Anderson Community School Superintendent Recommends Closing Killbuck Elementary Too
ANDERSON, IN - Anderson Community School Superintendent Mikella A. Lowe announced today that the recommendation adopted by the Board of School Trustees to close Ebbertt Education Center, South Side Middle School, Robinson Elementary, and Southview Elementary does not provide enough assistance in meeting the goal of reducing the annual budget by $5,000,000. Lowe said, "The ACSC Challenge 2010 advisory Panel stated in their series of recommendations that the Board of Trustees might have to consider closing an additional elementary school."
Lowe has recommended to the Board of School Trustees one more building be included in the closings, specifically Killbuck Elementary. Lowe stated, "Killbuck's enrollment is 283 students. The district is adjacent to Eastside and Tenth Street Elementary Schools, and the students could be absorbed between these two buildings." This recommendation will be on the agenda of the April 14, 2009, regularly scheduled Board meeting.
The administration offices currently housed at the Wigwam Complex will be moved this summer to South Side Middle School to make room for the programs currently housed at Ebbertt Education Center. To address concerns voiced by patrons, the portion of South Side Middle School once known as 29th Street Elementary School will be used as an elementary school to accommodate the closing of Robinson and Southview Elementary Schools. Lowe said, "Housing an elementary school and administration offices together makes sense both geographically and economically."
Source: ACSC
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I've thanked the ACSC superintendent's office for the press release this afternoon and offered to go talk to Ms. Lowe one to one about AFP, ACSC and how we might help each other. I'll let you guys know if anything pans out from that. A video interview with questions from you (modered by the AFP editorial board) might be really good? What do you say?
Has anyone seen Tobi? I haven't heard from her...
Headline correction, Mr. Mallasch. The ACSC didn't recommend anything. The superintendent, as she did in November 2008, made a decision to close Killbuck and announced it to the press prematurely to exert pressure on the board to vote in favor of it in order to avoid the appearance of dissention and disorganization within the ACSC. I don't think she considered the public backlash that will occur from ignoring the recommendations of the highly regarded community leaders that gave freely of their experience and time to determine the best way to cut the budget without further eroding the ACSC's ISTEP performance vs. other state school corporations. Killbuck is one of the top two schools in the ACSC. It makes no sense to close it.
Thanks. Multitasking I get in a rush sometimes.
Killbuck is a logical school to close. It is time for Madison County to start fighting the landfill, not just ACSC. I have said all along that Killbuck's time is limited. I can't believe that not even 2 weeks after the final vote we are talking about more closures. I knew this would happen. And I still think it is absurd to move the admin offices for Ebbert. We are going to put them in SSMS? And keep part of that school for an elementary? So, where are we really going to save money? It is ridiculous. Looks like they might as well start over.
They will. They will have to trim another $2 mil from the budget next year. And more the year after that. Teachers and buildings will have to go.