WORTHINGTON – Though Worthington residents voted to request separation from the Gateway Regional School District at a May 5 town meeting, school and town officials say it will take considerable time to formalize the withdrawal
The next step in the process are in the hands of the Gateway Regional School Committee, where an amendment to the regional school agreement allowing Worthington to withdraw will be drawn up.
“I suspect by the fall we will have an amendment,” Gateway Regional School Superintendent David Hopson said. “Though it is possible drafting the amendment may draw out a long time.”
Once the amendment is finalized, the towns in the school district will vote on it at town meeting, which would take place in spring 2013 at the earliest. If all the towns approve the amendment, then the state Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education must make a final approval allowing Worthington to withdraw at the end of the school year.
Not only will the process take time, it could grind to a halt at each step. Any town can halt Worthington’s withdrawal by voting against the amendment, and the Commissioner may veto the separation, even if the towns approve it. If the withdrawal is not approved at the school district or at the state level, Worthington has additional options. According to Hopson, the state legislature may also create an independent public school system for Worthington. The final recourse would be a lawsuit, Hopson added.
In the meantime, as Worthington awaits final word on withdrawal, the town is working with an outside consultant to draw up a budget for the possible school, and an ad hoc education committee is planning possible new school arrangements. Tom Wisnauckas, chair of the committee, said the town wants to reopen the former Conwell Elementary School in Worthington for students in grades K – 6.
“The district closed the local elementary school. We feel a local elementary school is best for the younger students,” said Wisnauckas. “For grades 7 – 12 we would set up tuition agreements with local regional school districts which could possibly include Gateway.”
According to Hopson, Worthington had about 50 students in grades K-6 this school year. Wisnauckas noted the reopened school would cost the town about $1 million to operate each school year. Adding in costs for students in grades 7 – 12 means the overall education costs for Worthington would total between $1.4 to $1.9 million per school year. Town documents indicate Worthington contributed approximately $1.2 million to the Gateway Regional School District for the 2012 – 2013 school year.
Wisnauckas said that in addition to students residing in town, the reopened elementary school would possibly accept school choice students from other districts.
Superintendent Hopson said of Worthington’s withdrawal request, “I’m not sure what the outcome will be, but it will be beneficial to go through the process. The school system will find out the added costs of the separation, and Worthington will find out how much it would cost to run an independent school.”
