Thoughts on a School District Reconfiguration

Let me just lay out a few thoughts here, nothing that can't be questioned or contested, just some thoughts to get the conversation going.

As many may be aware, one of the issues facing Marion Community Schools today is the issue of a budget that is not large enough and an enrollment number that is not high enough to maintain the current status that we have now. Money issues notwithstanding, I still maintain that we could lower classroom student numbers and hire more teachers and utilize the rooms that are currently empty in each of these schools. As I am now well aware, that is evidently not an option. The push to reconfigure is on. What we have left are options as to how this reconfiguration will proceed.

How familiar with the possibilities is the average parent of the MCS student? We started with 4 options, after about 5 of the 10 meetings set up to discuss these options, the middle two were dropped and the focus was given mainly to the 1st and the 4th option.

The details are numerous enough to warrant one to check out the plans on the MCS website. This is quite obviously still in the early planning stages, no matter the desire that our newspaper has displayed in admonishing us to come to a decision soon, there are too many details to be discussed to simply roll the die and make the decision for whatever "luck" would have in store for us.

This is a pivotal point in the life of Marion Community Schools and the students for which we are responsible! It requires far more discussion. We are on the brink of making decisions that will either inhibit our progress or propel us towards the noteriety our school system could have as a system that is cutting edge and unique in our approach to common problems that face school systems today. Our children and their education is far too important to carelessly choose and be left with problems later that are bigger than the ones we face now.

The children and future generations of Marion are important and vital to town like ours that is poised and ready for an economic upturn!