June 24, 2009

Then there was one
Sherman School District makes school closure plans official

By Sam Craig
of The Chronicle

     Sherman County now officially has only one elementary school.
     Though, said Sherman County School District Superintendent Ivan Ritchie — and the principal of the newly-named Sherman Elementary — the district has known that for a while.
     The board and budget committee had decided to close North Sherman Elementary and consolidate all students at what was known as South Sherman Elementary in Grass Valley about a week ago, but at the school board meeting Tuesday night, the decision was ratified. Despite the fact that district officials say the school closure was necessary, many residents of Wasco and Rufus are livid.
     The meeting that had been scheduled to be held in the library at Sherman Junior/Senior High School in Moro was moved to the cafeteria as more and more members of the public began to arrive. After grabbing an agenda and signing up to speak, the crowd quickly moved into the room, filling most of the seats.
     The meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance, which was the last time the entire room would agree on anything for the night.
     Board Chair Verna Simantel opened the budget hearing, giving anyone in the crowd a chance to speak. They took her up on the offer and for almost two hours, the public voiced their opinion. Though there were a few people in attendance who were in favor of uniting the two schools and who thanked the board for their work, a majority had come to the meeting to let the board know that they weren’t exactly thrilled with the idea of sending their kids to Grass Valley.
     The budget hearing was kicked off with a short speech from superintendent Ritchie, who urged unity in the county.
     “I just wanted to say, the city of Wasco, we know you don’t want to lose your school, and we feel that,” said Ritchie. “It’s not a decision that we take lightly, but that is where we’re headed. That’s where we’re trying to go, to a K-12 here.”
     Northern county residents said they felt disenfranchised by the district’s decision to close down the school that is in the more heavily populated area of the county.
     “You never cared to ask the residents in and around Wasco and Rufus about their hopes and dreams for their children and communities,” said Ray Smith.      “You decided to unify the elementary school without any regard to the people in the north county. By refusing to fairly represent the people of the county, you have closed a school in the center of the population base.”
     For many parents, the idea of sending their children on a bus for more than an hour, especially in snowy, icy conditions, had many talking home school, sending their children to another district and even starting up a charter school.      The closure means a longer trip when parents need to pick up their kids in an emergency, and for some that’s too much to take.
     “I feel very uncomfortable with putting my child on a bus to travel all the way out to Grass Valley,” said Katie Baker, a mother of three. “I am not here to tell you what you should or should not do, but I am here as a mother and I would encourage you to rule not in the best interest of your feelings, but in the best interest of these children.”
     Though it didn’t get on the ballot this spring, a plan to fund a bond with windmill Special Investment Program money is currently in the works. The school had been promised the money would be theirs from the County Court, but the district is still trying to piece together a plan for it. The court is growing frustrated with the district’s lack of funds because they were offered the money several months ago.
     “I’m not here to go over your plan or even to keep the school open,” said Mike Smith, Sherman County commissioner. “I’m just here for fairness and democracy. That was the idea, to let people decide. So if this goes to a vote and people decide to close the school, fantastic. But if people are against it, how do you reopen their school and repopulate it? Or can you do that? It just looks like we’re punishing them.”
     Though they were in the minority, there were some dissenting voices in the crowd as well.
     “I support one campus for Sherman County,” said Chris Kaseberg. “It offers tremendous advantages for all of the kids in Sherman County.”
     For their work, and willingness to take nearly two hours of criticism, the board received kudos from many in the audience.
     “Looking at the numbers, I support one campus in one place eventually,” said Darren Padget. “It’s unfortunate that this is the way it has to happen. I applaud the board. I wouldn’t want to be you right now.”
     Ritchie believes there was some confusion in the crowd about whether they could save their school. He said at the county court meeting, a crowd member asked him if there would be another meeting where they could plead their case and he told them they could come to the budget hearing, but, he says, the decision to close was a foregone conclusion.
     “The motion was made and passed at the June Board Meeting,” Ritchie said. “This is actually going to be a good educational opportunity for kids. The teachers are pumped, they’re very excited about it.”