Roanoke-Benson Superintendent Rohn Peterson

A consolidation of Eureka Community School District 140 and Roanoke-Benson School District 60 is in order, according to a joint organizational feasibility study conducted by Midwest School Consultants (MSC).

MSC representatives released the results of its four-month project at a Feb. 22 public joint board meeting at Eureka High School. Both districts hired the firm last fall to conduct the in-depth review.

Among the many factors compared were district finances, transportation, curriculums. “There is not guarantee that just by consolidating districts or by reorganizing that you’re going to improve your test scores,” said MSC representative Dr. William Phillips, who has previously participated in 58 consolidation studies for MSC.

“However,” he continued, “are you going to improve the educational opportunities with combining? Yes, almost without exception … it comes down to what’s best for most kids.”

Though the districts face many options, MSC focused primarily on two consolidation scenarios. In the first, all 9-12 students would attend Eureka High School, Roanoke-Benson Junior High School students would shift to the vacant high school and the junior high school would close. District 140 elementary students would remain current.

In the second scenario, all 9-12 students would attend Eureka High School and Roanoke-Benson High School would become an industrial technology center that would also house the Roanoke-Benson junior high school students. Roanoke-Benson K-4 students would move to the junior high school building and District 140 students would remain where they are.

“These communities are close and they could be closer,” Williams said. “It boils down to what’s best for the most kids. If you use that method, overall, it’s a good thing.”

Though both districts are financially healthy, Roanoke-Benson superintendent Rohn Peterson said it’s the districts’ dwindling enrollment that is a cause for concern, particularly at the high school level.

“I think that it’s our concern as enrollment has been slowly decreasing that it will eventually catch up with us for what we can offer the students, and that’s the primary reason for considering it,” Peterson said. “We need to make sure we can offer the kids the best choices and options.”

The MSC study revealed that enrollment will likely continue to decline by as much as 100 students by 2022, and consolidation could provide more pre-K possibilities, more junior high school electives and additional vocational, dual credit, business and visual arts classes at the high school level.

Currently, total enrollment at District 60 is 525 and 175 are high school students. In District 140 its 1,586 with 501 high school students. In five years, Roanoke-Benson is expected to have 139 high school students. Eureka, 447.

“When enrollment starts dropping off, you’re making some decisions about course offerings,” District 140 superintendent Robert Bardwell said.

As Community School District 140 and Roanoke-Benson School District 60 eye possible consolidation plans, District 140 also is considering shuttering elementary schools in Goodfield and Congerville, pictured. Those students would attend Davenport Elementary School in Eureka. (Photo by Holly Eitenmiller / for Chronicle Media)

“The thought behind the second scenario is that we split the high school with the focus of a vocational/technology structure combined with a middle school configuration,” Peterson said. “It would make it easier for sharing of staff and things.”

Teachers would retain tenure in a consolidation, though a new collective bargaining agreement would require negotiation, considering that District 140 salaries are greater than those in District 60.

With consolidation come the many questions about taxes, and what would change for taxpayers if the districts restructure.

“Analyzes you know what your taxes are now but what could your taxes be if we reorganize?” Phillips said. “It mimics what you have if you have a combined EAB, Equalized Assessed Valuation.”

Roanoke-Benson’s tax rate is $5.60 per $100 of equalized assessed valuation while Eureka School District’s is $4.95. Both districts would remain autonomous with regard to bond debt, and the bond levies would remain separate for each district.

If the school boards of both districts complete petitions by August, voters could be asked to approve a potential consolidation in November. “Our board met last night and there are quite a few questions that people have that we have to evaluate and go over,” Peterson said.

Bardwell agreed that consolidation now stands with the will of the board, though he said he’s anxious to move forward with plans for the future. Those plans may also include closing down Congerville and Goodfield elementary schools.

Those students would attend Davenport Elementary in Eureka, a move that would require the school district to add on to the existing building to make room.

“We’re sensitive to closing down schools while creating a unified school district,” Bardwell said. “Right now, we’re just dealing with consultants, and the boards need to create their own opinions before we start planning.”

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—-Study underway for joining Eureka, Roanoke-Benson school districts —-