Next Step for School Merger Talks

WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP IN BURT COUNTY MERGER TALKS?

By Fred Hansen, Superintendent LDNE                 November 18, 2013

Discussion continues on the possibility of a consolidation of three school districts in Burt County.  The Lyons-Decatur Northeast school board heard from 14 speakers and 4 letters were read at the special meeting held November 5, 2013 intended to allow for public input on the topic of consolidation.

Many of the 14 speakers thought the idea of a countywide school district was too large.  Some of the speakers thought the countywide school district would kill the Lyons community because they felt the elementary in Lyons would not stay open for very many years.  Many of the speakers understood the need to do something but they expressed the idea to do something “on a smaller basis”.  Some of those speakers mentioned the idea of merging with Oakland-Craig only.  Just under half of the speakers encouraged the board to continue talking and not take any option off the table.  A few speakers felt the process was moving too fast and others wanted to pursue other ideas to meet the dwindling enrollment issue facing Lyons-Decatur Northeast.

The Lyons-Decatur School Board discussed all these comments and concerns at their regular school board meeting held on Monday, November 11, 2013.  The consolidation committee to study the countywide school merger idea suggested that each school board take a vote at their November board meeting to provide direction for the consolidation committee.  Oakland-Craig and Tekamah-Herman school boards both voted to continue talks.  Lyons-Decatur Northeast school board decided to slow down and discuss the idea at the November meeting.  After a lengthy discussion on the idea, President Preston informed the board that the vote to continue talks would be on the agenda for possible board approval in the December meeting.  Around a dozen patrons/parents were visitors at this November meeting to hear the board’s discussion.

Steve Williams, of Harding & Shultz, spoke at the public input meeting on November 5, 2013.   The Harding & Shultz firm is used by all three school districts so the three Superintendents directed Mr. Williams to write up the same agenda item and motion to be used by the school boards in their November or December meeting.

Since Lyon-Decatur Northeast decided to wait on this vote I want to share with the public the agenda item and motion that will be provided to the LDNE board at the December meeting if they choose to use it.  Here is the agenda item and motion:

Agenda Item

Review, consider, and take all necessary action to create the Reorganization Committee and designate its members.

Motion

I move that the board create the Reorganization Committee and designate and appoint the following individuals as members of the committee: ____________________________________________.

As you can see, the motion officially sets up the reorganization committee.  It is not a vote to merge.  If the LDNE board approves the motion the LDNE committee meets with the O-C and T-H committees to determine if they can agree on a merger petition.  If this three-board committee approves a petition it must come back to each school board for their approve before it is sent to the State Reorganization committee for approval.

For Harding & Shultz to represent all three school boards, each board must pass a motion to allow for “multiple-entity school district reorganization representation”.  Therefore, there will also be an agenda item and motion to allow for this representation on the December agenda.  O-C and T-H will also have this motion on their December agenda.

Word/AaSupt13-14/Board 2013/Consolidation/Communication/LMS article #3 11.18.13