’I don’t hear anybody in the state clamoring for this,’ said Hutchinson USD 308 Board of Education President Jeff Nichols.
“Such decisions need to be made by local voters, Nichols said. ‘Not by partisan hacks in Topeka that have political agendas,’ he said…
“Hutchinson USD 308 school board member Tad Dower said, speaking personally, he’s not opposed to looking at the issue of consolidation…
“Laura Meyer Dick, president of the Buhler USD 313 school board, said she personally saw very few benefits in the bill.
“’When I moved to town 14 years ago, I chose my home based on the school district I wanted my children to attend. Residents of Reno County want the choice for their children’s education and appreciate the local control and oversight,’ Dick wrote in an email.
“She thinks the bill would save little money, because it would create larger districts with more bureaucracy which would require more infrastructure…
“’One thing that would concern me,’ said Fairfield USD 310 Superintendent Nathan Reed, is that rural territory’s small voice on a centralized school board. Would it have only one seat on the board? Reed asked…
“Kim Novack, superintendent of Stanton County USD 452, agrees it only works in limited situations.
“In such districts, Novack also pointed out, superintendents wear many hats. For instance, she’s the instructional leader and assessment chairman. In the Scott County USD, Rumford’s role includes budget and curriculum duties.
“Novack’s husband, Dave Novack, is superintendent of Ingalls USD 477. He’s also a school principal in the Ingalls district. If the Ingalls district was absorbed into a larger district and Novack was no longer superintendent, someone still would have to carry out the other roles he fills.”