www.joplinglobe.com/local/local_story_260000846.html -
[Cached Version]
Published on: 9/17/2007
Last Visited: 9/17/2007
Miller Superintendent Tony Rossetti attributes the decline to several factors and said stopping the loss is a top priority.
"This is an inherent problem for rural Missouri, not just Miller.Some of the other districts that surround us are suffering from the same thing - there just isn't an increase in growth in rural America," Rossetti said."There are a myriad of things here that are reflective of what's going on in Missouri and the country."
Rossetti also said that there has been an increase in competition from area private schools and an increase in home schooling in the Miller area.
...
Even with a loss in enrollment, Miller Superintendent Tony Rossetti said a new school may be the answer.The district will close two of its elementary schools and build one new one in its place, which should eliminate the cost and upkeep on the two buildings, both of which were built in the 1940s and '50s.Money that is saved will be put into renovating the high school.Renovations such as a new roof on the high school have already begun, and Rossetti said district officials are anticipating construction beginning on the new elementary school this November.