After listening to the concerns of Winnebago residents about the possible closing of the Winnebago Elementary School, the Blue Earth Area School Board and administration have come back with an 11-page response.

“We are trying to cover every concern and answer every question that was raised at the public hearing in Winnebago on Tuesday, March 31,” BEA superintendent Evan Gough says. “I think the response is very thorough and covers every topic that was asked about.”

The responses are printed in their entirety on the BEA School District website. The direct link to the site can be found by typing in the following web address into your computer browser program: blueearthas.new.rschooltoday.com/page/4437

Gough says he urges all district residents to access the site on their computers and read through the information.

“I took pretty thorough notes of all the concerns and questions raised both during the public hearing and our last two School Board meetings,” Gough says. “And I have tried to cover everything when we created this document.”

The information is in a question and answer format and includes several charts that cover enrollment figures, elementary class section sizes, projected cost savings, deferred maintenance cost totals and the district’s long term plans.

The superintendent says the document has been looked over by the management team and members of the School Board, and they felt it covered everything.

Gough said board members have heard complaints from the public that there was no response from the board during the public hearing held in Winnebago.

“This was not to be a debate,” Gough says. “The board wanted to hear from the citizens of the district and allow them an opportunity to express their concerns about the possible closing of the Winnebago School.”

Now, all residents of the entire school district have an opportunity to see all of the information about the issue, Gough adds.

Some of the questions which are answered on the website include: Is there really room to move students to Blue Earth? What will happen to staff members? What about ECFE classes and daycare? How can a decision with this large of an impact be made in only 12 months?

One question that had been asked several times was this one: Why not delay the closure decision for another year?

The answer on the website is this: “Delaying the decision another year will further add to the district’s budget deficit. The district will also be faced with hiring new teachers that will be aware of the possibility of their position being eliminated a year later. Southern Plains Educational Cooperative will likely move out and not be an option to occupy the building a year later.”

To see all of the answers, please go to blueearthas.new.rschooltoday.com/page/4437.