Tracy, Balaton school districts to enter consolidation negotiations
By Deb GauIt all came down, Loy Woelber said, to student and taxpayer needs. Balaton Public School could be kept open for fewer and fewer students, with a dwindling amount of state funding to pay for education costs and building maintenance. But would it be the right thing to do?
Woelber, who became Balaton superintendent in March, said he didn't think so.
"We really can't keep going on this way," Woelber said. Eventually, the district wouldn't have the revenue to stay open.
One option for the district could be consolidation, Woelber said, and after an Oct. 13 meeting between members of the Balaton and Tracy school boards, both districts have voted to begin formally discussing the matter.
"Balaton is in a position where there are two options. We can dissolve, but I don't like that word," Woelber said.
Woelber and Tracy Superintendent David Marlette said Wednesday that the process hasn't gone further than the decision to begin talks. However, both boards hope negotiations can start sometime after Tracy's school board elections Nov. 2.
"We want to make sure our committee members will be around after Jan. 1," Marlette said. "What we're looking to do is enter negotiations, and see if it's a good fit for Tracy and a good fit for Balaton."
Balaton currently has 45 students in kindergarten through sixth grade, Woelber said.
It's possible the student body could grow significantly in the next few years, but not likely, he said. Fewer students means less state money for the school, and more demands on local taxpayers.
Woelber said consolidating could help alleviate that problem, while making sure kids get the best education possible. There might also be a chance the Balaton school building could be kept open.
"That's a big thing for the community," Woelber said. "The gymnasium is a really nice facility."
Woelber said Tracy representatives have been "honest" about the likelihood that the Balaton building would be needed if the districts consolidate, but he's still looking for ideas. Possibilities could include using the school as an alternative education site. If consolidation takes place, the Tracy district would benefit from having additional students starting at the elementary level, Marlette said.
"The Tracy board is excited about it (negotiations). We look at Balaton kids as our own kids," Marlette said, partly because of the Tracy-Milroy-Balaton athletic partnership, and partly because Balaton students come to Tracy to attend middle and high school.
Marlette said the process of negotiating a consolidation and putting it to a public vote typically takes a couple of years. However, both he and Woelber said they hoped the existing relationship between the Balaton and Tracy districts would help things go smoothly.
"It's gotta help," Marlette said. "We've been cooperating together on a positive level for a lot of years."
"You could sit and argue for an hour on a name," Woelber said of the consolidation process. "But there's such a thing out there as TMB. We're already pretty tight."
In order to consolidate, the two districts will need to come up with a consolidation plan that meets the approval of the Minnesota Department of Education. The question to consolidate must also be approved by a majority of voters in both school districts.
