McCook, Culbertson discuss school merger

McCook and Culbertson school board members discussed the possible merger of Culbertson into McCook's school system at a special meeting at noon Thursday.

Culbertson now forms a Hitchcock County unified school district with Trenton and Stratton. Stratton school board members are discussing possible merger with Dundy County Public Schools in Benkelman, a move that would force Trenton and Culbertson to reconsider their options.

The tentative agreement between Culbertson and McCook, discussed at Thursday's meeting, would leave a K-5 attendance center in Culbertson for five years. If the student count in Culbertson drops to 45 or fewer, the school may be closed the followng year unless the count increases above 45 students in the March 1 enrollment count.

If a single class has five or fewer students, that class may be combined with another.

Ultimately, the Culbertson attendance center could be closed with a petition vote of the Culbertson patrons.

The agreement, if accepted officially by the two boards, includes hiring school consultant Jerry Ehlers to conduct a study of the merger. The cost, $1,000, would be shared equally by the two districts.

Any changes or suggestions are to be submitted to McCook Superintendent Dr. Don Marchant by Tuesday, Jan. 30.