Paul Scott comment: "Make North Winneshiek an offer"

The southern boundary of the North Winneshiek School District is close to Decorah

(Comment by decorahnews.com's Paul Scott):

Decorah School Board members are once again taking up the issue of long-range facilities needs.  It's a complicated issue.  As school board member John Hjelle accurately notes, "There are numerous moving parts."

The biggest "moving part" is the future of the North Winneshiek School District.  Decorah School Board members spent quite a bit of time at a meeting last week talking about how difficult it is to plan for Decorah's long range school building needs when North Winneshiek faces an uncertain long-range future.

So here's my suggestion: "Make them an offer."

It seems logical to say to the North Winneshiek School Board, "It's difficult for us to plan to resolve our facilities needs when we don't know what you're going to do."

By writing "Make them an offer," I'm not suggesting a "Godfather"-like offer.  The key is to make an offer that will make North Winneshiek want to become part of the Decorah School District.

I have a multi-part suggestion that I think will fit the bill.

The biggest issue for Decorah's long-range school facilities has always been the difficulty of finding property large enough for a school.  There really aren't any perfect solutions--in town.

The best example of this is having John Cline Elementary School for kindergarten, first and second grades be located right across from Decorah High School.  Am I the only one who questions the wisdom of having young kids walking to school while high school students with learner's permits are driving to a school across the street?

That's no to mention the traffic jam that happens every afternoon when parents wait in their cars on Claiborne Drive, parking until school lets out.

So my suggestion is to move the "lower elementary" students to the school campus on Vernon Street--by having John Cline students move into Carrie Lee, or by building an addition to Carrie Lee or by building an elementary school on the Vernon Street campus.

The second step would be to buy property outside the Decorah city limits and once and for all have a school facility that isn't hemmed in by the lack of usable property inside Decorah.

Which is where we come back to "Make them an offer."  The North Winneshiek School District has plenty of property that might be a good location for a new school.  If property along Highway 52 just north of Decorah was purchased for a school--say at the intersection with Meadowlark or North Winn Road--the Decorah School District could move combined "upper elementary" students from North Winn and Decorah into the new building.  Let's say the new school housed 3rd, 4th and 5th graders or 2nd, 3rd and 4th graders--whatever made most sense.

The students would have to be bused to the new school, but that's a whole lot better than busing kindergarteners.  It should also be a doable drive for parents wanting to pick up their kids.

Decorah School Board members pointed out last week that it's a 17-minute drive from Decorah to the North Winneshiek School--a reason for skepticism about the use of the school.  I'd like to point out it's at least a 17-minute drive for North Winneshiek School District parents to Decorah schools.

So let's not go all "Godfather" on this offer!  It's not a question of "Making an offer they can't refuse," but of making an offer that helps out both school districts.