The board and administration of Ar-We-Va Community School District held a special meeting last night (Monday) in the library at the IKM-Manning school to gather more information about the possibility of high school partial-grade sharing in the upcoming 2016/17 school year. They were there to look at the space and layout of the facility and to delve deeper into the core and elective offerings as well as the accommodations made for college credit courses. In addition, they discussed the long-term viability of IKM-Manning as a district. IKM-Manning Superintendent, Dr. Tom Ward, said on paper it looks like declining enrollment, but the reality is there is a stabilization and possibly even some growth being made after a bubble was created by large upper class sizes with the move to whole-grade sharing between IKM and Manning. Sara Skinner, Ar-We-Va Board President said surveys have revealed their community is receptive to the need for this change, but there are differences of opinion on whether IKM-Manning or Carroll Community School District should be chosen.
Some of the concerns from students, Skinner said, were about the teacher/student relationships, kids and staff knowing who they are and not getting lost in the mix. IKM-Manning High School Principal, Brian Wall, said this is one of the strongest points in favor of IKM-Manning.
Detailed questions about scheduling, transportation and personnel were touched on, but both parties said that those things would have to be negotiated after a decision was made. Board member from Ar-We-Va, Denise Ragaller, said that the most important thing for them to consider is how this move not only benefits Ar-We-Va and their students, but also the district they select and they are looking at a four-year agreement for more stability; they don’t want a band aid, Ragaller said. It is about an educational match and an alignment of long and short-term goals that is mutually beneficial for both districts. The Ar-We-Va board wants to move quickly with making the decision and will be holding another meeting to discuss the options and for public input on Sunday, Feb. 21, beginning at 6 p.m. in the Ar-We-Va cafeteria. In a meeting last week, the board did a preliminary vote that had three members in favor of partial-grade sharing with Carroll and two in favor of IKM-Manning.
