By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
At the Nov. 18 joint meeting of the Adair-Casey and Guthrie Center school boards, the bulk of the discussion was on the possibility of consolidating the two districts into one. Currently, the districts have a “Whole Grade Sharing” agreement. Board members, principals and Superintendent Josh Rasmussen shared their thoughts.
Rasmussen said if the districts were to pursue consolidation, several basic steps would be involved. First, each district would need to submit a petition with signatures (400 or 20% of registered voters, whichever is fewer). Then the matter would be put to voters. If passed, the soonest that the boards would look to have the potential consolidation go into effect is July 1, 2026.
Several in the room pointed out that there seems to be a fairly common belief in the county that the two districts have already consolidated. They said that seems to indicate that a possible consolidation would likely be well received by the public.
Rasmussen pointed out that the continuing trend of declining enrollment creates long-term challenges for both districts. Guthrie Center board chair Matt Van Meter said the only solutions are to increase enrollment and/or to cut expenses.
“Next year is the last year of the Whole Grade Sharing agreement between Adair-Casey and Guthrie Center,” Rasmussen said. “A lot of great things. I think our communities really do well together. Our students do well together. And I think it’s also a chance to take a look at whether we either continue that whole grade sharing, or we talk about reorganization and consolidation.”
Rasmussen also said the most challenging factors have already been handled through whole grade sharing, and that students, staff and the public have largely embraced the partnership.
Adair-Casey board chair Randy Carney shared his feelings on the issue, and he stressed that the focus needs to be on what’s best for the students.
“I believe we’ll both be stronger together,” Randy Carney said.
Each board member had an opportunity to share thoughts on the topic.
“I was on the fence, but I think now is a good opportunity. If not now, when?” Lindsay Dinkla asked.
The consensus of the board members was to look further into the possibility of consolidation. A work session on the issue was set for Monday, Dec. 2 at 7 p.m.
In discussing enrollment numbers, Rasmussen said both districts are seeing a downward trend.
“I wouldn’t call it a worst-case scenario, but it’s not rosy,” Rasmussen said.
In other matters, the boards formally approved partnering with Panorama for girls wrestling.
The next regular meetings of the school boards will include the annual organizational meeting. The meetings are both set for Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 5:30 p.m. (for Adair-Casey) and at 7 p.m. (for Guthrie Center). The meetings will be at the junior high school. In Adair The public is welcome.