Bluffs To Hold Input Session on Consolidation

By Benjamin Cox on May 13, 2021 at 8:50am

The Bluffs School Board is taking the first steps to gather community input on consolidation. The Bluffs Board announced at their Monday meeting they are holding a community input sesssion on Thursday, June 10th from 7-9PM to talk with parents and Bluffs community members about consolidation with the Winchester School District.

According to the Scott County Times, Bluffs board members were disappointed with the turnout at the April 15th feasibility study presentation held in Winchester by Superintendent Kevin Blankenship. Board members have said they want more community input before moving forward with the establishing the “Committee of 10.”

The “Committee of Ten” is a committee of ten individuals designated as petitioners for consolidation in a district who either recommend or deny a petition to consolidate two or more school districts. In the case of unification, 5 members of the committee would be from Bluffs and 5 from Winchester.

If the “Committee of 10” approves the consolidation by majority, a public hearing will then be held by the Regional Superintendent providing full disclosure of the consolidation of buildings, personnel, reorganization of the school board, and taxes. The petition would then head to the State Superintendent for approval before it would be placed on the ballot as a referendum in Scott County.

For more information on school district reorganization, visit the Illinois State Board of Education website’s School District Reorganization page.