Gratiot Village Trustee
To the editor,
The Black Hawk School Board, faced with a budget crisis, has voted to close the school in Gratiot and try to operate with one facility in South Wayne. In the school newsletters it has been stated that $333,000 will be saved by closing the Gratiot building. This is not quite true. In fact, the majority of the savings will be made by eliminating positions, some of which have already been eliminated. Most of the personnel cuts could be achieved while keeping the Gratiot school open.
No figures have been added to the equation for increased costs in South Wayne. More students equal more expenses. When the costs of the eliminated positions and the modest $7,000 in increased expenses in South Wayne are figured in, the actual savings of closing the Gratiot school would be around $150,000 out of a $5 million annual budget.
Another factor not considered by the school board is "how many students will leave the district via open enrollment due to the closure?" Many students in the western part of the Black Hawk district will be closer to Darlington or Shullsburg than South Wayne. For each student leaving the district, $7,938 in state aid is lost. Do the math.
If the Gratiot building is abandoned and an acceptable buyer cannot be found, the building will have to be destroyed at great expense to the district.
I believe that having all the students on one campus with part of the South Wayne building being older than the one being abandoned and the only gymnasium will be a disaster. A better option would be to move all the elementary to Gratiot, keeping the second gym.
While the present school board denies it, I have no doubt that in the future with the Gratiot school building closed, we will see a referendum for an additional gym and space in South Wayne.
The school board meets at 8 p.m. March 19 in South Wayne. I urge all residents to attend and at least demand that the one school idea be tried for one year before disposing of the Gratiot school. At the end of one school year, an accurate report showing actual savings would be generated. Then and only then should a decision be made on disposing the Gratiot school. Perhaps the actual savings will be justify the problems and inconveniences of one school and one gym.
