Editorial: OOLITIC - APRIL 23 ,2024 - The work session among the North Lawrence Community School Corporation School board members last Thursday, continues to cost the school corporation's reputation and costing taxpayers money on the future use of a half used facility.
The committee current recommendations on the use of the Oolitic Junior High had a total of 15 options to consider for the facility at this time. Those have since been scrapped.
The NLCS board last year, at first voted to keep it open on March 2023 with just 7 students and discontinue elective courses. Teachers did not want to work at the OMS building for several reasons.
Eventually, they voted to close OMS facility.
The debate continues among the same board members with Barbra Miller and Scott King to return the facility to a junior high. NLCS board members Tracy Bailey and Adam Parsley arguing for better options.
There are currently five options on the table at this time:
Re-open Oolitic Junior High
Establish a K-12 Charter School
Re-open both Shawswick and Oolitic Junior High
Re-Open Shawswick Junior High
Move all Junior High to Oolitic
The consolidation has cost the NLCS school an estimated $ 8 million in revenue as students moved away to better options. As the original plan was to right size the corporation and centralize the students to the City of Bedford facilities.
What was not expected was the opening of charter schools at Fayetteville and Springville, and students going to Eastern Greene as well as, the Monroe County School Corporation.
Fayetteville was to be sold for a Regional Juvenile Dentition facility, Springville used by Crane or some other business option, and Heltonville U.S. Forest Service. The facilities sold to help the corporation get some needed cash to make the plan profitable.
" Where are all the Facebookers, they have all moved on," said Tracy Bailey during Thursday's work session .There was a low turn out for the 5:00pm meeting at the administration building. What Mr. Bailey has not realized, so has revenue that the school corporation needs has moved to other places and taxpayers are still paying for the the decision to consolidate.
Photo: Most property tax statements increased, and consolidation has yet to save money as bonds have increased from both school corporations
For the taxpayers the property tax statements continue to rise and consolidation has yet to help the taxpayer.
The taxpayers expect NLCS school member Tracy Bailey to give us a breakdown that consolidation has helped save the taxpayers in costs.
The Indiana legislatures have made it easy for more parents to turn to other education options and a population decline in Lawrence County makes North Lawrence School Corporation becomes less appealing. This is as the corporation left the taxpayers, parents, students behind in the decision making process.
Those people have moved on, but so has their money and respect for a school board that it had to be their way.
Bailey mentioned a facility is draining $1 million away by being opened is that Playful Pathways or some other facility. The taxpayers would like to be informed of those losses and "Stop the Bleed".
Previous news story: BEDFORD - MARCH 30, 2023 - School Choice has left many options for parents to send their children to other school corporations, home schools, catholic education, or on-line schools.
 North Lawrence Community School board plans to consolidate and right size the school corporation on January 2020 have left a larger impact than originally anticipated.
Following NLCS school board vote on consolidation the North Lawrence Community School Corporation have lost more than 1,055 students with an estimated $7.1 Million in revenue loss.
The opening of Lawrence County Independent School and Springville Community Academy was never on the radar of the former school board members. This leaving the NLCS to find ways to attract students back into the school corporation.
NLCS school board voted twice on the Oolitic Middle School to decide either keep it open or close it. The board voted to keep it open on the first vote, and a tie vote of 3 to 3 vote, with then President Trent Todd absent from the vote, which allowed OMS to remain open.
Currently, OMS remains open with 7 students.
Teacher and staff shortages are making the decision of keeping Oolitic Middle School open challenging. Reports are teachers do not want to return to OMS for a variety of reasons and concerns.
Video: Discussion on OMS by NLCS school board members
The North Lawrence Community School board members held a work session Thursday evening, to discuss the matter. This allowed the public to be able to view the discussion by board members on the matter.
School board members Scott King and Barbra Miller being the more vocal members in support of keeping the middle school open.
North Lawrence Community School board vice - President Adam Parsley was more in favor of closing OMS and stating that he would keep his child at BMS.
" Your child will thrive anywhere your child goes," said NLCS board member Scott King in response to Parsley's statement of keeping his child at BMS.
Parsley was at first opposed to the closing of OMS and is now more in favor of OMS closure.
NLCS school board member Tracy Bailey remained silent throughout the work session, never indicating or responding to any comments or suggestions.
NLCS school board member Jeff Lambrecht, arrived later during the work session.
In a work session there is no public comment period. Most of the time, the real discussions by school board members is held behind closed doors.
 Some members of the public have expressed they would like a public comment period so they could weigh in on the OMS proposals.
The NLCS have asked that BMS principal Lucas Calhoun and Interim Superintendent Steve Underwood on developing a survey for parents of students; who might consider attending OMS.
The school board is hoping the results of that survey be completed by April 30th.
For breaking news, news and information go to lczephyr.org or like/follow on the Lawrence County Zephyr Facebook page.
ADVERTISEMENTS
Free-Holiness Church 11122 Indiana State Road 54 Cincinnati, Indiana