Troy Schools Face Another Challenge Short Circuit Highlights Lack Of Funding
The troubles keep mounting in the Whitepine School District, where a 94-year-old school with bad wiring, insufficient fire exits and no handicapped access has divided the community.
A wire short-circuited last month in what is known as Troy Junior-Senior High School’s “new gym” (built in 1954), sending sparks into the air during a seventh-grade physical education class.
No one was injured, and Superintendent Harold Ott asked the school board Monday for money to rewire the gym.
Ott, who plans to resign in June after seven years as superintendent, estimates the repairs will cost $1,500 to $2,000.
“That’s one small piece of the electrical problems in that building,” said Ott, whose resignation was prompted by fears that someone will be injured in the school. “The electrical system has failed every inspection.”
In addition to Ott, the district’s auditor, Gregg Mann, has resigned after nine years with the district.
Mann declined to comment Monday, but Ott said the auditor left because “he felt his numbers were not being believed by the public.”
A $7.2 million bond to build a school between Troy and Deary failed in November, and residents say another bond has little hope of winning the state-mandated super-majority in the divided community. One bond has succeeded in Whitepine in the past 27 years, and it was passed by only 16 votes.
So a coalition of community members from Troy, Deary, Elk River and Bovill has decided on the only solution they believe is workable: splitting the district.
The group is asking the district to add $30,000 to a maintenance and operations levy in May to study how best to split Troy from the other communities in the Whitepine district, said B.J. Swanson, vice president of the Bank Of Pullman in Moscow, who organized the community meetings.
“Voter approval. That’s the key to the whole thing,” Swanson said. “If it’s in the community next to you and you don’t see it, you don’t want to pay for it.”
Some have argued, though, that a split wouldn’t be feasible because just $77 million of the district’s $243 million in property value is in Troy.
That would not leave the town with enough bonding capacity to build a new high school.
Whatever the outcome, Troy Junior-Senior High School Principal Conrad Underdahl said he’s encouraged that members of the rival communities have started talking.
“They’re trying to come up with a way to address the problem that meets the needs of both ends of the district,” he said. “It’s a whole lot better than pointing fingers.”
And despite recent turnover in the district, Underdahl said he has no plans of leaving the ailing school.
“I’m not going anyplace,” he said. “I’ve been asked that question an awful lot lately.”