N-C hold tours with deactivation meeting, third Nauvoo-Colusa informational meeting added on Jan. 24

Nauvoo-Colusa science teacher Yvonne Hoenig talks with Warsaw student Keaghan Schacklett and her parents, Neil and Amy, during an open house last week before a meeting about the proposed dual deactivation plan.

Nauvoo-Colusa and Warsaw residents heard another presentation by the Nauvoo-Colusa and Warsaw school boards last week on a proposed dual deactivation plan.

The dual deactivation plan calls for Warsaw to send its seventh and eighth grade students to Nauvoo-Colusa and for Nauvoo-Colusa to send its high school students to Warsaw.

Warsaw residents were able to walk around Nauvoo-Colusa Jr./Sr. High School before the meeting to see the facilities and speak with teachers.

The deactivation lasts for two years if approved. Each school board renews the agreement every two years or they vote to reverse it if they are unhappy with the way things are going. The public can also reverse it by petition to bring the issue to a public vote.

Election day is Feb. 5. Each community must pass the referendum by a simple majority for it to take effect. If either community does not pass it, the plan is not implemented.

Nauvoo-Colusa Board member Lane Sinele gave a Power Point presentation interspersed with audience questions to members of both boards. The presentation included basic facts about each school district, benefits of the deactivation, current curriculums at the Nauvoo-Colusa Junior High and the Warsaw High School and possible curriculums for each if they combined, and more.

It was again emphasized that the reason for the plan was not to save money, but to provide the best curriculum possible for students.

The presentation included the possible junior high curriculum which included extra agriculture classes, more specialized math classes, and electives like creative writing, geography, keyboarding, desktop publishing and more.

The proposed high school curriculum has an expanded vocational program with more classes in welding and a CAD class, more math such as calculus and physics, American and English literature classes, Spanish III and IV, an introduction to business class and more. The vocational classes may be dual credit classes through Carl Sandburg College.

Course offerings depend on interest from students, which is how the two schools have handled classes before.

Each school district pays tuition to the other for its students. Nauvoo-Colusa has more high school students than Warsaw has junior high students, but once teacher salaries and benefits are factored in, the deactivation is close to an even swap monetarily. Nauvoo-Colusa expects to lose two or three teachers, and Warsaw plans to add two or three teachers if the referendum is passed.

Neither school district is expecting to raise taxes to cover the costs of deactivation.

Nauvoo-Colusa added one more informational meeting on Thursday, Jan. 24.

Warsaw has their second informational meeting tonight (Wednesday).