Small Town News

Final bell nears

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Rock Lake School Board struggles with future

The only thing certain following the meeting of the North Central School District 28 in Rock Lake last week is that the school will be in session next year.

After that, a host of variables surround the tiny school nestled neatly in the middle of town.

The library was filled for the regular meeting as the board wrestled with the decision of keeping the school open for at least one more year, or shutting it down following this year.

Chief among the variables discussed by the board was how many students will actually attend the district. Enrollment projections can be tricky, but no matter how they're sliced, the numbers don't look positive.

The school year started with 36 students, but after the first semester, that number dropped due to students open-enrolling to surrounding districts. The projected enrollment for the 2010-2011 school year is 29, but several members of the board indicated they'd be surprised if the number stayed that high.

"My concern is our enrollment, and I don't feel we will be at 29 students next fall," said board member Marty Cose. "We also have a very good staff here but I'm concerned with our ability to remain fully staffed."

Staffing concerns became front and center following the first semester when the school's English teacher accepted a position at a nearby community college.

After some searching, the district was able to fill the position, but the situation shed some light on possible future issues.

"It's difficult to expect a teacher to stay if they get a job opportunity elsewhere, especially if it's in this area and they want to stay here," said board member Kent Weston. "I know our kids are getting a great education, but if we're only going to be open for one more year, is it better to move now or wait another year?"

The decision to remain open or to close reached a climax when Weston made a motion to become a non-operating district for the 2010-2011 school year.

By becoming a non-operating district, the school would pay surrounding districts, in this case Rolla, Munich and North Star, tuition and the district would dissolve following the 2010-2011 school year. The school would still have employees but would not be fully staffed and would not have any students.

Prior to the motion, those who spoke up were passionate the school remain open.

"Why does there have to be a rush?" asked Bill Sockwell, who experienced "a school closing when Border Central closed a few years ago. "You were able to get through one staffing change without closing the school and you have a community that wants to keep their school."

"You just don't get the one-on-one at a big school that you get here," said Linda Sockwell.

Board president Robby Peterson asked for a second to Weston's motion three times, but it died when none of the remaining board members provided one.

As applause filled the room, the board was left to explain what happens next.

Janelle Lagein, who has five children in the district, painted a non-pretty picture when describing how her kids like going to such a small school.

"My elementary kids are miserable," Lagein said. "There just aren't enough kids around them and the biggest problem I see is our enrollment numbers continue to drop."

Despite voicing her concerns, when it came time to second Weston's motion, Lagein opted to not support it.

"The tide changed for me when I learned our English teacher would come back if we couldn't find anybody else. But my biggest fear continues to be not being able to fill all our positions."

Lagein even asked a community member in attendance how they would feel if members of the school board open-enrolled their students to a surrounding district.

"What you do with your kids is your business but 1 want my kids to come here," was the response.

The next day, Lagein said her four remaining children (their oldest is set to graduate this year) would be attending school in Rock Lake.

"That's the plan as of now," she said.

Weston said he wasn't surprised his motion didn't receive a second after he heard the vocal opposition to it by those in attendance.

"Those who made the most noise were quite adamant against closing," Weston said.

Board member Renae Hendrick-son explained to those in attendance that while the current enrollment projection is 29, it could dwindle to as few as 15 students next year.

According to records provided by the North Dakota Department of Instruction, DPI, the smallest K-12 school in North Dakota for the 2009-2010 school year was in Goodrich. The enrollment for that small school located in central North Dakota was 26 students.

Bob Marthaller, Assistant Superintendent at DPI, said the decision to close a school is ultimately based on the patrons, but indicated Rock Lake's numbers are precariously low.

"It's hard for us to pinpoint an exact number because we have enrollments all over the place, but people in that district have to see. if it's efficient and affordable to support a district," Marthaller said. "They also have to make their decisions based on what is best for the kids and where the best learning conditions are."

Peterson said he doesn't know what will happen after the 2010-2011 school year.

"I was happy to see so many people come to the meeting and support keeping a small school," Peterson said. "Other schools that have closed have said we'll run out of kids before we run out of money and that's the case. The biggest thing that I worry about is when Rock Lake does decide to close, what happens to the kids who are on the fringe of our district and not really close to any surrounding district."

Superintendent Dean Ralston said the school's future will inevitably be discussed again.

"Looking at our enrollment, it's getting so small it will be prohibitive to operate and we won't be able to fill our teacher's schedules." Ralston said. "We're getting very close to that point right now, but we'll move forward and plan for the next school year accordingly."

"Looking at our enrollment, it's getting so small it will be prohibitive to operate and we won't be able to fill our teacher's schedules. We're getting very close to that point right now, but we'll move forward and plan for the next school year accordingly."

Dean Ralston, Rock Lake superintendent



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© 2010 Turtle Mountain Star Rolla, North Dakota. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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