Abundant information, including facts, figures, and graphs, outlining enrollment, or a lack thereof, in Prairie Hills USD 113, was outlined during a special session held Monday night.
Connected with the already approved district strategic plan, the session hosted a strong turnout of patrons at the Sabetha Middle School, where Superintendent Dennis Stones guided the evening's presentation, including facts, figures, and data, compiled by auditors, architects, and engineers, on behalf of the district.
Along with the projected loss of students, a key part of the evening's review came clear when examining the deficit:  a decision may have to be made to abandon district schools, with Axtell, Bern and Summerfield Facilities all studied extensively, and what could, and could not be done, for the future of those buildings.
Once the presentation had concluded, and public questions had been posed, it was board member Brent Lortscher who spoke on behalf of the Bern schools, students, and patrons, saying they had lived up to the benchmarks set by the board, and questioned the details of the study.
Following his statements and questions, it was board member Ed Reznicek who spoke, ultimately making the motion to hold two public hearings: one to discuss the fate of Bern and the other to discuss the future of Summerfield(Play Audio 15 secs)
The first motion-to set the public hearing at Bern on the evening of February 20th at 7:00-passed 6 to 1, with Lortscher voting no.
The second motion-to set the public hearing a Summerfield for the evening of February 23rd at 7:00-passed unanimously.