Schools look to make best use of facilities
After receiving a consensus from members of the Rogers City Area Schools Board of Education, president Scott McLennan will spend the next month forming a facilities/planning ad-hoc committee. The committee will spend a year coming up with recommendations for the board as to what will be best for the district and its aging buildings, especially with a troubled budget and declining enrollment.
The committee will assist the board in answering questions such as: Will the Grambau Center be closed? Will there be an addition to the high school? What type of improvements are needed at the elementary building? Should the football field be moved to the high school campus?
?WE?RE PLANNING for the future,? said McLennan. ?We?re putting a plan — a living, breathing, changing plan (together). ?And that just makes sense for a school district, to have a plan, so that we?re not caught off guard. We?re looking at the future and saying here?s what is coming down the pike,? McLennan continued.
McLennan hopes to announce the appointments at the March board meeting. McLennan said he?s had to answer questions from members of the community as to what the board?s intentions are. ?Some people have said, ?what are you looking at doing? Are you going to build a building? Or are you going to put in a pool? Are you going to close the Grambau Center? What are you doing?? Individuals are concerned about that,? McLennan said.
WITH HELP from the committee, information and data will be looked at to prepare the district for the future, which financially seems to become more uncertain by the day, with proposed budget cuts in the state aid allowance, as well as a weak economy. ?We?re not committed to anything yet,? said McLennan of the establishment of the committee. ?It?s much the same as we?ve done with our finances. We?ve been able to stay afloat, whereas some districts have been hit extremely hard. We?ve made some painful cuts, certainly, but we?ve been able to stay afloat. That?s all good planning.?
At the beginning of the discussion McLennan was seeking approval from board members to discontinue the public relations committee, so the new facilities/planning committee could be formed. Several board members preferred keeping the PR committee together, including Jo Bush Glenn.
?IT MAKES it look like public relations or community relations are not a priority,? she said. Board member Dana LaBar was concerned about eliminating a standing committee, midway through the school year, even though its members haven?t met for four years. Norm Karbon suggested the two committees be combined, while Keith Gordon said the planning and finance committee might take up the charge. The ultimate decision was to form the ad-hoc committee.
?We?re at a stage where we?re just talking,? said McLennan. ?Nothing is set. This is the time for the public to come out and express their views. That?s healthy, that?s a good thing.? In other matters to come before the board:
? The Hawks voting precinct may be consolidated with the Rogers City precinct at next month?s board meeting. ?It?s no longer cost effective to have two precincts in this district,? said Don Schaedig, chief financial officer. He also said low voter turn out in the district was a reason to have only on
? Members of the Voices in Harmony are seeking a grant which would pay for the production of a CD, which will celebrate 100 years of Broadway. The CD will be sold with profits used to purchase tuxedos and dresses for the high school singing group.
? Elementary principal Deb Jones announced kindergarten round-up will be March 5 and 6.
? Surveys went out asking for input on block scheduling. There was a small return, but high school principal Jim Connell said the majority responding, between 80 and 90 percent, like it.
