Florence considers being cooperative's landlord
Staff reporter
Sometimes the timing of a decision just stinks.
That was the consensus Monday when the Marion County Special Education Cooperative board met.
USD 408 representative Lyle Leppke explained to the board that he and USD 408 board member Keith Collett voted against two buildings that are owned by USD 408 and leased to special education cooperative being offered to the City of Florence.
Leppke said he wasn't opposed to the arrangement but didn't like the timing. He would rather have waited until October.
The USD 408 board voted in a special meeting May 16 to give the life skills building and gymnasium to the community for $1. USD 408 would retain the administration building and bus barn.
Leppke said some had accused USD 408 of taking advantage of the situation with the cooperative.
"I've said it before that I don't want (USD 408) to be on any different level than the cooperative," Leppke said, referring to the district and the cooperative being tenants and not one be the tenant and the other the landlord.
Florence City Council was to review the request Monday evening to determine if it could afford to maintain the facility but the meeting was canceled.
USD 398 representative Doe Ann Hague said she would have liked to have been contacted prior to the meeting so she could attend. She added that she was concerned if the City of Florence would continue the same lease agreement and if lease funds would be used for maintenance of the buildings.
Leppke said he thought the City of Florence would want to have a tenant and would continue to support the cooperative in Florence. He said it was appropriate for the decision to be made while there was a tenant in the buildings.
"Everyone agrees that we need special education in schools," said Leona Hajek of USD 397. "We need to look ahead and learn to accept these decisions."
She continued that declining enrollments in the county, including in the Centre school district, may result in the elementary school being consolidated with the middle school and high school.
"We're facing some tough issues right now," Hajek said.
Hague said she wasn't against Florence owning the buildings. She would have preferred that USD 408 had made the decision to sell if the cooperative decided to stay.
Since the cooperative would have two landlords instead of one, and USD 408 wanted to retain ownership of the administration building, would the lease payment increase? Hague asked. Leppke said the buildings would be pro-rated so the cooperative would continue paying $50,000 per year for all three buildings.
"The bottom line is nothing has changed but the landlord," said Richard Drake, special education cooperative board chairman and USD 411 representative. "We can still move forward with what we're doing. In December we need to make a decision whether to go with a new landlord or something else."
It was clarified that if the City of Florence accepts USD 408's offer, the same terms of the current contract would be honored.
Drake continued that the cooperative's task of a feasibility study should continue.
"I suggest that we proceed forward," Drake said.
Chris Cezar, special education cooperative director, said he was notified by USD 408 Superintendent Lee Leiker the day before the special meeting but decided not to contact board members until he sent out packets on Friday with information for Monday's cooperative meeting.
It was suggested that Cezar notify cooperative board members if discussion of the facilities is on USD 408's agenda.
