The Patoka, Odin, and Sandoval School Boards have all voted to participate in a reorganization study to see if some sort of consolidation is a viable option.
Votes were taken individually at all three school districts in June, with Patoka taking the final vote Thursday night.
Patoka Superintendent Justin Venhaus says a contract will now be written up with a professor at Eastern Illinois University to complete the study. Approval of the agreement will then be necessary from the Regional Office of Education and the State Board of Education. The state will be asked to pick up half the $30,000 cost, with the three school districts paying $5,000 each.
Outgoing Odin Superintendent Belinda Kirgan explains areas that will be studied.
“We’re hoping to help students with curriculum, especially at the high school level,” Kirgan said. “They’re going to look at buildings, and it’s not necessarily a consolidation thing. It’s just looking at what each school has to offer and seeing if maybe we can combine some things.”
Kirgan says the conditions of the school buildings will also be studied.
Venhaus expects it will take six to eight months to complete the study. He emphasizes that there is nothing binding and the report will be made available to the public as well as the three school boards.
The three small K-12 districts have been working together on classes and have combined a number of their sports teams as enrollments have dipped.
