A vote by school board members in Pike County, Illinois could decide the future of an entire community.
The Western School District is considering closing its elementary school in Hull and bussing those students to Barry.
You'll recall the Western School District was formed two years ago when voters of Barry and West Pike School Districts decided to consolidate. At that time, Barry had a deficit budget and West Pike's student enrollment was declining.
Superintendent Rodger Hannel tells us the district is *not* facing financial difficulties now, but the board wants to prepare for tighter times ahead.
Closing the Hull school would save about two percent of the district's budget, around $150 thousand dollars every year.
Why consider this now?
Hannel said, "I think the board is looking at it being a little proactive, not only with the financial savings the district may have with the facility, but the educational advantage we may have in having all the elementary students together rather than in separate buildings separated by ten miles."
Hannel said, "This is the equivalent of saving four teachers' salaries, so they would rather cut a facility, which is difficult, and have all the teachers intact and have smaller classes. They're also looking over ten years saving $156 thousand every year, that's $1.5 or $6 million dollars."
If the school closes, here's what would happen:
1) Some support staff, including a custodian, teachers' aides and some cafeteria cooks, would lose their jobs.
2) Pre-school through fourth graders in Hull would be bussed to the district's high school facility in Barry where the other elementary students are.
The district would work to make bus rides as short as possible, a maximum of one hour each way. Board members believe the closure also would even out class sizes and standardize the curriculum throughout the district.
But not everyone agrees.
Parents of Hull elementary students and others who live in the community say closing the school is not in the best interests of their children or their community. And some of them have told us they feel betrayed after helping vote in a district consolidation that now threatens their town's livelihood.
They also told KHQA their children's education is being compromised to save only a little money.
This may be the last year Dana Martin will be able to walk her daughter Mallory to school.
Martin said, "I went to this school. It's a great environment and they get a great education. It feels like family."
Martin believes smaller class sizes won't help Hull students. Class sizes at Hull elementary nearly double Barry's now, but Hull students scored a bit better on the last state achievement test.
Hannel confirms both schools did well on state tests, but Hull students did score a bit better than Barry Students last year.
Martin says if the board wants to standardize and align education between facilities, it should buy textbooks for use district-wide.
Martin said, "I don't know why all the children have to be in one building to align the curriculum. It's not done in any districts."
Like Martin and other parents of Hull students, Nancy Colgrove is worried about her small children sharing the Barry facility with high school students; lunches beginning at 10:20 in the morning and the time her young kids would spend on a bus.
Colgrove said, "The bus rise is long enough as it is. This would add on hours, it's just too much."
When Barry and West Pike consolidated two years ago, Hull voters say the board assured them their school was safe unless student enrollment dropped dramatically. Student enrollment is holding steady, but they may lose their school anyway.
Mother Dana Martin said, "I feel misled. And no, I am not alone in this."
Colgrove said, "We certainly have been misled. I don't think we would have voted to consolidate if this was going to be an issue. We wouldn't have gone in that direction."
All of the parents I talked with also have concerns this decision is being made in haste...they learned about it only a couple of weeks ago. Now the Board will decide the fate of the school Wednesday. Superintendent Rodger Hannel says the timing is linked to district timelines for hiring staff for the coming year. Parents say they deserve more time.
Martin said, "They say we're going to save $150 thousand dollars. I'm sorry, my child's education and making sure it's done properly and the future of this community is worth more than $150 thousand dollars."
We talked with some teachers and staff at Hull elementary school. They did not want to speak with us on camera, but did say they fear for their jobs if the school closes.
The board will announce its decision on the fate of Hull elementary at a special meeting Wednesday evening at seven o'clock in the Barry school cafeteria.
But education isn't the only concern if the Hull school closes. We've talked to some residents who fear it would compromise the future of the Hull community. Hull has faced problems before. It was wiped out by the Flood of 1993, but bounced back, though smaller than it once was.
For the people who live in Hull, the school is more than the center of education, it's the heart of the community.
Dana Martin's daughter attends classes at Hull Elementary, the same as she did.
Why is this a concern for the community?
Martin said, "There's not a lot here, and if you rip the school out of the community, you're ripping the heart out of the community. I'm afraid it will cause the town to deteriorate even farther than it already has."
Nancy Colgrove says Hull attracts young families looking for a lower cost of living and a good elementary school. Without that, Hull would suffer.
How will this impact Hull?
Colgrove said, "I feel there would be fewer taxpayers, enrollment would drop. People looking for economical living would move elsewhere."
Hull Mayor Sam White agrees.
How will this hurt the town?
Mayor White said, "I think what it will do is not make it attractive to folks coming in. There will be young people who decide, why should I stay here and ride the bus one hour or an hour and 15 minutes? I see no reason why it will do anything but hurt our town. Will it kill the town completely, no, but it won't be good."
Mayor White served on the Committee of Ten, which pushed for the consolidation of the Barry and West Pike School Districts in the first place. Barry was operating on a deficit budget and West Pike was facing declining enrollment. White says consolidation seemed like a good idea at the time. Now everything has changed.
Mayor White said, "If I had known at the beginning of the Committee of Ten, I would not have stayed on the committee and I would have fought tooth and toenail to eliminate the possibility of consolidation. It's not in my heart now."
He believes this move would hurt the entire district in the long run. If the school closes, residents could move out of Hull, fewer residents in Hull means fewer students, which inevitably means less local and state money for the district.
Superintendent Rodger Hannel calls last year's flooding which again threatened the Hull community a "wake-up call" for the School Board. He says closing the school would protect the district from future flooding problems, and save money during these tight fiscal times. Still, emotions are running high.
Hannel said, "Those are concerns they have and really is a sense of loss of a small school in the community. The School Board has a very difficult decision to make."
We've talked to some residents who fear it would compromise the future of the Sny Levee system.
Sny Island commissioners recently returned from Washington, D-C, where they asked lawmakers to upgrade their levees to 500-year status.
The federal government looks at towns, businesses, schools, railroads, highways and other infrastructure when determining whether to spend money on levees.
Interstate 72 and railroad lines run through the district, but not having a school in Hull could make a difference when it comes to funding.
Will closing the school impact levees?
Hull Mayor Sam White said, "It's going to make it more difficult. To have a school gone, the chances of obtaining that levee might become slimmer."
The board could decide whether to close Hull elementary school at a special meeting Wednesday evening at seven o'clock in the Barry High School cafeteria.
Western School Board to decide school future (video link)
Parents concerned about possible closure (video link)
Hull residents concerned for town (video link)
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