State Supt. OK’s St. Elmo, Brownstown consolidation petition
About two years after officials in the Brownstown and St. Elmo school districts began studying the consolidation of the two districts, they have been given permission to put the issue before residents of the two communities.
Regional Superintendent of Schools for Bond, Fayette and Effingham counties Mark Drone announced mid-morning on Tuesday that the petition for a consolidation referendum had been OK’d by the state superintendent of education.
In his certified letter, State Superintendent Dr. Christopher A. Koch gave his approval to have the issue placed on the April 7 consolidated election ballot.
In preparation for making that decision, Koch studied the petition submitted by the two districts, as well as a transcript from a public hearing on the petition held last month and other supporting evidence.
The issue now goes back to the committee of 10 residents – five from each school district – which will work with the two district superintendents, Deb Philpot of St. Elmo and Doug Slover of Brownstown, on such matters as officially getting the issue on the ballot and scheduling public hearings.