|
“Fight Team Fight!” takes on new meaning for Dutton-Brady |
|
|
|
|
Wednesday, 28 February 2007 |
|
Page 2 of 3
Attendees also stated that board members should be held to a higher standard, referring to the bickering and backstabbing that has gone on outside of board meetings.
“What are the differences over? Are we trying to micro-manage?” asked Frank Schoonover, former chairman of the board for the Dutton school district. “Hire a board, set the policy, and let the administrators do their job.”
He and others later applauded Principal Mepham and Superintendent Tharp for doing an outstanding job. General consensus is that the consolidation itself has gone well.
In a private discussion prior to the meeting, Tharp explained that grades K-4 and 9-12 are housed at the Dutton campus, while grades 5-8 are housed at the Brady campus. “This has worked well. It’s nice to have the middle school students separate from both the elementary and high school students.”
With schools located in more than one county, consolidation required cooperation between counties as well, especially concerning funding and taxes. “Once those details were hammered out, we haven’t had to deal with them,” said Tharp as he explained how the school district is actually spread over four campuses which include the Birch Creek and Pondera Hutterite colonies.
There are K-8 students in each of the two colonies who are taught at each colony. “The teachers there are our employees. We hire them – they just work farther away.”
Though there have been changes and challenges, Tharp said a lot of positive things have resulted from consolidation. “We’ve been able to combine staff, capitalizing on their areas of strength – and that’s beneficial to the students.”
He went on to say that with more students they haven’t had to combine classes or grades, which is something both schools were doing prior to consolidation.
Betty Brumwell, District 28C Business Manager who has served the Dutton school district since 1980, added that the colonies have been a nice addition. “We’re bringing traditional education to them and it has been an adjustment on both parts,” said Brumwell. “It has gone well.”
In spite of good results from consolidation, there are still those who worry about the future of the district.
Danele Dyer of Brady is concerned that the Brady campus will be closed. “Students have gotten beyond “I’m from Dutton, I’m from Brady,” she said at the February meeting. “But as adults, we aren’t. The school in Brady is very important to us, and we need to be represented. If this situation isn’t resolved, my children are going to Conrad.”
Because of the variety and number of comments, and the fact that Trustee Earl Cunnington of Brady presented a petition with 104 signatures requesting to leave things the way they are, the “five-member district” agenda item was tabled until the March 22 meeting which will be held on the Brady campus at 7 p.m.
The board, which also includes Trustee Sandi Birch of Dutton, encourages questions and input from the community.
Registered voters of District 28C who are interested in running for a school board position in the May 8 election can obtain a nominating petition from the election administrator, Betty Brumwell, at the Dutton campus. The last date to file is March 29.
Team spirit – the kids have it, and the adults need it. By waiting a month to vote on the five-member district issue, members should be able to discern a proper course of action based on the same type of cooperation being displayed by the consolidated students.
|
