Emotions high at Brownfield School meeting

Emotions ran high at the Clearview School Board community meeting in Brownfield Monday, April 15. The gym, packed with almost 100 people, had the biggest turn out the board has seen yet.
The biggest topic discussed was the safety of Brownfield School remaining open; a topic that has been under much speculation after the closure motion was made in October.
The motion was tabled until the November 15th meeting, giving the communities time to gather together to defend their schools. Before they presented however the trustee who made the motion wanted to remove it altogether. It was eventually voted down 6-1.
“The fact is that it (the closure motion) was irresponsible and caused a lot of grief at the expense of people who are being very diligent about education,” said Jordan Webber, a parent, “and the political perception of that is very bad. That is why we are here, that is why this meeting happened and it makes our community jump through the hoops and that is very frustrating.”
Webber said what was presented at this meeting and what came forward was understandable and nothing was unexpected or out of the ordinary, although there was a little frustration towards the different views on small schools.
“Probably the thing that happens in a meeting like this that is most frustrating to me, although you expect it, is the responses are political in nature and obviously our need for a school in our community is not political, it’s real and it is absolute.”
“I have experienced large school, the volume and the disregard and the respect that those students do not have for education and for each other and teachers, I don’t consider that high education. Whereas on the other hand, our school here has, in my believe, the utmost highest quality of education,” he said, adding the school is in good shape and the teachers do an excellent job.
Ken Checkel, the chairperson on the board, said small schools have been a priority to the board to keep open, but all options are being considered.  I think it is fair to say that it is being questioned, not by the majority of the board right now but it is being questioned more as time goes on and the enrollments are down.”
Some of the ideas that were considered by the board other than the closure of schools were more schools going to the four-day system that Brownfield already has or cutting some grades out of schools.
A lot of people who attended were rallying for a commitment from the board to have their support instead of always having to prove themselves, a commitment the board bluntly said they could not give because the issue is bigger than themselves and the community.
However, Checkel said the board has committed to keeping all the schools the same for the next year, in the fall there will be an election in which a new board could be elected.
“There could be a whole new board for a four-year term and who knows what will happen. It depends how those seven people think.”

About the author

ECA Review

Our newspaper is only as good as its contributors and we thank each one who submits stories, photos and opinions. If you have a news item, photos or opinion to share please submit it to office@ECAreview.com.