Committee makes recommendations for future of Jasper schools

A committee of parents and faculty presented the Jasper School Board with several options to address the immediate concerns with overcrowding at the three elementary schools.

Formed last spring, the committee has met three times over the course of four months. Jasper Middle School principal David Hubster was asked by School Superintendent Dr. Tracy Lorey to facilitate the work of the group.

Hubster gave the board an update including the three options to consider moving forward.

Hubster explained the 30-member committee took the time to entertain all ideas on how to handle the overcrowding issue in the short term. They cut a list of 18 to 20 ideas down to the top three that they all agreed upon. Those ideas are:

1. Draw district lines forcing families who live in certain areas to send their children to specific schools

2. Place temporary classrooms at Ireland Elementary School.

3. Re-purpose the three elementary schools and re-distribute students to create three schools for three different grades (e.g. Kindergarten through first in one school; second and third grade in another; and fourth and fifth in another).

Hubster said that the consensus among the committee members was that these ideas were short term recommendations and that the dialog should continue.

Committee member Brad Ward was in attendance and said that, “there are a lot deeper issues than overcrowding” in the community. He said that the dialog needs to center around what is transpiring in the community and why and how those changes are shaping the community.

“What are we doing to address the changing demographics of our community,” Ward asked. “Tenth and Fifth Street school better represent a cross-section of our community. Ireland is successful but they aren’t truly representative of the changing diversity of our community.”

Board President Nancy Habig said that the board is “more than willing to take up a more in depth discussion of some of the things that you’re referring to.”

Here are two stories addressing the elementary school issues Jasper faces:

Jasper School Board pondering elementary school problems and solutions

Jasper Elementary School facilities too small and not up to standards according to study

Also at the meeting:

-Dr. Lorey presented to the board the budget for the next fiscal year by stating that the advertised tax rate in the budget is $1.6002. The board passed a motion to allow her to advertise the budget to eventually be sent on to the Department of Local F for approval at the state level.

-Stenftenagel Group President Scott Stenftenagel presented to the board updates on school facilities projects and said that the work on the schools in preparation for school starting next week is on-schedule and the buildings will be ready for the first day of school next week.