(Terril)– A fierce rivalry may be standing in the way of a sharing agreement being struck by the Terril and Graettinger school districts.
A public hearing on the proposal was held Tuesday evening for patrons of the Terril school district. There was little comment on issues such as shared finances, administration, personnel and others. But when it was reported the mascot would be the Pirates, the same as what Graettinger currently has, there was strong opposition from a lot of people. They say the two schools should adopt a mascot that’s different from what either currently has.
Concern was also expressed over how the arrangement would affect the Industrial Technology Program. A new building was recently built in Terril to house the program, and patrons want to make sure it won’t go unused under the new arrangement. There was also concern over transportation.
Terril School Board President Calvin Sawyer told the crowd they’ll meet again with the district’s steering committee and the Graettinger School Board to see if it would be possible to negotiate those issues.
Under the proposal, the high school would be located in Graettinger with grades six through eight in Terril. Kindergarten through fifth grades would remain at each school.
The agreement would take effect this coming July 1st and would be up for renewal on June 30th, 2007. It could also be terminated earlier by mutual agreement.
Steve Hanson, Chairman of the Terril School Steering Committee, told the crowd the sharing proposal with Graettinger is the best possible option they could come up with. He and school board chairman Sawyer pleaded with Terril patrons to send their children to the new school. They say atleast 60 percent of the students currently enrolled in the Terril school are needed to enroll under the shared arrangement if it’s to be feasible for Terril.
Sawyer told the crowd the only other alternative for Terril is to completely close its school. And he says that’s something they’re trying very hard to avoid.
