Ronan discusses class B

RONAN - Monday's community forum discussing Ronan's potential reclassification to B brought questions, comments, ideas but no real consensus on the best course of action for the small Class A school district.

Moderated by activities director Lucky Larson and high school principal Tom Stack, the discussion began with a short presentation by the two men, similar to the display during the Ronan Board of Education meeting on Oct. 11. The school, which currently competes in Class A, will be eligible to drop down to Class B based on enrollment numbers.

Set by the Montana High School Association, Ronan High School will qualify for Class B, a level that requires between 120 and 339 enrolled students for the 2010-2011 school year. Stack said the number, based on the current and previous three semesters average, will be around 320 students.

"As of now, we are Class B," Stack said to a crowd of about 40 people. "The board has the option to say yes, we are B, or no, we'd like to stay A. The process will be reviewed every two years."

While Larson reported at the Oct. 11 meeting that 10 of 12 coaches voted to move to Class B, he reported results of a survey, at the urging of board trustee Carmel Couture, given to students at the school. Each student, 298 eighth through eleventh graders on the day the survey was given, was asked their preference during English class. The results were a stark contrast from the coaches' vote.

More than 70 percent, 216 students, voted to stay in Class A while 28 percent, or 82 students, voted to move to Class B. Of those involved in extracurricular activities, 189 voted to stay Class A while 70 voted for Class B. Of those not involved in extracurriculars, 27 voted in favor of Class A while 12 voted for Class B.

"I think it's my job to gather facts and put it in front of the board," Stack said of his personal opinion on the issue. "We've talked to students, we've talked to coaches, we've talked to the board. We wouldn't be doing our job if we didn't come to you, the community, taxpayers and concerned parents."

At that point the men opened the floor to community members to voice their opinions and while quite a few spoke, sometimes more than once, it seemed that at the end of the night there was not one side or the other that clearly had more supporters.

Issues ranged from competition to numbers to team depth to team facilities and the roads traveled to get to different schools.

"If we do drop down to B, we could host more events here because we have bigger, better facilities," board trustee Mark Clary said. "Travelwise, I don't want to have to drive some of those smaller roads to get to those schools. I'm on the fence, I could go either way on this."

Community member and attendance clerk Joell Conklin said there seems to be only one statistic that matters.

"It isn't an adult decision, it's the kids decision," she said. "Adults should take that to heart, that's what we're here to represent, it's the kids."

Others questioned the reliability of predicting future enrollment numbers, which could ultimately effect what classification Ronan chooses now. Many spoke against switching to Class B, only to have to return to Class A two years from now if enrollment numbers surpass 340 students.

"My class was in this position in Glasgow," board trustee Bob Cromwell said. "From a student viewpoint, students wanted to stay in Class A, mostly based on rivalries, not the other factors. Glasgow had a rude awakening, they thought they were going to go in [to Class B] and clean house, and hopefully that happens, but there's no guarantee."

Stack reiterated that he hopes the board will be able to make a conclusive decision during its Nov. 8 meeting, but noted that whatever happens, people will surely be upset.

A second community forum will be held tonight from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Ronan Middle School Events Center and those hoping to voice their opinions or learn more about the matter are encouraged to attend, Stack said.