Work Begins After Bonner Schools Split Vote Seen As A Chance To Start From Scratch
School board Chairman Jim Cooper is shedding no tears over the demise of his district.
Tuesday’s vote to divide District 82 into two new school districts is simply an opportunity to start anew, he said Wednesday.
The split was approved with 63 percent of the vote districtwide and almost 65 percent in the West Bonner County District.
Bonner County’s far-flung school district - one of the state’s largest - left many patrons feeling they had no voice in decisions. Levies had a hard time passing, as residents often failed to see how their own children would benefit.
Now, supporters of the split hope those feelings will fade.
“There seems to be a lot of energy in the air - a chance to start from scratch,” Cooper said. “It’s kind of an exciting prospect. …
“It won’t be (District) 82 and all the negative things that go with that. We have a chance to improve our image.”
But that opportunity is going to come with a lot of work and worry.
“It’s going to be an adventure,” said trustee Ann Souza. “We’re going to put an unbelievable strain on some of our very valuable employees.”
Already, Superintendent Roy Rummler was dealing with the logistics and personnel issues that follow the decision to divide.
“I’m basically going to have three boards and three districts,” Rummler said. The existing board will act as a joint-operating board, overseeing the activities of two newly created boards.
The two new school boards will plan for the new districts to begin operations in July 1999. The new districts won’t have any operating funds until that time.
“We’re talking an awful lot of decisions to be made,” Rummler said.
Trustees said Wednesday they were disappointed in the low turnout. Less than 13 percent of the eligible voters turned out to vote.
Rummler speculated that many voters may not have known which outcome was best for the district and students.
Certainly, many employees are still uncertain.
“They’re really apprehensive about this,” said Virginia Overland, manager of the school bus fleet. “People are tentative as to whether it’s going to be a good thing or a bad thing. It’s the unknown that bothers them.”
Rummler spent half of Wednesday addressing staff concerns. Many wonder what will happen to their positions, he said.
“We’re assuring them that things will go along as smooth as possible,” Rummler said. The issue should not affect teachers, who will remain with their school, according to the plan.
Now that voters have approved the Bonner County School District split, it’s up to the state Board of Education to appoint five trustees to each of the new districts.
Current trustees can remain on the job, but they will also have to apply with the board.
“This is going to be fairly complicated,” board President Thomas Dillon said Wednesday before the state board approved a procedure to appoint the 10 new trustees. “This is the first time this has happened in 30 years.”
After the state Board of Canvassers makes the school split official in the coming weeks, prospective trustees from Bonner County will be asked to submit applications to the state Department of Education. Department officials will screen the applications and present them to the board for consideration at next month’s meeting.
The appointed trustees will serve until May 18, when a school board election will be held. During that election, the trustees will be elected to staggered terms.
Of the sitting board members, Eric Eldenburg is the only one from the west side. He’s expected to apply to serve on the new board, and will be joined by four new board members.
As for the other sitting trustees, two of them - Cooper and Patsy Gottschalk - are in the same trustee zone for the east district. If both apply, only one can serve on the new board.
Cooper said he would like to help shape the new district.
“I’d hate to be on the outside looking in,” he said.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Anne Fox said she will visit Bonner County today to congratulate the community for approving the split.