Over the past few months, hope had been building in Reading that the elementary school closed down earlier this year would reopen as an educational facility. Unfortunately, recent data is causing USD 251 North Lyon County to stop pursuing that option for the building.
Speaking after Wednesday night’s regular board meeting, Superintendent Mike Mathes says an option to use Reading as a preschool didn’t gain much traction among town residents or potential school patrons. An alternative school approach as part of a partnership through the Flint Hills Special Education Cooperative did find favor with residents, but Mathes says the costs involved are just prohibitive.
Mathes says it could cost about $50,000 to operate the building as a special-needs school on a yearly basis. The district worked with Greenbush Educational Services on a potential contract, and Mathes says the end result is the district would have a net financial loss if it reopened the school under those terms.
The district is now working with Reading city leaders to develop a plan for the building’s future. Mathes says there is some business interest in the property. The idea of an alternative school, notably dealing with dyslexia, was first publicized in March as a last-ditch way to keep Reading open, but the board declined, saying there was no guarantee that enough out-of-district parents would take students to Reading to keep the school viable.
Separately, board members reviewed date from the recent Patron Insight survey. Mathes says there is a lot of support for renovating current facilities and for building a new high school — just not in Americus.
Over 750 responses were collected.
District patrons turned down three separate bond measures, each ranging from $30 million to nearly $40 million, for building either a new K-12 or K-8 campus.
Mathes says the survey data will prompt him to develop a new construction plan with the help of an outside architect. He says it will be a more modest plan than what district patrons have voted on over the last five years, although it could take six or seven months to flesh out both the building plans and associated costs.
