A crowd estimated at 100 convened in the Kingsland (Spring Valley) gymnasium on June 5. The entire school board was present (Doug Plaehn, Deb Larson, Ann Oeltjen, Jackie Horsman, Tiffany Mundfrom, and Heather Betts, along with Superintendent John McDonald). Plaehn opened the meeting and said that the public hearing was being held due to the board’s proposed closing of the Wykoff school. He added that Superintendent McDonald would first give a brief presentation, and then citizens who had signed up to speak would have up to five minutes each to address the board.
McDonald presented and explained slides showing the past enrollment data for Kingsland, along with enrollment projections for upcoming years. Regarding enrollment, McDonald stated, “Kingsland was at its high point back in ’97-’98 with 1033 students. Then from that point, it’s been a gradual continual decline… we are starting to stabilize but we see that we are still in a slight downward trend.” His data showed Kingsland currently has 136 students at the Wykoff school, and 430 students attending in Spring Valley.
McDonald then showed financial projections of revenues and expenditures for the Kingsland district. He shared models for several contingencies, including what the numbers would look like if the district “maxed out” the levy authority, but explained that none of the models is financially feasible in supporting the two sites currently in operation. He also shared that the proposed plan does not cut any educational programming, and decreases the amount of “windshield time” for students and staff due to less commuting between sites.
Following the superintendent’s presentation, Plaehn announced individuals who signed up to address the council. A total of twelve citizens came forward, one by one, to speak. Opinions and suggestions varied widely, with a few of the early speakers strongly against the idea of closing the Wykoff school, while later speakers talked mostly in favor of the board’s efforts and viewing the closing as an unfortunate necessity for financial viability.
Leroy Rowe shared his thoughts, including, “John McDonald, I hear you got a new job up north, congratulations. I wish you’d have got it three years ago, but that’s beside the point… We’re standing up here trying to save Wykoff, and we know it’s gone.”
Leah Stier spoke in support of the board making whatever decisions are necessary and best given the current situation, stating, “We have the financial problem now, and we need to focus on what we can do now to fix that” rather than speculating about possible enrollment increases in the future.
Another citizen said it wouldn’t make sense to put $8 million in upgrades and repairs into the Wykoff building worth roughly $3 million. Others thanked the board members for their willingness to take on this challenging decision, with one citizen saying, “We elected you, we chose you to make this choice for us, and I ask you to give us something that as a community we can rally behind.”
Ruth Franke spoke, saying, “Mr. McDonald, we’re losing a lot when you leave. I’ve seen some very innovative programs. I’ve heard parents say wonderful things about those programs. Thank you for the years you gave us.”
The board will hold a special meeting on Thursday, June 15 at 6 p.m. to consider taking action on closing the intermediate school, and the next regular meeting will be Monday, June 19, at 6:30 p.m. in the district conference room. The public is welcome.