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Elmer, Missouri - Early History
Elmer Considers Fate of District
(Reprinted from The Home Press, September 22, 1993, by Lois Bragg)
What will be the fate of the Elmer C-1 School District? That question may face the voters of the district at the April 6, 1994, school election. Due to recent legislative action, all schools in the state that have a non-classification rating must either upgrade their district or annex to a district which meets the state’s classification standards.
During a regular meeting of the Board, held on Monday evening (September 20th), Atlanta C=3 Superintendent Gary Nuhn read a letter to the Board from the Elmer C-1 Board asking them to consider accepting the C-1 district through annexation.
The letter stated that the Elmer C-1 Board of Education had received a petition, consisting of signatures of the required 10% or more qualified voters who voted in the last school election. The petition proposed that the Elmer C-1 School District annex to the Atlanta C-3 School District, effective July 1, 1994.
After considerable discussion, the six members of the Atlanta C-3 Board who were present unanimously agreed to consider the annexation of the Elmer district, if the voters of the district approved the issue. They authorized Nuhn to prepare a written notification to the Elmer C-1 District prior to September 25th.
A public meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m., Saturday, September 25th, at the school, to allow the residents of the Elmer District to voice their opinions concerning the issue. The meeting will also be an opportunity for the Atlanta District to familiarize the patrons of the district with what they have to offer the seventeen students, who currently re being educated at Elmer. Based on the results of the public meeting, the Elmer C-1 Board will decide whether to place the issue on the April ballot.
The proposed annexation would release all of the Elmer C-1’s assets and liabilities to the Atlanta C-3 District. After the transfer, the Elmer District would be legally dissolved with all assessed valuation, properties, taxes, etc. becoming the property of the C-3 District. The Elmer C-1 District does not presently have any indebtedness.
In addition to the 17 elementary students, the district would also show an increase of 16 high school students. At the present time, Atlanta is serving 15 of those students, while one student is being educated at La Plata.
The decision to annex to Atlanta is a difficult one, but both Boards feel that it would be in the best educational interest of the children of the district. With each year, the attempt to reach the required state classification becomes more difficult for the Elmer C-1 District. The changes in state funding and the increase in the required mandatory salaries for teachers will continue to make it increasingly difficult for the small district to stand on its own.
(And a little info about Mercyville)
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