History of Southern Wells and
Area Townships
Wells County Schools Split 3
Ways Under Reorganization Plan A
Plan A, calling for a
three-way division of school districts in Wells County, has been tentatively
adopted by the School Reorganization Committee as the result of a five-to-four
vote to discard the proposed county-wide merger.
The northern district
would include Union, Jefferson, Rockcreek and
The northern district
would include a total of 1,966 students based on 1960-61 initial enrollments
figures, 1,423 in elementary and 43 in high school grades.
The maximum distance
to a central point, which would be approximately at the junction of our
townships, would be 14 miles.
The northern district
would be the “wealthiest” of the three proposed areas, with a total tax
valuation of about $17 million.
The study committee
envisioned a seven-member school board for the northern district. This hypothetical board would include two
members elected each from Jefferson and Lancaster, one each from
The southern district
would have a central point northeast of the present site of
The southern district
would have the lowest relative population, 1092 students, and tax valuation,
$11 million. Enrollment would include,
based on the current initial figures, 793 in elementary and 299 in high school
grades.
A five-member board
would be proposed. One member would be
elected from each of the four townships and one member would be elected at-large.
Bluffton district
would change the picture of the present Bluffton school system only in revision
of the school board size and its incorporation of
Maximum distance from
any point to Bluffton is nine miles. The
central district would rank between the other two districts in both enrollment
and tax base figures. The area represents 2,004 students, 1,682 in elementary
and 422 in high school grades, and a total tax valuation of approximately $13
million.
A seven-member board
is proposed including four Bluffton representatives, two township members and
one elected at-large
The pros and cons of
Plan A, reflecting the viewpoint of the county study committee and their
representative township advisory groups from earlier studies, are as follows:
Advantages:
- Distance is normal for buses, no
greater than under the township system (a bus travels until it is filled)
- Could be used as a first step towards
a county wide system which might have more advantages
- Geographical centers of areas north
and center would be the same.
- All school corporations would be
within the county.
- Bigger and better than a small
township system, to increase special services such as book rental and
visual aid equipment.
- All old buildings could be used. When enrollment increases enough, new
buildings could be placed in planned locations.
- School board members could be selected
from each township city to make local representation reality close to
their own school problems.
- A greater variety of courses could be
offered than under present system.
- A larger tax base than the present,
making it more possible (economical) in buying and more class subjects.
- Residents in each area would have many
things in common.
Disadvantages:
- Would not mix city and rural students
- Boundaries within the county become
barriers between schools areas. Two buses might be required to travel
boundary routes to pick up children on opposite sides.
- Some corporations are in debt. When united with those debt-free both or
all must help pay.
- There would be no county system. Each area would be complete in itself –
with a superintendent and school board.
- Three areas might still be too small
to provide the best possible education.
- The southern area would have the
smallest enrollment and the fewest education possibilities while students
would travel the longest distance.
- The Bluffton area would benefited very
little, in that the student transfer from the township to the city school
would be by law rather than voluntarily as at present.
Wells county schools split 3 ways under reorganization plan A (1960). Bluffton
News-Banner.
School Reorganization Group
Reverses Itself; Adopts Plan A
The proposed
county-wide consolidation of public schools of
A five-to-four
majority was registered for Plan A, indicting a switch in volte by one member
of the nine-member panel.
Opposition at
Hearings:
Tuesday night’s vote
was requested by one committee member because of opposition to the county-wide
merger shown at recent public hearings.
The public meeting at Ossian witnessed the most pronounced disagreement.
Unlike the earlier
ballot, which was cast secretly, Tuesday night’s vote was by a raise of hands.
Voting for Plan A
were committee members from
Herman Osborn,
Chester Twp. farmer, informed the group that he had changed his vote in favor
of the three-way division as the result of a poll conducted among parents of
Trustee Polls
Parents:
Verlice Crosby,
trustee of Chester Twp., said today he distributed approximately 160 ballots
though students asking township resident to indicate which of the proposed
school merger proposals they preferred.
Mrs Gale Miller,
secretary and Nottingham Twp. member of the panel, said that group discussed a
nine page letter protesting the county-wide merger and written by Fred Borton
of near Craigville.
Vote Follows
Discussion:
Borton reportedly had
registered his opposition to the single unit first at the Ossian public
hearing. He is a native of Union Twp.
and has resided on the farm near Craigville for about 7 years, according to Walter
W Speheger, treasure and
The vote followed a
discussion of Borton’s protest and a review of three public hearings. A first show of hands revealed a
five-to-three division with Bluffton Supt. Edwin E. Prible abstaining because
of his position as committee chairman.
Prible then stated
that he originally voted for Plan D and continued to favor the single unit,
thus making the final vote five-to-four, according to Mrs Miller.
Next Meeting October
4th:
Mrs Miller stated
that the committee will concentrate on Plan A as a result of the decision. She said the members did not know if
additional public hearings would be required before submission of the plan for
state approval. The next meeting will be
Oct. 4.
Prible was
unavailable for comment as he was attending a workshop session of the
It is expected that
Bluffton would continue to be the focal point of the center district, with
geographic midpoints in the other districts falling near Kingsland in the north
and near the present
School reorganization group reverses itself; adopts plan A. (1960,
September 14). Bluffton News-Banner.
Various Township Information
for the
Southern District Only
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