Fremont continues to weigh school options

Will the district stay with E-B, move to Pekin or consolidate?

By LORI FAYBIK Courier correspondent

FREMONT — Although the current issue in Fremont is a whole grade sharing agreement for high school students, board members made it clear to community members this week that they are more concerned with the future of the district as a whole.

“We need to consider what consolidation would mean and what it would look like. It becomes more challenging all the time to sustain our independence,” said Fremont Board member Jason Walker.

Board members are trying to decide if they want to continue a 28E agreement with Eddyville-Blakesburg for whole grade sharing at the high school level or move that agreement to the Pekin school district. Board members from all three districts met at a public forum in Fremont this week.

“We are trying to get ourselves in a situation where we have a little more leverage,” Walker said.

Some parents in attendance said that if the district starts sending high school students to Pekin, they will open enroll to Eddyville-Blakesburg. They noted concern that if very many families open enroll out of Fremont, the district would lose 100 percent funding for each of those students, funds the district cannot afford to loose.

Fremont parent Cathy Street noted that for the fall of 2009 Fremont will send about 43 students to E-B, and those students have about 20 siblings. That could mean as many as 63 students may choose to open enroll at E-B in 2010 if the agreement is not continued with E-B.

When asked by a parent, Fremont Board President Gary Mitterer said he is happy with the education E-B has been providing to Fremont students but noted, “We’re just looking ahead.”

Mitterer explained that his board began considering Pekin because they started sharing staff with Fremont’s elementary/middle school.

E-B Board President Ed Glenn explained that E-B gladly shared staff under a one-year agreement with Fremont when they needed it to meet state guidelines, allowing Fremont an extra year to locate needed staff.

However, that staff was needed fulltime at E-B to meet student needs, including the needs of Fremont students at the high school.

Pekin Board President David Hollingsworth explained that his district decided to share staff with Fremont this past school year and this upcoming year to get a foot in the door with Fremont. He indicated that Pekin might not be interested in continuing to share staff if Fremont renews the 28E for whole grade sharing with E-B.

“It is a challenge for districts to share staff. We’re making it work; it stretches everyone thin. We’re going to have to stretch our staff more than they ever have been before,” Hollingsworth said.

However, if the 28E agreement for whole grade sharing is shifted to Pekin, Fremont would send high school students there. Pekin would have more students to teach with staff that is already stretched too thin from sharing.

“There is no guarantee that Pekin will be able to provide support staff in the future,” Street insisted.

Mitterer asked why E-B doesn’t send younger students from Cedar to Fremont.

Glenn explained that the state allows for agreements for whole grade sharing, but as two separate districts, E-B can’t just pick a pocket of kids and force them to go to another district; it has to be whole grade sharing.

“I want us to continue to be good neighbors. It has worked for 20 years,” Glenn said.

Although the issue is continued whole grade sharing, Fremont board members had a lot of questions about sharing staff for younger students, two-way sharing and consolidation.

“Maybe we should start talking about consolidation more seriously, if that is the long-term consideration,” Glenn said.

Talks of consolidation have been mostly avoided in the past. In fact, at the October 2008 joint board meeting, Mitterer said of consolidation that, “… if it isn’t broken, why fix it.” He explained at that time that whole grade sharing at the high school is “working well now and that there is no need for a big change.”

Pekin and E-B boards both answered a list of nine questions about enrollment trends, school offerings, finance, etc., as well as questions from the public.

The biggest question seemed to be if sharing were to progress to consolidation, would the Fremont facility stay open? Both boards said they would like to see the school stay open; however, they cannot make any guarantees because they cannot foresee what will happen with state requirements, enrollment levels or what a future board might decide.

Regarding budgets, E-B indicated that a previous negative unspent balance has been corrected and that it has been positive the past two years. Pekin has had a negative unspent balance the past two years. Both districts indicated a positive cash position.

Mitterer said that the Fremont board would decide by the end of January of next year. He said that Pekin has named John Dotson as a new superintendent that will be shared with Fremont, and that he will need time to review the issue.

The board also indicated that they might get public opinion in the form of a formal election. The board has already reserved a spot on the fall ballot. However, the board would have final say regarding the issue.

Glenn asked that Fremont make a decision by September to allow all three districts adequate time to prepare for the 2010-11 school year. He added that according to state requirements, a decision has to be made by Nov. 1, because if there is a change, there will have to be a public hearing and notice has to be given prior to that.

“The sooner we can make a decision is the best for everybody,” Glenn said.