School board members from both the Ar-We-Va and Carroll Community School district met during a special meeting on Wednesday night to discuss expanding the current partial grade sharing program. For over five years high school students from Ar-We-Va have spent some time at Carroll HS in elective courses for the first three periods of their day. Last November the Ar-We-Va school district distributed a survey to community members to get their thoughts on the program and Ar-We-Va School Board President Sara Skinner says results were positive.
Maintaining the Rocket’s identity is an important part in planning for the future says Skinner. She adds that they plan to keep core classes at Ar-We-Va, but by expanding the partial grade sharing program to possibly five or six periods, mainly for juniors and seniors, it will allow the district to lower its costs per pupil. The board is considering a multi-year contract for the program which would expand course options for students and offer some stability.
Currently 9 out of 12 seniors are taking elective courses at Carroll, and this spring their diplomas will still declare them to be an Ar-We-Va Rocket.
Due to a lack of state educational funding many rural schools are bearing the brunt of seeing their budget shrink and this scenario, Skinner says, is also forcing the district to discuss the possibility of whole grade sharing in the future. The Ar-We-Va board is considering future overall cost savings by working with nearby districts which includes: Carroll, Denison, IKM-Manning, and East Sac. Skinner says their goal is to do what’s best for Ar-We-Va’s students now and in the future.
Keeping the school alive in a small town is vital, she adds, and says the board aims to keep the Rocket’s history alive for as long as possible. Thursday night the Ar-We-Va Board will meet with the Denison School Board, and then will hold its regular board meeting on January 23 to discuss their options. A community meeting is planned for February 3 with the hopes of a final decision to be made by February 10. The full audio of the discussion between Ar-We-Va and the CCSD can be found below.
