Leepertown looking for new home

BUREAU — The Leepertown School Board is learning that making a decision to close the school was the easiest part of the process.

“She (Superintendent Amber Harper) has talked to several different people, and everybody came up with a different answer,” said Leepertown Board President Keith Burkman.

At Tuesday’s special meeting, board members learned quite a bit about the reorganization process they began at their meeting two weeks ago.

A declining enrollment and a state not paying its bills led the board to direct Harper to begin discussions regarding reorganization with the Spring Valley and Ladd school districts.

Harper said both Spring Valley Elementary Superintendent Jim Hermes and Ladd Grade School Superintendent Michelle Zeko wanted the feasibility study completed, and the study will take three months.

Burkman said some of the deadlines are not good for getting it done by the end of next year.

“Nobody’s going to take us without this stuff done,” he said.

Any reorganization question would have to go on the April ballot in both districts, and Harper said the timelines are really “tight.”

Another change is which districts Leepertown could reorganize with. Harper had been told the DePue School District, which indicated it would be open to an agreement, was not an option because it was a unit district instead of an elementary district like Leepertown. Now, Harper said she was told something could be done with DePue.

Despite DePue’s offer, the board would prefer to make an arrangement with another one of Hall High School’s feeder schools.

“If we can work with someone going into Hall, that makes a lot more sense,” Burkman said.

Another change is the nature of the reorganization with Spring Valley or Ladd. Because the Spring Valley and Leepertown districts adjoin, Leepertown would be annexed into the larger district.

Since Ladd and Leepertown don’t adjoin, the arrangement would have to be a consolidation, which would result in the creation of an entirely new district.

On the positive side, Harper did learn there are financial incentives for Spring Valley and Ladd if they reorganize.

Board member Peggy Shipp said reorganization is not what is best for the children because they get an excellent education at Leepertown, but it’s necessary.