District 197 Abandons Mendota Elementary Move for Next School Year

The proposal to into Friendly Hills Middle School will not be on a list of budget-cutting options presented at the School Board’s next meeting.

Superintendent Jay Haugen announced his intention Monday night to bring forward some of the more promising for further review on April 4. Based on feedback from the board, he said that the controversial “co-location” plan would not be among them.

A vocal from Mendota Elementary has organized against the proposal. Many, though not all, of the speakers signed up for a half-hour of public comments at the meeting spoke against the move.

Haugen said the parents have been positive and respectful, oftentimes prefacing their statements by saying how exceptional they think the district is and how attractive the schools have been for their families.

Mendota Elementary parent organizer Joanne Mansur said she was “thrilled” at the decision. “I’m pleased that we made a difference.”

 She said the parents upset about the proposal received some pushback from board members who are used to seeing empty rows of chairs at board meetings, rather than the packed crowd that materialized once the proposal surfaced. Moving forward, the parents are more likely to stay involved, said Mansur. “This whole process has been great for us (the parents)."

Haugen's announcement followed a line-by-line discussion of the elements included in four budget options presented to the board in February. The first two options take more tradition routes to balancing a minimum $1.4 million shortfall projected for next school year.

The third option presents a redesign of the school day in district buildings intended to deliver better results than Options 1 and 2; however, it too has sticking points with the community and board members.

The fourth co-location option was meant to be used in tandem with one of the other options, and presented opportunities for lease revenue of the vacated Mendota Elementary building.

Communications Director Susan Brott also presented a summary of the feedback the district has received through public meetings and the district’s website.

Brott said the district’s survey information reflects a two-to-one ratio of opposition to the co-location, and a third of the feedback supported waiting a year before moving forward.

Even school board members who said the co-location may be promising were hesitant to pursue the plan for 2011-2012.

Board member Cristina Gillette said the move is more appropriate for strategic long term planning, rather than the relatively swift budget process that must be made each year.

Board member Dewayne Dill agreed, but said he was intrigued by the idea of a Blue Ribbon K-8 school in the district.

Haugen said that the most difficult part of the process still lays before the board, which needs to identify and approve cuts, then sit down with administration and union reps to rework staffing throughout the district.