Northern Minnesota schools face potential closure due to distance, district decisions

BAUDETTE, Minn. (FOX 9) – Leaders of a northern Minnesota faculty district have a tricky determination on their arms, with two Ok-12 colleges which might be about 80 miles aside.

However now, ISD #363 says it could’t afford to maintain each colleges open, and the approaching closure of 1 faculty might ship college students to a different that’s hours away.

In March, 4 of the six South Koochiching-Wet River College board members voted to shut Ok-12 faculty Indus in Baudette subsequent yr.

At a public listening to on Monday night time, households shared their ideas concerning the determination. Indus is one among two colleges of their rural, remoted and unfold out district.

However now, with its future in query due to vital price range shortfalls introduced on by declining enrollment, college students could also be despatched to the district’s Northome faculty.

“I dwell roughly two hours away from the Northome faculty, so meaning I’d commute 4 hours a day to go there,” Indus eleventh grader Abbi Hasbargen informed FOX 9 on Tuesday.

Hasbargen is a fourth era Indus scholar, and he or she attended Monday’s listening to. 

“All of the feelings, anger, unhappiness, suddenly simply hit me,” Hasbargen stated. “It’s very unknown, there’s not a lot communication about this in any respect.”

If Indus is closed, academics with seniority might hold jobs at Northome. 

Nonetheless, industrial expertise trainer Soren Olesen would seemingly lose his. And he says even when his job is saved, Northome is just too distant.

“Between the 2 colleges, it’s 82 miles, I imagine, from one faculty to the opposite faculty,” Olesen stated. “It’s powerful to see children going by way of all these things… they need an training, and it’s onerous to coach individuals after they’re frightened about tomorrow.”

The scholars impacted even have the choice to open enroll in different faculty districts nearer by, however for a lot of, even these choices are nonetheless greater than an hour’s drive away. 

Olesen additionally described different considerations from dad and mom, saying, “taxpayers would nonetheless be paying cash to the college district on a faculty that’s 100 miles away.”

State Senator Grant Hauschild has obtained sufficient complaints to take motion.

“I need to make it very clear that I’m not making an attempt to get entangled in a neighborhood faculty board determination,” Hauschild stated. “However what I’m making an attempt to do is use my legislative capacity to attempt to get the funding that we are able to to this space, to see if we’d hold this faculty open… we requested the college board to carry off on their determination to shut Indus till they know extra concerning the funding that’s going to be coming from the Legislature in Might.”

Households within the district say they hope their leaders will stroll again the choice at a gathering subsequent week.

FOX 9 reached out to district’s faculty board chair, vice chair, clerk, superintendent and Indus’ principal, however as of Tuesday night time, they didn’t reply. 

Click on right here to study extra concerning the effort to avoid wasting Indus.