A public hearing next Monday, Jan. 4 will give patrons in USD 282-West Elk opportunities to express opinions on a proposal which would merge the district’s three campuses to a central campus in Howard, closing elementary schools in Severy and Moline.

The school will host the hearing which will begin at 7 p.m. and adjourn at 9 p.m. and will be held in the West Elk auditorium.

The board invites everyone to come to the public hearing, express opinions and bring any new ideas to the discussion about the district’s future direction.

Individuals speaking will be limited to five minutes per person. They will need to sign in when they arrive at the hearing.

Supt. Corey Reese said the board still has not taken action to close the schools, but he assumes that is the direction everything is moving.

“This is the least favorable thing I’ve done in my lifetime,” said Reese after the December meeting. “If I had any magic tricks to pull out, I would be using them — that’s for sure.”

Reese said a steady decrease in district enrollment, plus a decrease in state aid and increased operational and maintenance costs have combined to make an impossible financial picture.

The district currently has 367 students in kindergarten through grade 12 but state aid is based upon a weighted enrollment figure of 801 students. Still, revenues currently are not substantial enough to support three campuses, Reese said.

Reese said the general proposal will be to purchase several modular classrooms to be located adjacent to the junior/senior high school building.

“We will need to create eight classrooms using these modulars and find any extra space that might be available in current buildings,” he said.

Reese said details still have not been hammered out by the board. A local committee will be appointed to configure which classes will be held in the existing building and which might be held in the modulars.

“We’re certainly open for ideas,” Reese said. “We encourage everyone to work on behalf of the students in this school as we move forward.”

Voters in USD 282 voted down a bond issue early this fall which would have built a new elementary school at the Howard campus. Board members emphasized at the time that the vote might have no impact on whether to keep the Moline and Severy schools in operation.

The school board meeting was moved to the auditorium because a large crowd is expected to attend.